GUIDE TO HOSTELS IN SHROPSHIRE & CHESTER

• ShropshirePeaceful county with attractive towns and fine hill-walking
• Shrewsbury Fascinating town with fine old buildings
• Ludlow Very picturesque town
• Ironbridge The first iron bridge
• Chester Unique history with Roman forum, city walls and 2-storey shops

SHROPSHIRE

Since UK TRAIL is based in Shropshire, we hope you won't mind if we give our county a bit of special attention. So what's special about Shropshire? It's a lovely green and restful county, with fine hill walking, beautiful scenery for driving on uncrowded roads, and two of the finest towns in England.

If you are driving from London to Ireland, North Wales or Chester, or if you travel from South Wales to Northern England, you are likely to pass through Shropshire, and you should allow time for at least a brief stop. The Secret Hills centre in Craven Arms is a pleasant spot with refreshing walks, a good-value cafe and some fine displays. Both the main towns, Ludlow and Shrewsbury, deserve at least 2 hours to glance at or 4 hours to really explore. If you have more time, you can spend a night in Shrewsbury or Ludlow, but unfortunately only at relatively expensive B&Bs (probably at least £23 pp in a double, or £30 pp single, plus dinner in a pub or restaurant). Or you can stay right in the hills at Batch Valley bunkhouse, or the hostel at Bridges. These are ideal bases for walks, or for visiting Shrewsbury or Ludlow for the day; Bridges is not easily reached without a car, but Batch Valley is readily accessible by train.

SHREWSBURY

is history in miniature, with attractive buildings of all ages, narrow streets, and the River Severn winding in a big loop through a pleasant park. It has a large variety of specialist shops. There are plenty of cafes and sandwich bars for lunchtime, with reasonable prices, but at other times of day the number drops rapidly.

Transport

Train: Shrewsbury is a hub of rail lines. There are frequent trains to Wolverhampton and Birmingham, and some in late evening, with connections there to London and elsewhere. Frequent trains run north to Crewe to connect with all of Northern England and Scotland. There is a line to Chester (trains every 2 hours, 4 trains on Sundays). So if you have a railpass Shrewsbury would be an excellent base. There are lines into Wales, and the Welsh rail pass is valid from here.

Unfortunately, Shrewsbury does not now have a hostel, and to stay in the town, guest house prices start around £25 in a double or more for a single. You can stay in Ironbridge at Coalport hostel and visit Shrewsbury for the day (6 buses per day, none eves or Suns). Batch Valley Bunkhouse is also a good base for visiting Shrewsbury, with several trains daily including Sundays. Or, if you are travelling by rail, you can fit in a few hours in Shrewsbury on the way to Chester, North Wales or Ireland.

If you have a spare day here, the best local visits are to Wroxeter Roman City (5 miles) and Ironbridge (12 miles). Between these is Buildwas Abbey (10 miles). A bus service runs to all of these, with 6 buses a day but none after 1700, so without a car don't try to visit more than two of these.

If you are living in London, Shropshire is an ideal area to visit for a pleasant unhurried weekend. Email us and we'll be pleased to give you some personal help, including accommodation.

LUDLOW

is one of England's gems. It is a small town that you can explore in two to four hours, so do come here if you possibly can. It is on a hill and has it all -- wide and narrow streets, many fine buildings and groups of buildings, a river with rapids, a church with a tall tower, a fine ruined castle, and woodland walks on the common overlooking the town. Throughout the town you keep getting vistas of the friendly hills that surround it. There are lots of cafes and bakeries for lunch or snacks, and a delightful walk outside the castle walls. The Information Centre is helpful and well-equipped with useful guides and maps. There's just one thing Ludlow doesn't have, though -- a hostel! But if you stay at Batch Valley bunkhouse you can visit Ludlow for the day.

Transport

Ludlow is on the rail line from Newport (Wales) to Shrewsbury, so if you are travelling that route, stop off here. Or come on a day trip from Shrewsbury by train or bus. There are hourly buses from Birmingham, but they take 2h 20m, and there are no express buses to here. It cannot be comfortably visited on a day trip from London, although if you have a train pass you might be able to do a grand circuit via Newport and Shrewsbury (without a train pass, the cost of such a journey would be horrendous).

IRONBRIDGE

The Iron Bridge was the first such bridge in the World, and in its narrow gorge it is very impressive. For those interested in industrial history there is much of interest. The relics and museums are spaced 2 to 3 miles apart. There is a good hostel at Coalport. A particularly good museum is Blists Hill, a folk museum featuring life and work in the 19th century, which is within walking distance of Coalport Hostel and deserves several hours. And if you don't want to look at old industry, there are walks through the thick woodland on the slopes and along the River Severn.

Transport

To get there for the day, take a train to Telford station, from which there are regular buses to Madeley. Or take a day trip by bus from Shrewsbury (6 buses a day, none eves or Suns). Most days there is no transport within the area. To get to the hostel at Coalport, there is a bus service to and through Ironbridge several times a day, BUT ONLY on weekends and holiday Mondays from March to September!

Hostels

If you stay the night, the hostel at Coalport is in an old industrial building but pleasant and comfortable inside, close to some museums and attractions and several pubs. It is closed on Mondays to Fridays during school terms.

The YHA hostel at Coalbrookdale is for groups only .

Much Wenlock is a tiny town with a remarkable variety of unique buildings, little alleyways and specialist shops in a very small space. It has 6 buses a day from Bridgnorth or Shrewsbury. If you have a car, this is an ideal place to stop for a break if you are driving from London or Bristol to Shrewsbury or North Wales -- study your road map to make sure you turn off the motorway at the right place. If you have more time, stay the night in a local manor house hostel.

THE SHROPSHIRE HILLS

South Shropshire contains wonderfully friendly scenery, with great walking country on hill ridges with widespead views. The centre of this area is Church Stretton and there is a new bunkhouse nearby. It's 4km walk from Church Stretton rail station, but well worth it because it's in a fabulous location right in the hills with many walks from the hostel door.

The Long Mynd is a long plateau with deep valleys dissecting it. You climb steeply up grassy tracks onto open heather moorland, with bracing air, level walking in any direction and delightful unimpeded views over England's colourful patchwork of fields and villages and Wales' green hills. But if the mist comes down or if it snows, even natives get lost! The All Stretton bunkhouse nestles in one of those deep valleys on the E side, while on the W side is a pleasant small hostel at Bridges.

From Bridges hostel you have a choice of hill ranges, as the next one is the Stiperstones with strange heaps of rocks along the ridge including the Devil's Chair, and again with no trees and widespread views. There is also a former mining centre at "The Bog".

Craven Arms is the opposite of Ludlow. It's small and flat, with a rectangular grid of streets and little character. Fortunately it is also surrounded by welcoming hills, it has a station, an interesting castle (Stokesay) nearby, and an excellent visitor centre which makes a convenient stop if you are passing through, or if you have to wait for a bus to Clun.

Clun is a tiny town with a castle in a particularly pleasant area of country with a cosy hostel (Apr-Aug only). Unfortunately it has just 1 bus a day from Ludlow, Craven Arms or Bishops Castle (none Sat, Sun). You really feel away from it all here... talk about sleepy ......zzzzz...

Wilderhope Manor, and view from dorm

WILDERHOPE

Want to stay the night in an outstanding heritage manor house with a great spiral staircase of solid hardwood, lying in a delectable hidden valley far from traffic noise, with excellent meals available? Well, if you have a car, book in at Wilderhope Manor hostel. If you are on public transport it's difficult to reach (there are buses at not-ideal times on Summer Sat & Sun, otherwise non-existent), but it's well worth the effort.

NORTH SHROPSHIRE

North Shropshire is a plain devoted mainly to agriculture, with a few sandstone hills which make excellent vantage points. This is best suited to car touring. If you are passing through, deviate from the bypasses to spend a short while in one of the pleasant small towns such as Newport (near UK Trail's office!), Market Drayton, Whitchurch or Wem. There are no hostels in this area.

We would like to see hostels re-established in both Shrewsbury and Ludlow. If anyone is interested in helping this, please contact us as we would like to coordinate efforts.

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CHESHIRE

There's nothing very special to seek in Cheshire, a small county of pastoral land and gentle hills, except for the county town itself.

Hostels

CHESTER

is a small city with lots of interest from many ages, ranging from a Roman forum to a well-preserved city wall and a unique 2-storey shopping centre several centuries old. Frequent trains go here, and it is on the route to North Wales and Ireland. There are 4 buses a day (none Suns) to Manchester Airport, and sparse bus connections to more distant places. You can use Chester as a base for day visits by train to Liverpool or Manchester.

The Backpackers is a small friendly hostel in a black-&-white building not far from the City centre and the rail station. The YHA hostel, neat and efficient, is a mile from the centre in a quiet suburban street with good parking, but is closing at the end of 2006.

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