Gav Grayston
Shropshire is still a secret from much of the UK, but with great scenery and history abound, its a fantastic place to visit. The Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre will help you find out more.
If you are live in Shropshire: go to the Discovery Centre.
If you are staying in Shropshire: go to the Discovery Centre.
If you are planning on visiting Shropshire: …plan on going to the Discovery Centre.
The Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre is not a big building. In fact, with its eco grass covered roof, you could easily miss it as you drive by.
It’s also not in one of the larger towns of the county.
So why would you want to go?
Well we think Shropshire is a special place (OK, so, we’re a bit biased on the subject). The hills aren’t tall mountains, but enough to get you out of breath..in fact, it’s the start of the mountain range that forms mid and north Wales.
The geology of the county is very diverse. Walk the Wenlock Edge (one of the largest continuous stretches of woodland in the country), and you’ll see plenty of fossilised sea creatures (a great place to take your kids to see if they can spot any).
Stand on the rolling hills of the Long Mynd (derived form the Welsh language meaning Long Mountain), and look at the Tors of the Stiperstones. That hill range is totally different to the one you would be standing on, and dotted with old mine ruins…some of which you can visit today.
You have beautiful remote places, wild moorland, rolling pastures, thousands of quaint villages, and history absolutely everywhere.
Bronze age tracks and barrows scatter the landscapes. Iron age hill forts adorn the skyline. Roman roads, sites of villas, and even the remains of a Roman city. Saxon settlements, Norman castles and abbeys, and Medieval streets and towns. Do you want to step back in time to the Tudors? Well you can still shop in Tudor buildings today, or turn a corner down a country lane and you may come across a Tudor mansion. But if you like big houses, the county also has plenty of Georgian palaces and park land….as well as all the modern stuff too.
And it’s not just human history either. That woolly mammoth was find not too far from our house!
So if you want to find out all about this…
Visit the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre
At the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre you can learn a lot about the landscape and the history. It will certainly help you get the most out of your visit to the area.
As well as covering the natural and human history (there’s a great round house recreation as well as a model hill fort), you can take a virtual hot air balloon ride over the landscape, narrated by the late and great Pete Postlethwaite who lived here.
The Discovery Centre has lots of leaflets and walks on the area too – we especially liked the WW2 geocaching trail.
It’s situated at Craven Arms on the road between Church Stretton in the heart of the Long Mynd and Ludlow, and has walks and picnic areas at the Discovery Centre, so a great place to stop off if you are travelling down the A49.
They also do family activities at half term and school holidays.
Getting in Touch with Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre
Here's how you can get in contact with Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre.
Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre Website
Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre Facebook Page
01588 676060
Where to find Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre
Sat Nav Postcode: SY7 9RS
Latitude: 52.4372215, Longitude: -2.8326726
Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, School Road, Craven Arms, Shropshire, SY7 9RS.
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Gav Grayston Contributor
Father to 3 kids, who loves getting out and about (hiking, running, camping, cycling, canoeing...) Co-founded Get Out With The Kids to help other parents enjoy the outdoors with their family.
