Shawbank

Hotels are thin on the ground immediately around Shawbank itself, as this is a scattered farming hamlet rather than a village with its own facilities, but the surrounding south Shropshire countryside is well served for a short drive. Craven Arms, the nearest town at around two miles away, has smaller inns and guesthouses, while Church Stretton to the north and Ludlow to the south both offer a wider choice, from traditional coaching inns to boutique small hotels, many set in handsome Georgian or timber-framed buildings.

Ludlow in particular is worth considering as a base if you want restaurants and shops on your doorstep alongside your accommodation, given its standing as one of the Marches’ best food towns, while Church Stretton suits those prioritising quick access to the Long Mynd and Carding Mill Valley for walking. Wherever you stay, the pace here is unhurried: this is a part of Shropshire built around country pursuits, market towns and long views rather than nightlife, so expect proper breakfasts, log fires in cooler months, and hosts who know the local walking routes well. Booking ahead is sensible around Ludlow’s food festivals and during the summer walking season, when rooms in the smaller towns can fill up quickly.

Craven Arms and the wider Shropshire Hills put a good spread of castles, walking country and wildlife sites within a short drive.

• Stokesay Castle — a beautifully preserved 13th-century fortified manor house just outside Craven Arms, cared for by English Heritage and one of the finest surviving medieval houses in the country.
• Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre — on the edge of Craven Arms beside the River Onny, with exhibitions on the surrounding landscape, a café, and riverside paths through Onny Meadows.
• The Long Mynd — a great heather-and-bracken plateau owned by the National Trust, cut by steep valleys such as Carding Mill Valley, with miles of walking and cycling tracks and wide views over the Marches.
• Clun Castle — a dramatic ruined Welsh Border fortress above the River Clun in the historic little town of Clun, with a distinctive keep built into the side of its motte.
• Wenlock Edge — a wooded limestone escarpment running for miles above the Corvedale, laced with National Trust trails through ancient woodland.
• Ludlow — a handsome market town a few miles south, known for its Norman castle, timber-framed streets and reputation as one of England’s best small food towns.

For everyday needs, Craven Arms has shops, pubs and cafés, including options near the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre. Ludlow, a short drive south, has built a strong reputation for food, with independent butchers, bakeries and a range of pubs and restaurants making it well worth the trip for a meal out. Country pubs are scattered through the surrounding villages of the Corvedale and Onny Valley, typical of this quiet part of the Marches.

Shawbank’s setting in the Corvedale, in the shadow of the Long Mynd and within reach of Wenlock Edge, makes it an appealing base for campers who want quiet hill and river scenery without the crowds of better-known parts of Shropshire. As anywhere in England, wild camping is not permitted without the landowner’s explicit permission, so plan to stay at an established campsite, farm-based touring park, or a certified site through the Camping and Caravanning Club or similar schemes, several of which are dotted through the Onny Valley and around Craven Arms and Clun.

The terrain here ranges from gentle valley pasture along the River Onny to the steep, exposed ground of the Long Mynd itself, so pitch choice matters: valley sites tend to be sheltered and better suited to family camping, while anyone heading up onto the hills for walking should be prepared for changeable weather even in summer, since the open moorland catches wind and cloud that can bypass the sheltered lanes below. Ground can also turn soft after rain on some rural sites, so a look at recent reviews for drainage is worthwhile before booking, particularly outside the driest months.

Late spring to early autumn is the most comfortable window for camping, when evenings are light long enough for a walk up onto the Long Mynd or along Wenlock Edge after making camp, and the Onny and Corvedale valleys are at their greenest. For those who prefer not to pitch their own tent, glamping options such as shepherd’s huts, yurts and safari tents have become increasingly common on farms across this part of Shropshire, offering a comfortable way to experience the same hills and valleys with rather less effort, and are worth seeking out around Craven Arms, Clun and the wider Corvedale.