I visited a small town overshadowed by its south Shropshire neighbours - and found far more to it than meets the eye
Often overlooked by travellers rushing along the A49, Craven Arms is far more than just a stop on the way to Ludlow — it’s a small but spirited town where friendly faces, independent shops and a strong sense of community make it well worth slowing down for.
Tucked between the rolling Shropshire Hills, the market town of Craven Arms is often described as the 'Gateway to the Marches.'
Sitting on the busy A49 and along the Welsh Marches Line railway, the small town has thousands of people passing through every day.
Prior to this week, my only real experience of Craven Arms was the 90 seconds or so it takes to drive through the town on the way to its older and shinier sister, Ludlow.
Having only seen it moving slowly past my car window, I had previously thought Craven Arms consisted of little else but supermarket-slash-garden-centre Tuffins, a chippy and a large, boarded-up coaching inn.
But an hour's exploration off the A49 quickly showed me how wrong I was.
The town is full of little businesses, including a couple of pubs, a hardware shop, a butcher's, a barber’s, a hairdresser's, an antique shop, a medical practice, a pharmacy, several cafes, two chip shops, an Indian restaurant, and a Chinese takeaway - not bad for a tiny town with fewer than 3,000 residents.
