If you’re looking for a base from which to explore everything rural Shropshire has to offer, there’s nowhere better than the glamping pods at Big Bear Lodge. Set in idyllic countryside, these self-catered pods are ideal for both family groups and solo travellers — as well as everyone in between!
Life moves at a slower pace in our Shropshire holiday lodges. There’s nothing better than waking up on a summer morning to the sound of birdsong and sipping a hot coffee with a patchwork of fields for a view. Bring a book, beer and a barbeque..
Glamping Shropshire
The view is not just there for looking at though: Big Bear Lodge is perfect for immersing yourself in nature, with three of Shropshire’s best walks accessible within a five mile radius. Just south of the campsite are the Severn and Shropshire Ways, which you can get to by a public footpath immediately beside the site, and Offa’s Dyke can be found just over the border in Powys. The Shropshire Way is the best bet for a casual walk, with the local highlight of the trail being the fifteenth-century black and white timber framed church in Melverley.
Walking on down the trail leads you to The Royal Hill Inn, an ideal spot for responsible refreshment on a hot day (and shelter on a wet one!). The area itself is a pub-lover’s dream, with the nearby Cross Keys at Kinnersley a popular spot for both diners and drinkers. Not much further to the north in nearby Maesbury Marsh is Good Pub Guide Recommended The Navigation Inn (or “the Navvy” to locals).
This traditional canal-side pub offers local fare in its old-fashioned bar and dining area, and its waterside tables are a great place to watch canal boats chug along the Shropshire Union Canal. And, if it's perfect views you’re after, try the Windmill pub in Rowton, to the south, whose beer garden looks out onto the famous Shropshire Hills. Most pubs accept dogs, and so our lodges are dog-friendly too.
Canals are one of the defining features of the North Shropshire landscape, and wherever you are there’s never one far away. Less than five miles away from Big Bear Lodge is the Montgomery canal, which historically transported lime from Llanymynech to the Upper Severn Valley, but much of which is now a Site of Specific Scientific Interest for its water flora.
Otters and water voles are also occasional visitors to this stretch of canal. It is possible to walk vast stretches of the canal, and for the more active visitors, cycling is an option too.
Even on the easiest walks in the area it is difficult to escape North Shropshire’s history. A walk to the locally famous Rodney’s Pillar (an obelisk commemorating a naval victory over the French in 1782) takes you via the remains of an old hill fort said to be the location of Caractacus’ last stand against the Romans. Hill forts like these, as well as many ruined castles, attest to the area’s tumultuous history as the borderland between the often-warring Welsh and English. Meanwhile the kilns at Llanymynech are a reminder of Shropshire’s industrial past—step inside one at Llanymynech Limeworks Heritage area and admire the Hoffman kiln’s 42.5-metre chimney.
Shropshire Lodges
There’s a wealth of activity on the doorstep of Big Bear Lodge. But don’t let that put you off doing nothing. Sometimes the best getaways are those that are completely serene. In which case, our lodges have all you need: the bliss of the North Shropshire countryside.
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