Out & About
Angel House is in a wonderful location that opens up a great variety of options for you to pursue whatever the weather! Being situated in south Shropshire we are ideally located for exploring this part of the county, north Herefordshire, Worcestershire and mid Wales.
We have a selection of leaflets and guides which you are welcome to use but below are just some ideas to whet your appetite and links to other sites if you’d like greater detail. To make it slightly easier we have grouped suggestions into categories and if there is something specific you want to pursue let us know and we will see what we can find out for you.
Click on one of the following to find out more detail:
Stately Homes, Castles, Gardens & National Trust Properties
Border castles at Ludlow, Croft, Clun, Stokesay and Powys
Powis Castle
near Welshpool a National Trust property with beautiful gardens
Burford House NT at Tenbury is uniquely situated where three counties meet and contains the national collection of Clematis along with around 2000 other kinds of plants.
Food and Drink
- Real Ale
- Cheese Making
- History of Brewing at Bishops Castle
- Cider Museum Herford
- Festivals – see below
Towns and Cities
The Black & White Trail 'unrivalled in England' is how Alec Clifton-Taylor described the half timbered 'black and white' buildings of north-west Herefordshire. Follow all or part of the 40 mile circular trail that leads west from the nearby ancient town of Leominster, through a rich landscape of orchards, hop yards and distant hills.
Market Towns
You are spoilt for choice with Bishops Castle, Bromyard, Church Stretton, Cleobury Mortimer, Craven Arms, Kington, Ledbury, Leominster and Ludlow.
John Betjeman called Ludlow "the perfect historic town".
Situated on the River Teme in the outstanding countryside of the Welsh Marches, its medieval street pattern survives almost intact, along with many ancient properties including the magnificent ruined castle and one of the largest parish churches in England
Ludlow is the first Cittaslow, or 'Slow City', in the UK. This means that the town is now a member of a growing international network of towns 'where it is good to live'. A Cittaslow town treats all visitors as if they are residents of the town, whose needs should be anticipated and catered for fully.
Cathedral Cities
Within a relatively short drive you have access to three of England’s beautiful cathedral cities:
Hereford, one of only twelve cities recorded in the Doomsday Book
Hereford Cathedral contains two of Britain's most important treasures, the Mappa Mundi and the Chained Library. Every three years the Cathedral is host to Europe's oldest music festival, The Three Choirs Festival.
Festivals & Events
- Ludlow Food Festival's new SPRING EVENT will take place in Ludlow Castle on Saturday and Sunday, 9th and 10th May 2009. A weekend of music and good food celebrating great local beers, bangers, bread - and much more!
- Ludlow Festival in 20th June to 5th July
- Ludlow Green Festival Thursday 21st – Monday 25th August
- The 2009 Ludlow Food Festival will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11-13 September
- Medieval Christmas Festival 29 – 30th November 09
- Car Rally
- Three Choirs Festival every three years in Hereford Cathedral
Activities
- Walking – Local walks abound and the choice is enormous
- Cycling
- Horse Riding
- Tradition has it that in the fourteenth century soldiers from Ludlow Castle came here not only to practice archery but also to match their horses.
- Golf - Ludlow Golf Club
- Elm Lodge pay and play nine holes
- Swimming
- Fishing
Railways
The Severn Valley Steam Trains travel through 16 miles of beautiful Shropshire and Worcestershire countryside
Museums & Tourist Attractions
- Secret Hills Discovery Centre at Craven Arms
- Ironbridge Complex of six square miles of Industrial Heritage
- Acton Scott Working Farm
- House on Crutches at Bishops Castle
Wildlife & Animals
- Safari Park at Bewdley, near Kidderminster
- Poultry, Wernlas Collection of rare breeds near Onibury
- Bird watching