Shropshire Hills AONB Reviews Summary

Walking Paths

Pros:

• "Wonderful place for walks with the kids and the dog."
• "You can park on any of the many parking lay-bys and just set off. Many options for peaceful walks - longer, shorter, up hill, flat…"
• "A wonderful place for outdoor activities walking, cycling running, bird watching, fossil finding or just taking in the views."
• "Fantastic walking country as well with lots of history and landmarks."
• "Great walk with spectacular Shropshire views, clamber up the devils chair or sit and eat your sandwiches enjoying the peace."
• "Lovely scenic walk with a few different routes and stunning views."
• "Beautiful valley, excellent walking - I'm not the best at hiking but the paths I followed were flat, good and wide and it was soooooo peaceful."

Cons:

• "The Shropshire way is not very well marked and it's easy to get lost if you slightly go off track."
• "One star knocked off because of the spiky zones, which meant our friend lost blood."
• "The paths are rocky and unstable so sturdy footwear is advisable as is decent cold weather clothing in the winter."
• "Beware wet weather as some tracks are also used by farming vehicles."
• "In places the roads narrowed down to a car's width... it's not the best place to get stuck behind a tractor."
• "Very poor for dogs to get through gates without being carried over."
• "It's a bit muddy so wear boots."

Natural Beauty & Wildlife

Pros:

• "Its an area of outstanding natural beauty - stretching for many many miles."
• "Great array of wildlife and plant life and information boards around the area giving an insight into the local knowledge."
• "Absolutely stunning. Last visited 11 years ago and still such fantastic unspoilt views."
• "Saw some beautiful wildlife too and had some wonderful opportunities to take very pretty pictures."
• "Gorgeous wildflowers and lots of different birds."
• "Deer and rare birds to spot."
• "The bilberry bushes host a great buzz of Bombus monticola bumblebees in the summer."

Cons:

• "No Such thing as Natural beauty, everywhere has been trampled on by Humans who have no respect for nothing."
• "I live in the heart of the hills, very lucky to, cannot speak more highly of the area, only issue is people abuse the area. Leaving litter etc !!! Please be respectful and take it home !!!"
• "Sheep are very cheeky and will steal your picnic."
• "You'll be sharing the hills with sheep and wild horses."

Parking & Accessibility

Pros:

• "Parking space available with no payments."
• "Lots of parking. Very busy on a lively day but well worth it."
• "Beautiful countryside and plenty of parking."
• "Various small car parks are dotted around the area making parking easy and available across the hills."
• "Large car park (National Trust pay and display) and plenty of places for a picnic. Nice cafe selling fab ice creams too."
• "Brilliant evening drive with friends. Free parking at great view points all round the area."
• "Love it here! £5 for all day parking. Plenty of paths for walks."

Cons:

• "National Trust parking a tad dear."
• "In winter in bad weather access may be restricted and the snow gates locked."
• "No facilities on the hills, closest ones im Church Stretton."
• "Place of amazing natural beauty, lots of different walks of all difficulties. Downside is the national trust parking fee, even to park half a mile away."
• "The car park is free for national trust members, but pay and display for non-members."
• "The main stopping viewpoint does have large pot holes but not difficult to negotiate if you are careful."
• "Very few people about and no facilities except the car park."

Facilities & Services

Pros:

• "If you visit the tourist centre first you can buy a little map based on how much you would like to walk."
• "Great place but can be very busy so early go early or make sure you park sensible."
• "Lightspout Waterfall is easy to find from the National Trust carpark."
• "No shortage of tea shops and pubs etc."
• "Cafe at Carding Mills is a good stop for hot food and drink."
• "There is a lovely cafe and gift shop at the bottom of the hills which serves the normal types of drinks and cakes."
• "Cafe is clean and staff very friendly."

Cons:

• "Good choice of food but very pricey and portions small."
• "Cardingmill valley is a bit of a tourist trap."
• "The rangers would not let us through even though we paid their wages because we are national trust members."
• "Bikes are not allowed and it does ask that dogs be on leads however since no self respecting bird would be ground nesting at this time of year it's ok to let your well behaved dog off lead, others thought so too."
• "It's a lovely hill, with beautiful views and of course the needles eye."
• "Arrived for a walk on the hills, which were covered in snow. Enjoyed the walk and was entertained by cars getting stuck in the snow trying to get up the hills."
• "Run by National Trust, with good cafe, toilets and good car park."