Investigating the myths and hills of under-appreciated Shropshire

There’s something alluring about the quiet, rural, myth-laced and castle-dotted ‘Little Switzerland’ of the landlocked – and overlooked – West Midlands. Lyn Hughes gets her boots on

‘Switzerland without the avalanches and wolves.’ That was how the Shropshire Hills, and the market town of Church Stretton at its heart, were once promoted. The tagline was at least half right: as I strolled through nearby Little Stretton on a summer evening, the soundtrack was of baaing sheep rather than the howling of anything lupine. Quiet, rural, lowly populated Shropshire was a tourism ‘secret’ until recreation-seeking Victorians discovered it from the mid-19th century. Subsequently, the hills became a place to holiday, with Church Stretton turned into a spa resort where visitors could play croquet, take walks and enjoy the fresh country air.

Today the Shropshire Hills are encompassed in a namesake Area of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB) that covers much of the county’s south. And while West Midlands lad AE Housman’s ‘blue remembered hills’ may not be as spectacular as the Swiss Alps, they do possess their own quiet beauty. Not that it has always been peaceful here. Shropshire falls within the Welsh Marches, the historically turbulent border region with Wales; it also suffered invasions by the Vikings in the ninth and tenth centuries. It’s no surprise, then, that 32 of England’s 186 castles are found in the county. My first stop was at one of them, Stokesay, a fortified manor house built in the 14th century for wealthy wool merchant Laurence of Ludlow – at the time, one of the richest men in Britain. Indeed, Shropshire’s hardy and versatile sheep, prized for both their wool and their meat, have played an important part in the economy here over the centuries.

While Ludlow, gateway to the Hills from the south, is a deservedly popular honeypot, visitors to the Shropshire Hills continue to come for the tranquillity, the walking and views, and the well-preserved villages and historic sites. “We love the peace and quiet and the lack of development; we try to come at least once a year,” said one couple I bumped into. Another pair told me they had finally moved to the area after many years of visiting. “people fall in love with this place.” ⊲

Long views (clockwise from top) Sheep on Caer Caradoc overlook Church Stretton and the Long Mynd; Wenlock Priory once attracted pilgrims from all over Europe; Little Stretton's unique timber church has a thatched roof; walking the Long Mynd