• Today's walk: Attingham Park

    On our way home after a lovely week in Shropshire, we stopped at Attingham Park. I couldn’t find a map of the grounds through the National Trust app - should have tried the website - to check for shaded areas for Breezy, but it delivered. A mainly shaded walk through woodland and alongside a stream, with plenty of cooling-off opportunities for the furry one.

    We finished our visit, and our time in Shropshire, with coffee and a snack from the cafe for the humans, and a doggy ice cream for Breezy. A good way to end a good week.

    Attingham Park house seen from the deer park

    Stepping stones across a shallow woodland stream at Attingham Park, dappled summer light through the trees

    A wooden suspension footbridge over a stream in the woodland at Attingham Park

    The stable yard courtyard at Attingham Park decorated with colourful bunting on a sunny day

    The stable yard courtyard at Attingham Park with yellow and pink bunting against a blue sky


  • Today’s second walk: Exploring Ludlow

    On previous hot days we’d had some success with a two-walk strategy: start with somewhere that excites Breezy - today that was Mortimer Forest - and follow it with somewhere quieter and less stimulating. Ideally somewhere that also serves good coffee.

    So we headed to Ludlow for a couple of hours. A great coffee stop at Epic Coffee House, then a lovely walk along the river. Enough exercise under Breezy’s paws without her struggling too much in the heat.

    The River Teme at Ludlow, with green riverside vegetation and a stone building visible through the trees

    Close-up of the stone arches of Ludlow Bridge with pink valerian flowering between the stonework

    Ludlow Castle ruins on the hill above Ludlow Bridge, seen across summer meadow grass beside the River Teme ```


  • Today’s walk: Mortimer Forest

    After the success of the previous day’s walk at Haughmond, we chose another shaded forest walk from Shropshire: A Dog Walker’s Guide. The main car park doesn’t open at weekends, so we parked elsewhere - but it was easy enough to join the route from there, with no frantic replanning needed.

    We got out early to keep an easily excited dog as cool as possible. It was a good call. The forest was quiet, with only a few people along the way, and there was a stream for Breezy to refresh herself in. A good place to be on a hot day.

    Bright green fields under trees with hills and a town visible in the distance on a sunny day in Mortimer Forest

    A grass path running between tall trees in Mortimer Forest, ferns on either side and blue sky above