Activities
Walking along the Montgomery Canal
You can join this towpath walk at the bottom of the garden. The canal at this point is not yet restored for navigation but walk for a mile or so North and you will arrive at the latest section, opened earlier this year 2003.
http://www.montgomerycanal.co.uk
Walking along Offas Dyke
You can join this famous long distance footpath on Llanymynech Hill, about a mile away. You will enjoy magnificent views from the Hill of the Shropshire Plain and the Welsh hills, including the Byrwyn Mountains. The Hill is also an important site for wild flowers and plant such as rare orchids.
Walking in the Oswestry Area
There are also many other well-signed circular walks to be enjoyed in the area.
Bird Watching in and around Crickheath
You need go no further than our garden to enjoy an abundance of wild birds including as many as five types of tit. Buzzards are common overhead and Peregrin Falcons nest nearby.
Bird Watching at the Ellesmere Meres
Half an hours drive will bring you to the beautiful Meres of North Shropshire,
Ellesmere, with an abundance of waterfowl including a Heronry in the nesting season.
Bird Watching for Red Kites in Mid-Wales
Gigrin Farm, where these magnificent birds are making a strong comeback, is within an hour or so’s drive from Pear Tree Cottage.
Bird Watching at Lake Vyrnwy
The RSPB also has a Reserve at Lake Vyrnwy, amidst Welsh mountains and pine forests.
National Trust visit to Attingham Park
Attingham Park has magnificent walks through deer parks and woods as well as the Hall to explore.
National Trust visit to Erddig Hall
Erddig Hall, better known as The Servants Hall due to the fact that the owners, the York family valued highly their servants, even to the extent of having their portraits painted. You will even enter the Hall via the servants entrance.
National Trust visit to Chirk Castle
Chirk Castle with it’s magnificent show of Rhododendrons and Azaleas in the Spring, and the legendary clipped Yew Hedges.
National Trust visit to Powys Castle
You can visit no less than four NT properties within an approximate thirty minute drive of our house.
Powys Castle with its world famous gardens inspired by the formal gardens of France and Italy.
Local History of Oswestry and The Marches
Nearer to home, Oswestry itself has a fascinating and often bloody history where the Welsh and English spilt each others blood. It also has one of the best preserved Iron Age Forts in the country.
History on view at Iron Bridge
You will have the Iron Bridge Gorge, birthplace of the Industrial Revolution be on you doorstep with its many museums to visit. You can buy a long term ticket so you don’t have to do them all at once!
Historical buildings at Chester
The medieval city and town of Chester and Shrewsbury are each about half an hour away where you can soak up the history and admire their wonderful buildings and architecture. The almost totally intact Roman City Wall of Chester will be a must.
Visits to Market Towns
You may just enjoy pottering about old market towns where the pace of modern life seems a little slower, well you have a few to chose from. Oswestry, Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Welshpool, Bishops Castle, Wrexham, Mold, need I go on?
Enjoying Painting and Photography
The scenic beauty of the area offers ample opportunity for sketching, painting and photography - from panoramic views and old buildings to industrial architecture and castles.
Shopping if needed!
Local shopping in Oswestry is very adequate for everyday needs, but a wider choice of stores is available in Wrexham, Chester and Shrewsbury.
Beautiful Scenic Drives
The Ceriog Valley, the Tanat Valley, The Berwyn Mountains, Lake Vyrnyw and the Vale of Llangollen are all areas of outstanding natural beauty and suitable for circular scenic drives.
A Round of Golf!
There is a choice of six golf courses within six or seven miles of Crickheath.
Discovering Flora and Fauna
Whixall Moss, Fens Bank, Llanymynech Nature Reserve, Crickheath Hill, The Berwyn Mountains and local forestry plantations all provide excellent habitat for a wide variety of plants and wildlife - from primroses to orchids, wrens to buzzards, squirrerls to badgers and beeches to oaks.
Exploring Garden Centres and Nurseries
There are several interesting smaller local nurseries, as well as larger garden centres nearby at Chirk, Chester, Welshpool and Shrewsbury. A number of local gardens are open from time-to-time in aid of charities, offering opportunities to discover and purchase unusual plants.
There is so much to see in this beautiful unspoilt and largely undiscovered Welsh Border country that you will want to keep coming back !