Bridges Youth Hostel

…between two of Shropshire’s iconic hills…

Bridges Youth Hostel lies between two of Shropshire’s iconic hills: The Long Mynd and Stiperstones.

“Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows
What are these blue remembered hills
What spires, what farms are those?”

A.E. Housemann wrote these words from A Shropshire Lad, and I too remember these blue remembered hills, although right now they’re purple. Ablaze with heather. Sometimes literally. 

Childhood holidays based in Church Stretton were spent exploring the area. After a tough climb, The Long Mynd yields a satisfying long plateau, while to the west the rugged rocky ridges of The Stiperstones offer an altogether more vertiginous adventure. Down in the valley we dammed the stream of Carding Mill Valley with pebbles, probably to the annoyance of The National Trust!

I’m sorely tempted to book a room at Bridges, its an old-school hostel with dorm rooms and friendly communal areas, and spend a weekend re-exploring “Yon far country.”