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