Shrewsbury

Medieval streets wind through this county town like a living history book, though it's the surrounding Shropshire hills that really steal the show. The River Severn makes a dramatic loop around Shrewsbury's heart, creating one of England's most distinctive town plans - you can walk the entire centre in twenty minutes but still discover new alleyways.

Those ancient hills are proper ancient. The Stiperstones National Nature Reserve stretches across some of the oldest rocks in Britain, while peaks like Pontesford Hill and Lords Hill offer cracking views across three counties. Earl's Hill packs both a summit and Earl's Hill Camp, an Iron Age fort that makes you wonder what those early Britons saw in this landscape.

Shrewsbury itself feels refreshingly ungentrified compared to the Cotswolds set. The Quarry park runs right along the river, and the town centre still functions as a proper market town rather than a tourist attraction. Charles Darwin was born here - there's a statue and everything - but the town doesn't bang on about it endlessly.

Getting here is straightforward enough: regular trains from Birmingham and Manchester, plus the A5 cuts right through if you're driving. The countryside around Minsterley and Asterley feels properly remote despite being twenty minutes from the town centre, with Methodist chapels and Congregational churches dotting valleys that haven't changed much in centuries.

Staying at one of the nearby parks makes perfect sense for exploring both town and country. You can walk the Roman Watling Street one day, then browse Shrewsbury's independent shops the next. The hills are brilliant for hiking, while woods like Gittinshay Wood and Lees Coppice offer gentler rambles. It's the kind of base where you actually use both walking boots and smart casual shoes.