Local Area
Within easy driving distance of Fernwood are the shopping centres of Shrewsbury and Chester, where modern malls and a full range of high street shops rub shoulders with an unusual collection of antique, craft and second-hand book shops - hunt out a bargain to take back home.
Shrewsbury is a Britain in Bloom winner and lives up to its "Town of Flowers" title with an annual Flower Show held in Shrewsbury's Dingle in August.
There are many glorious gardens close by, be they grand, formal, intimate or unusual. Among them, Wollerton Old Hall Garden, Market Drayton. A stunning 4 acre garden, the range of plants is very wide resulting in significant collections of clematis, salvias, phlox and roses. With a tea room and plant nursery on site, a whole day can be spent exploring these beautiful gardens.
National Trust properties Chirk Castle, Powys. Completed in 1310, Chirk is the last Welsh castle from the reign of Edward I still lived in today. Features from its 700 years include the medieval tower and dungeon, 17th-century Long Gallery, grand 18th-century state apartments, servants' hall and historic laundry. With award winning gardens.
The town of Ellesmere has a variety of antique and gift shops, and traditional inns. Regular antique markets and festivals are held throughout the year.
The mere at Ellesmere is the largest of the nine meres. These lakes are a focus for a variety of pastimes and have been designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest. They are ideal for bird watching. On the mere island at Ellesmere is a heronry. The mere attracts a great wealth of birdlife ranging from tiny goldcrests flitting through the tree branches to magnificent mute swans gliding gracefully across the water.
A relaxing way of enjoying the countryside is from a canal narrowboat which can be hired from several points along the canal system. Within walking distance is the delightful Shropshire Union Canal - the surviving evidence of Shropshire's industrial heritage - just watching the boats pass by is almost as relaxing as being on one.
