Shropshire is one of England’s most beautiful and least-populated counties. Once a journalist was sent around England, to discover his favourite county. Northumberland almost won (but he didn’t like the cold and wind!) So he pipped for the ‘blue-remembered’ hills of Shropshire!
Shropshire is a county rich with canals, a throwback to the Industrial Revolution when boats would carry goods from the West Midlands to London. It has no city, with the main town of Shrewsbury a lovely place, with beautiful Tudor buildings and cobbled streets.
More Sheep Than People (like Cumbria!)
Just like Cumbria (and Northumberland), Shropshire has more sheep than people (outside of tourist season). Sheep are intelligent amusing creatures that recognise up to 50 people for up to 2 years, and know when you are smiling at them! Leave them alone as they can easily spook and miscarry.
Always follow the Countryside Code, to keep dogs and livestock safe. Learn how to right an overturned sheep or it will die (hold upright until rain has drained off, to prevent it happening again).
A ‘Foodie Town’ with No McDonald’s
The foodie town of Ludlow is home to some of the best farmers’ markets and like Tavistock (Devon), one of the few towns in England to have no McDonald’s.
The media would have you think that the world’s most biggest fast food chain was as popular as ever. But in fact, sales have fallen by around 1% recently, a decline in net income of around $2 billion. The company says it’s due to a cost-of-living crisis (a Big Mac now costs double what it used to).
But others point to the ‘new consumers’ who are asking questions over ‘happy cows’ and instead doing their research and asking questions of food ethics, before buying. They are now becoming savvy to marketing like ‘British meat’ which nearly always does not mean free-frange. Modern buyers research animal welfare and environmental policies before they buy.