We’ve been off galivanting again. In a very sedate, not-moving-very-much type of fashion, that is. Church Stretton this time, for no reason other than the last minute availability of this rather wonderful flat on the high street.
We spent much of the holiday sitting in this room, watching the sky and the hills and the people in the street below.
Church Stretton, it turns out, is rather pretty, with many a tea shop, charity shop, and a dinky little market on a Thursday – the very things I like on a holiday.
We took our bikes, and explored a bit of the surrounding countryside. 
We were very close to Carding Mill Valley, a National Trust site where we spent a lovely sunny evening wandering through the hills.
Looking at my pictures, it seems I ate a fair bit of cake.
(And, er,plenty more were scoffed before they got in front of the camera, of course).
I spent a lot of time with Mr Bun the Baker, and bought two years’ worth of back copies of Country Smallholder magazine from an antique shop and dreamed of chickens….
a cheerful living adventure 
Looks lovely… I often pass through Church Stretton, but rarely stop… perhaps I will next time! Especially if I might spot a chicken in a tea shop!
Tee hee, yes, it was a very cheeky chicken! It was actually at the Acton Scott historical farm (where they filmed the BBC Victorian Farm series) – I wrote another post about it but it seems to have vanished into nowhere sadly so I’ll have to start again!
I knew I recognised it! (The tea shop, not the chicken…)
We stayed at YHA Wilderhope Manor a couple of years ago and liked Church Stretton. Carding Mill Valley is beautiful.
We visited Acton Scott on the way home as we’re big fans of the Historical Farm series and it was interesting to piece together the locations from the programme.
I stayed at Wilderhope Manor once when I worked for the YHA in Ironbridge – strange place! Carding Mill Valley is indeed beautiful. And we went to Acton Scott on the way home too – just about to do a post about it in fact!