9 Great Outdoor Adventures

Telford’s waterways, woodlands and walks will put a skip in your step as spring starts to bloom. Stride across the iconic Iron Bridge or raft the River Severn beneath it. Summit The Wrekin or clamber into the budding forest canopy on a high ropes adventure. Or simply hire a narrowboat for a duck’s-eye view of sunshine-yellow irises nodding along the edges of the Shropshire Union Canal. 

If the springtime weather doesn’t play ball, there are plenty of indoor adventures to choose from. Cheer along a pro ice hockey team, learn to boulder or wrap up warm and embrace the chill on the dry ski slope.

Here are 9 springtime adventures to stir your spirit of adventure!

1. Cruise the canal as a passenger

Hop aboard The Shropshire Star and soak up the view as your captain steers you along the Shropshire Union Canal. Passenger cruises kick off every spring, as life on the canal gets into full swing. The colourful moored boats seem even brighter and the wildlife even chirpier at this time of year. Keep your eyes peeled for kingfishers and herons, as well as fluffy ducklings and moorhen chicks nosing among the pretty wildflowers that splash colour along the canal.

2. Captain a narrow boat holiday

Skipper your own narrow boat from Norbury Junction and see the sights of the canals at your own pace. The Shropshire Union Canal is part of the Four Counties Ring, and Norbury Junction is in a 17-mile lock-free stretch of canal – which means there’s plenty of time to get to grips with the tiller before you tackle a lock. That’s more time for pootling along admiring the wildlife and spring flowers blossoming all around you!

3. Float your boat on a family rafting tour

Get a fish-eye view of Iron Bridge as you drift beneath it on a Canoe, Coracle or Kayak. Shropshire Raft Tour’s scenic raft tours offer a unique perspective from the water of the great Wharfage down under the Bridge and beyond to the River Banks of the Gorges famous villages.  Follow the calm waters of the River Severn from Ironbridge to Jackfield. Along the way, you’ll learn all about the area’s fascinating heritage. If you’re lucky you might catch the vibrant flash of a kingfisher and the splash of an otter.

4. Test your climbing skills

Newport Rocks climbing centre focuses on bouldering, the purest form of rock climbing. It’s the region’s largest bouldering venue. You don’t need any previous experience or kit to visit here. It’s just you, more than 450sq m of bouldering and the crash mat! Newport Rocks is a great option if the weather’s not playing ball, and you can book outdoor climbing courses with the experts here, too. 

5. Have an aerial adventure

Squint up at the treetops in Telford Town Park and you’ll spot an adrenaline-pumping course of ropes, nets and planks. This is Sky Reach, and it’s your ticket to an adventure in the canopy. Stretch, swing and spring your way along the high ropes course, ending with the nerve-racking 10 metre ‘Leap of Faith’.

6. Hit the slopes

Ski, snowboard, toboggan or donut your way down Telford Snowboard and Ski Centre’s dry ski slope. You can book a lesson and learn to master the mountain via the 85-metre dry slope. There’s a nursery slope too, and a drag lift to take you to the top. Or you can do your own things during one of the centre’s recreational time slots. 

7. Take a spin on the ice

Slide on over to one of Telford Ice Rink’s skating sessions and practice your swizzles and twizzles. Teens will love the themed Disco Nights – you might want to book one of the crash courses in skating first! There’s soft play and Tots on Ice sessions for the littlest ones. For something a bit different, catch an ice hockey game. Everyone gets swept away watching our own National Ice Hockey League team, the Telford Tigers, whip the puck into the back of the net. 

8. Explore great gorge forests and summits

People first started strolling the 2 mile Sabbath Walks Trail in the 1790s. The views today are very different – and all the more interesting for it. Ironmaster Richard Reynolds established the paths for workers to walk on their Sundays off. Back then, the view would have been dominated by belching smoke and loud hammering. Nowadays, it’s a peaceful woodland walk that carries you up Lincoln Hill, past sculptures and to the Rotunda where you can soak up heritage views along the gorge to Iron Bridge. 

9. Go wild in the woods

While and whittle away a day with your little ones on a Wrekin Forest School Family Day. Forest School is all about child-led play, so you’ll discover exactly what makes your children tick and learn skills that will stay with you all for life. It takes place in leafy woodland so you can connect with nature and with each other. There’s woodcraft, shelter building, a zip wire and rope swing, as well as an open fire for cooking outdoors. Did someone say toasted marshmallows?!

 https://wrekinforestschool.co.uk/