The best dog-friendly hikes and walks around Much Wenlock

George and Dragon (photo added) is the Good Beer Guide Pub in town (although I had a very dodgy pint). Old School charm and worth seeking out.

Much Wenlock is a stunningly beautiful medieval town. Walking about town is like going back in time with its great selection of traditional shops and all offering good old-fashioned one to one service. It is a quintessentially English town, a bit off the beaten track but well worth the visit.

The Holy Trinity Church in Much Wenlock is a beautiful 12th century building situated in the heart of the town. The church features a number of striking features, such as its Norman tower and stunning stained-glass windows.

Much Wenlock is a charming little market town steeped in history and natural beauty located in Shropshire. Perhaps the most fascinating thing to know about Much Wenlock, is it is the birthplace of the modern Olympic Games, having hosted the Wenlock Olympian Games here in the 19th century. There are so many other wonderful things to know about Much Wenlock and lots to see, including visiting the old Priary, catching up on local history at the Much Wenlock Museum, or visiting the beautiful historic church.

Ancient law stipulated that if you could erect overnight a structure with a chimney and have a fire blazing in that chimney before morning you could claim rights to the land. Squatters’ cottages are often therefore easily identifiable by the fact that they have a large chimney which was built first and then having established a claim to the site the homeowner had time to add the cottage onto the chimney at a later date. This particular cottage was once occupied by Nanny Morgan. She was a witch and lived here accompanied by live toads. She possessed “the evil eye” and could curse bad luck to anyone who upset her. On the other hand young girls used to come and visit her from far and near because apparently she was able to produce very effective love potions. These would ensure that those gentlemen who were a little slow in asking for a girls hand could be rapidly brought to the altar.

Legend tells us that the Guildhall at the end of the High Street was built in two days. This seems astounding until you notice that it is largely timber framed. If all the timber was already on site and there was a sufficient workforce available erecting the frame of the building could well have taken only a couple of days. This was how such buildings would have been built from mediaeval times. Look out for two pairs of manacles attached to one of the posts in the front of the building.

The plaque commemorates the site of the first Wenlock Games in 1850. William Penny Brookes was born in Much Wenlock and was a doctor here from the mid 1800s. He had the very novel idea, for the time that fresh air and exercise would be good for his patients. To this end, in 1850, he began the “Wenlock Games”. Windmill Hill formed one side of a natural amphitheatre where the majority of the spectators sat to watch the Games. The cost of a seat was a princely one shilling and sixpence.

Beautiful medieval town in the heart of Shropshire on the edge of the hills. Wenlock Priory (or St Milburga's Priory) is a highlight - a ruined 11th-century monastery in the middle of the town. Plenty of good cafes, pubs, shops etc to stock up and refuel before hitting the hills