RHOS FIDDLE

One of the quietest places in Shropshire, this heathland hilltop has a feeling of ancient wilderness - a large surviving fragment that has retained its continuity with the past in striking contrast to much of its surroundings, now vivid green agricultural pastures.

Small-scale peat-cutting here during medieval times left a legacy of pools; these and the surrounding wet heath make this an ideal place for wading birds, particularly curlew and snipe. Skylarks sing and dragonflies are plentiful too, including the black darter.

Find sphagnum mosses and cotton grass in the wet bits; in April through to June look in the drier grassland for yellow mountain pansy, a characteristic plant of Shropshire's hilltops now scarce, but still plentiful here.

For those unable to walk the tussocky terrain, the big skies and something of the atmosphere of this beautiful place can be appreciated just from the edge of the road.