Shropshire in the summertime is truly one of a kind, but there are plenty of ways to enjoy Shropshire out of season! With less crowds, you’ll often find yourself enjoying Shropshire’s incredible sights all to yourself!
1. Ironbridge
A UNESCO World Heritage site, Ironbridge attracts 100,000’s of visitors every summer. Out of season, you’ll still be able to witness this historical masterpiece without the crowds. The town itself is still very much open, so make sure to pit stop at some of its delightful cafes and restaurants, including furnace kitchen, the greenwood café and The White Hart Restaurant.
2. Blists Hill Victorian Town
You wouldn’t be experiencing Ironbridge to it’s fullest if you didn’t take a trip to Blists Hill Victorian Town. Here, you’ll step back to a time and place where traditional life and industry sat side by side at the dawn of the modern age. Immerse yourself in Victorian life and visit Victorian shops and cottages, taste authentic food & sweets and join craftspeople demonstrating their trades!
3. Hawkstone Park Follies
Hawkstone Park Follies is a 100 acre parkland with a range of dramatic and rugged natural sandstone hills that were developed to include gullies, caves, towers and bridges.
4. RAF Museum Cosford
RAF Museum Cosford is a fantastic day out for the whole family and is free to enter. Visit the national cold war exhibition with it’s eye catching architecture and design. Marvel at the world’s oldest spitfire and several other classic aircraft in the War in the Air Hanger. There’s heaps more including integrative exhibits for the kids to sink their teeth into!
5. Carding Mill Valley
Carding Mill Valley sits in Shropshire’s Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty and offers some incredible walks for all abilities! It’s also Shropshire’s most popular walking spot in the summer, out of season it’s equally as picturesque with far fewer people.
6. Bridgnorth
Folded into the steep Severn Valley, Bridgnorth is a historic market town with High and Low areas on the valley side. The low town is by the river while high town is crested by two churches and the ruins of Bridgnorth Castle. The town is also home to the oldest, shortest and steepest electric funicular railway in the county! You can spend a full day explore the town and it’s higgledy piggledy streets!
7. Severn Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway offers a day out like no other! Grab a Freedom-of-the-line ticket and make as many journeys as you’d like! It’s a great way to have a fantastic day out with the whole family without breaking the bank.
8. Ellesmere Lake
The Mere at Ellesmere is the largest mere in Shropshire and is a great location to explore! With largely flat trails, you can enjoy a gentle stroll along the mere, taking in hordes of wildlife and taking a pit stop in the pleasure gardens.
9. Wroxeter Roman City
Also known as Viriconium, Wroxeter Roman City located just outside of Shrewsbury was once the 4th largest city in Roman Britain. Today, you can wander the remains of the bathhouse and explore the reconstructed town house from a city which was almost as large as Pompeii!
10. Shrewsbury Prison
Decommissioned in 2013, Shrewsbury Prison is now open to the public with some incredible experiences on offer. Take a guided tour from a real life ex-prison officer and learn what life was like for prisoners, officers and visitors.
