(Photo: Cycling near the middle of Myddle, Shropshire)
Ellesmere Beano
A long weekend exploring the canals, meres, and timeless pastures of north Shropshire and south Cheshire, and across the border into Wales. This is a perfect area for cycling on a Bank Holiday – hardly any traffic and the only tourists we see are on barges!
This quiet backwater of England and Wales has a rich history and diverse wildlife. Retreating Ice Age glaciers left behind a series of pools or meres, which now provide a watery habitat for a miscellany of kingfishers, herons, grebes, coots and moorhens.
A web of barely-used lanes lead us into the Ceiriog Valley; along the Llangollen and Shropshire Union canals; to the meres at Colemere, Whitemere and Blakemere; to Whittington Castle; and over Thomas Telford's magnificent Chirk Aqueduct.
We stay at The Grange, a Georgian mansion on the edge of the little market town of Ellesmere. This grade II listed house is a real treasure with its oak-panelled dining room, croquet lawn, turf labyrinth, and wildflower meadows. The walled garden and Victorian glass houses provide most of our organic fruit and vegetables. The Grange's relaxed country-house atmosphere makes it an ideal Beano venue.
Accommodation is in twin, double and single en-suite bedrooms; plus 2 singles not en-suite. The Grange (3-diamonds B&B) is licenced to sell wine, and gets in a barrel of local Salopian Brewery real-ale specially for us.
| Date: | Friday 23 to Tuesday 27
August (over August Bank Holiday) |
| Price: | £510 per person |
| Note: | The weekend begins with dinner on Friday evening and ends after tea & cakes on Tuesday afternoon. If you want to stay over on Tuesday night, B&B can be arranged at The Grange. |
