🎄 Christmas in Shropshire Hills, Secret Santa & Ironbridge Gorge UNESCO Site

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It's Christmas!!! 🎁 Come and join us on a NEW festive trip to the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty! The idea is to combine hiking, fantastic local cuisine, fun Christmas activities and sightseeing.

Departing early on Saturday morning, we'll head to the historic town of Church Stretton, in the heart of the Shropshire Hills. Starting from there, we'll do a superb hike, taking in the picturesque Carding Mill Valley, Lightspout Waterfall and the Long Mynd ridge. This circular walk provides wonderful views from the summits and a variety of terrain – rocky and steep at start (one can almost feel being in the mountains!), then easy walking over heather-covered hills. After the hike, we have booked a table for our group at Miller & Carter Steakhouse (veg options available) – one of the best places in the area! Everyone is welcome to participate in the Secret Santa! 🎅🏻 You can also visit Telford Christmas Market 🎄 (next to our hotel, open until 9 PM) and enjoy some live music 🎶.

On Sunday, we'll do another famous Shropshire hike – to the stunning, ragged, quartzite ridge of the Stiperstones. We'll walk along the ridge passing the quartzite tors of Shepherd's Rock, the Devil's Chair and Manstone Rock. Manstone is the highest point at 536 metres and commands fabulous views over the Shropshire Hills, the Long Mynd and Wales. After the hike, we'll stop for a delicious lunch at the traditional 18th-century Stiperstones Inn. One more hightlight after lunch – the Ironbridge Gorge UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution! We'll stop next to the famous Iron Bridge to take pictures. Weighing 378 tonnes and spanning 30 metres, it was the first bridge in the world to be made of cast iron.

ITINERARY

Saturday:

06:45 meet outside Hotel Novotel London West, 1 Shortlands, W6 8DR (a five-minute walk from Hammersmith Station); 07:00 sharp departure; 11:30-16:00 hike to the Long Mynd from Church Stretton (difficulty: Moderate, distance: 13km, ascent: 510m); 16:45 check-in at Premier Inn Telford International Centre hotel; 18:00 Christmas dinner at Miller & Carter Steakhouse (smart casual) and free time to visit Telford Christmas Market;

Sunday:

07:00 breakfast; 08:00 departure; 09:00­-13:00 hike to the Stiperstones ridge (difficulty: Moderate, distance: 12km, ascent: 390m); 13:15-14:45 lunch at the Stiperstones Inn; 14:45 departure; 15:45-16:15 photo stop at the Ironbridge Gorge UNESCO World Heritage Site; 19:00 stop at services for dinner; 20:30 London, Hammersmith.

TRANSPORT

As on most of our trips, we'll travel in a comfortable 16-seater minibus.

LUGGAGE

You can bring two small bags with you: one cabin size personal item bag (up to 10kg) and one smaller hiking backpack to fit under the seat. During the hike, you can leave your luggage in the minibus.

BOOKING

Please RSVP and pay by bank transfer to the account below, leaving your Meetup name and the name of the trip as a reference (e.g. John Shropshire):

Business Account Name: London Social Hiking Limited
Sort Code: 20-17-20
Account Number: 63116514

We'll let you know by changing your status to ‘Paid’ as soon as the payment is cleared. You can check your status next to your name in the attendees list of the event. Please allow up to 48 hours for the payment to arrive.

THE PRICE OF £238 INCLUDES

• Transport throughout the trip
• Experienced, professional CPC/PSV minibus driver
• Guiding on all hiking routes by an experienced Mountain Leader
• Group first aid kit with qualified first aiders
• One night's accommodation at a hotel in shared twin rooms (you'll share your room with somebody from our group of the same gender)
• Admin fee
• 20% VAT

THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE

• Personal insurance (for cancellation, accident, health, emergency evacuation and loss, theft of or damage to baggage and personal effects, and personal trekking insurance)
• Food

WHAT TO BRING

• Suitable hiking shoes with ankle support
• Waterproof and windproof jacket and trousers
• Gloves/hat/cap
• Water bottle (min 1L)
• Nuts and energy snacks
• Walking poles (optional)
• Head torch (optional)

JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

This is where we share pictures from our events. Feel free to use for inspiration on where to go next!

Facebook group link and Instagram

REFUND POLICY

You can check our refund policy here.