Spring Has Sprung!

Spring is here – it’s official. It seems only yesterday that the snow was whipping along the valley, but that’s now given way to sunshine with daffodils, crocuses and blossom appearing in The School House garden.

Now that we have Molly, our Labrador-collie cross puppy, we’re out walking in all weathers, but as the days are getting longer and the mornings are lighter we’re just as keen to get out there as Molly is. Recently we headed over to Stanton Lacy, a small village just 3 miles north of Ludlow, where every year in mid-late February there is the most amazing display of snowdrops in the churchyard. It really does lift the soul to see the snowdrops bobbing their heads in the afternoon sunshine.

Lambs are starting to appear around Chapel Lawn and not before time – some of the ewes were starting to look decidedly fed up! Please remember if you’re bringing your dog to stay with us that you must keep dogs on a lead around livestock and avoid taking dogs into fields where there are young lambs or calves. We can recommend places to walk your dog nearby where there are no livestock.

As Spring gets into full swing, we start to think ahead to festival season here in Shropshire and there are certainly plenty to choose from. One of the main festivals in the area is the Clun Green Man Festival (http://www.clungreenman.org.uk/) held over the first May Bank Holiday weekend (May 5^th & 6^th) – a weekend of 'quintessential English eccentricity', the festival celebrates the arrival of summer to the Clun valley with entertainment, craft, stalls and food. Who knows, you might even see a unicorn! You can read more about it in our previous blog here: https://www.theschoolhousebandb.co.uk/blog/green-man.

The following weekend (May 11^th & 12^th) is the much-celebrated Ludlow Spring Festival (http://www.ludlowspringfestival.co.uk/).  We love this festival for its varied mix of excellent food, real ales, classic cars and entertainment – “like a beer festival but better” is the festival strapline and we’re inclined to agree. Early bird tickets are on sale now.

But it’s not all about food and drink when it comes to Shropshire’s festival season – there some excellent walking festivals too. Here are just a couple to choose from, both within easy reach of The School House:

• Bishop’s Castle Walking Festival Wednesday 15^th to Sunday 19^th May (https://www.bishopscastlewalkingfestival.co.uk/) – described as “the friendliest of walking festivals”, the festival welcomes walkers of all abilities and each day offers a range of walks from leisurely to strenuous

• Church Stretton Walking Festival Thursday 20^th to Sunday 23^rd June (https://churchstrettonwalkingfestival.co.uk/)

So there is certainly plenty to look forward to as we head into Spring, but if you don’t manage to visit us for any of the above events don’t worry, there are lots more throughout the summer. If you want to hear about upcoming events, you can subscribe to our mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/dc-JU1 or else keep an eye on the Events page (https://www.theschoolhousebandb.co.uk/explore/events) on our website.

Finally, a few words from Spike Milligan that always 'spring' (sorry!) to mind at this time of year:

Spring is sprung

The grass is ris

I wonder where the birdie is

The birdie's on the wing

Why, that's absurd!

The wing is on the bird!!