To try to visit Shropshire AND Northumberland or just do Shropshire? Also, what area to stay in Shropshire?

[Fredflinstoneswife]

Ok, so this is my second post on the subject of holidaying in England! In my first post I listed many of the things/places I like for holidaying and most responses were to go to Northumberland or Shropshire. I feel pretty set (I think!) on Shropshire. We are coming over to England on the ferry from NI with a touring caravan (first time with a caravan) with our two children (3 and 1) and I am wondering could we do a week in Shropshire and a week in Northumberland? We would have about four days to allow for travelling to and fro, and in between. Would this be too much travelling about?

I am also wondering what part of Shropshire to stay in?

Two years ago we were in the Lake District which I LOVED. Last year we happened to be in Lewes which I also loved- what friendly people!

I like:
Areas that have historic/pretty towns and/ or villages. Independent shops that have good local makers and antique shops/fairs. This was why I loved Lewes.
National trust properties.
Prefer forested areas and I do like mountains but I could forego the mountains for one year lol.
Things to do for a 3 year old.
I also love rivers for paddling/swimming, beach would be a bonus but it's not a must.

Thank you for any help you can give!

:D

@Muchtoomuchtodo and @teaandbiscuitsforme thank you for your comments. Both of you have stated that Bridgnorth is very far south in the county.. I am wondering are we too out of the way? Places I would like to visit are Bridgnorth, ironbridge, ludlow, shrewsbury, attingham park, much wedlock, telford, blists hill or black county living museum, carding mill valley etc. and I thought they were nearly all 30mins drive or less. Is there a better area do you think? There was a campsite at Bishops castle that looked really good in that there is a river for paddling which the children love but the reviews about the toilet and shower block aren't great, also I thought it wouldn't be handy to a lot of the places we'd like to see.. but I still think it would be great for our toddler.

This looks great! Thank you for the recommendation!!

@Belmondo @HarrietSchulenberg @Yellowdays thank you for these excellent suggestions!

I'd love to stay at the 'love2stay' caravan site but I think it is out of our budget.

@Fredflinstoneswife It's not too far south for the places you've mentioned. It's just a long way from some of the other places suggested such as Park Hall Farm and Hawkstone follies.

But with a week you've got more than enough to keep you occupied with your current list!

I haven't stayed at the Love2Stay campsite but I have visited with DC and it is a fantastic set up with the beach area and play parks. Also being Shrewsbury it's a more central Shropshire location. But I would imagine it's an expensive option!! I don't know the sites around Bridgnorth. Bishops Castle is much more remote and would take longer to get to places than I suspect google maps would be telling you. This one is the north side of Shrewsbury. I don't know much about other than the restaurant is really nice and it has a pool!

www.beaconsfieldholidaypark.co.uk

@Fredflinstoneswife , It's Much Wenlock. Far less romantic.
Telford isn't much of a tourist attraction but the Telford Time Machine Clock is memorable.

LOL at Bridgnorth being 'too far south' from everything mentioned. Everything in Shropshire is more than reachable from Bridgnorth within an hour or so.

Which makes it a 2 and a bit hour round trip with a 1 and a 3 year old which is quite a lot of driving for a day out on a holiday you've already driven to get to! Hence me saying that places like Hawkstone and Oswestry are a long way from Bridgnorth 🙄

Lived in the area for years.
Shrewsbury and Ludlow are both nice, Shrewsbury is bigger, but they both have good shops and the center is attractive. Look for the quarry park in Shrewsbury and the town centre market and castle in Ludlow.
Attingham Park has a brilliant playground and some pleasant walks as well as the house.
I've been to the Ironbridge museums (Blists Hill and Enginuety) and the Black Country Museum (further away) and both are great with children.
The Longmynd for a good walk with great views.
You are not too far for a day at Chester zoo either. Ice skating and Jump In at Telford for an activity outing/ lots of things to do.

Personally I prefer smaller campsites- so why not look at joining the Caravan and motorhome club so you can access the CL network? CL's are members only, no more than 5 outfits and are all over the country.
I can recommend this one just outside Shrewsbury- walking distance to the village where there is a good bakers and butchers, nice cafe and pubs for food: www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/england/shropshire/shrewsbury/woodville/

@Fredflinstoneswife Bridgnorth is in the south of the county and a lot of the places you fancy visiting are in the north. There are A roads but no motorway so you could be spending a long time in the car.

Exactly.

Shropshire is a rural county of single lane A roads and a lot of tractors! You have to allow for the fact that if you get stuck behind a tractor or a lorry, even on one of the 'quick' roads, your journey will take longer.

It doesn't mean any of these places aren't accessible from Bridgnorth. We've only mentioned it because how long you want to spend in the car each day with young children is an important point when you're on holiday! Bridgnorth is great for Telford and the Ironbridge museums etc. You'll feel like you're in the car for a fairly long time to get to some of the other places. For example, Bridgnorth to Cardingmill Valley will take a while because you're going across the county on fairly minor roads. Having said that, it will be a beautiful drive!

Id just do Northumberland

I have heard of people staying here if its any help.
https://www.llcp.co.uk/
It's about 20 minutes north of Shrewsbury. I've never been there myself though so can't vouch for it!

This is nice but very basic.https://www.smallbatch-camping.co.uk/ It's at the bottom of the Long Mynd.