Rea Brook Valley

The Rea Brook Valley cuts through the countryside just outside Shrewsbury like a proper ribbon of green, and it's one of those places that rewards a slow walk rather than a quick drive-by. You're looking at a working landscape - streams, woodland, open fields - where the main thing to do is simply follow the valley floor and see where it takes you. There's no admission charge and no faffing about with opening hours, which means you can turn up whenever suits and spend as long as you fancy.

It works best for walkers who like gentle terrain without needing dramatic viewpoints or ruined castles to justify the outing. The paths are manageable rather than gruelling, making it decent enough for families with school-age children, though very young ones might struggle with muddy stretches after rain. Allow two to three hours if you're doing a proper circuit; half an hour if you just want to dip in and out.

The real value here is as a breathing space between park days. Several of the caravan sites - Love2Stay, Oxon Hall, and Ebury Hill are all within four miles - use this valley for their appeal, and fair enough: it's proper Shropshire countryside without needing to drive far from base. Best visited in autumn when the light sits lower and the trees aren't so thick they block out the sky. Summer crowds it's not, but that's rather the point.