Tucked away in the south-west corner of Shropshire, close to the Welsh border, are two small towns that time seems to have forgotten. Clun and Bishop's Castle retain all the attributes that you would expect from an Agatha Christie novel set in an unspoilt landscape that is quintessentially English, but ironically called the Welsh Marches. The poet A.E. Houseman described Clun in 'A Shropshire Lad' as 'one of the quietest places under the sun'. Having lost 12 of its 15 pubs over the years it is probably more so now. Clun Mill Youth Hostel is a restored watermill set in pleasant, grassed grounds just outside Clun itself. Much of the old machinery is in evidence which will appeal to the Shotlets who like staying in what they call 'adventure houses'. The Mill has all the facilities you would expect of a Youth Hostel and includes 4 bedrooms (1x4, 1x5, 1 x7 and 1x8 beds). Camping is also possible on the lawns outside.
Reaching Clun is fairly straightforward. From the centre of Craven Arms which is about halfway between Shrewsbury and Ludlow on the A49, take the B4368 westwards which goes immediately under a railway bridge and in less than ten miles reaches Clun. On the edge of this little town watch out for a staggered junction (road on the left comes first). Here turn right for 200 yards, bear right for another 250 yards beyond a junction, pass the Memorial Hall and then reach Clun Mill on the right hand side. Open fields and a distinct lack of tarmac are clues that you have missed it!
The Offa's Dyke long distance footpath follows a man made embankment traversing the undulating hills to the west of Clun. Steep hills and wooded hill tops, some of which are crowned by ancient hill forts, are distinct features of the landscape through which flow the Clun, Unk and Teme rivers. The Kerry Ridgeway 6 miles to the north is an ancient highway that descends to Bishop's Castle home to The Three Tuns. This famous institution was once one of only FIVE home brew pubs left in Britain when CAMRA was founded back in the 1970's. It has now been joined by The Six Bells, another home brew pub located at the bottom of the High Street opposite the church. No doubt some people will make the short pilgrimage and sample the waters. Stokesay Castle just south of Craven Arms is a superb fortified manor house well worth a visit and in a somewhat less precarious state than the ruins of Clun Castle.
Please send the usual £5 deposit to Gustav to book a place.
Where? Is the cry I hear. Fear not as all will be revealed. Imagine a traditional stone barn some 200 years old located at over 1,000 feet above sea level with spectacular views of the surrounding hills of a National Park rising up in all directions. The ancient hillfort of Castell Dinas overlooks the barn and the road as it continues for another 300 yards up to the gap in the hillls before descending down into the valley reaching the nearest village four miles later. In the opposite direction the nearest town with all the modern accoutrements of civilisation is reached in twice the distance. From time immemorial two tracks and a minor road have converged into this gap and the few brave souls who have tried to live here. A mountain chapel was built for their spiritual needs and then decades later an icon of the modern age, the red telephone box made its appearance. Pengenffordd had now come of age.
Sounds the spot to savour the SHOT Summer Solstice sojurn. The barn has been converted into The Trekkers Barn providing accommodation for 22 people in two rooms (lxl0 and lxI2). It has all the usual features - beds, central heating, showers and toilets, but no kitchen! The reason for this is that the barn is part of a traditional country pub called The Castle Inn where we can partake of breakfast, and evening meals with a few beers of course. Bunkbarn bed and breakfast comes for the princely sum of £14. The barn has just benefited from a £30,000 refit which may be more than the two coats of paint and a few new lightbulbs that our man from Tilbury Douglas would provide. Kitchen utensils can be borrowed from the pub for sandwich making activities. Also, please bring sleeping bags. In addition to the barn accommodation, bed and breakfast is available in the pub. They have four rooms. Two twins and one double (all en-suite) at £25 per person, and one family room (not en-suite) at £20 per person. If you require this accommodation then book early by phoning The Castle Inn (01874711353). A small field adjacent to the pub is available for camping and barbecues. The fees are £3 per person and like the bunkbarn Shotlets are half price.
As you can see there are many options to choose from, but one thing to bear in mind is that to have exclusive use of the barn we need to have a minimum of 15 people. If I do not receive sufficient interest in time I will have to try to cancel one of the rooms otherwise we will have to pay the difference. Most families may opt for the camping one, but a large contingent could perhaps occupy the smaller room. I expect to have spare places overall so a friend or two may not go amiss. Pengenffordd is situated on the A479 8 miles north of Crickhowell and 4 miles south of Talgarth on the western side of the Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons National Park between the Usk and Wye Valleys. Walking opportunities abound from the doorstep whilst aquatic ones are available on Llangorse Lake a very short drive away. Bibliophiles can head northwards for their Mecca a.k.a. Hay-on- Wye.
Grey Corries Bunkhouse in Roy Bridge.
This was one that we checked out earlier in the year. Nice clean bunkhouse with 28 beds, spilt up into 6x2 bed, 2x4 bed & 1x8 bed (all with a wash hand basin). It is all on one level and the lounge/kitchen area is separated from the accommodation by the toilets & showers (3 male and 3 female showers). The bunkhouse is next to a hotel with a BAR which also does food. There is only a very small shop in Roybridge but Spean Bridge (3 miles) has marginally more and Fort William is only 15-20 mins away. Bed linen is supplied and all electricity and wood for the stove are included. The price would be £12.50 pppn, so for exclusive use it would be 12.50x28x6=£2100 for the six nights.
We also called a few other places and most of them were already booked up, we only got this one because someone else had cancelled! In order to secure our booking we have had to put down a deposit. So we are hoping that with more than a year's notice, we will get enough interest to fill the whole bunkhouse. I guess the message is book early to avoid disappointment (my disappointment if you don't all rush to join in).
Any queries give us a call or email and we will do our best to answer.
PS loads of stuff to do around Fort William as you all know. Plus plenty of hillwalking aroung Loch Laggan & Loch Treig. Aviemore, Kingussie & Newtonmore are all within striking distance. Wolftrax bike trails at Laggan only about 15 miles away (the scar on my knee has just about healed from when I fell off back in April, so not for the faint hearted). Plenty of kids stuff in FW. You can even get to Roybridge by train, isn't that a novel idea.