Tourism industry starting to return...

Shropshire's tourism industry is making its first tentative steps on the road to full reopening.

Following updates to the Government’s coronavirus guidance in England, Hawkstone Park Follies in North Shropshire is set to trial re-opening to the public from Saturday. The 100 acres of Grade I listed parkland is made up of gullies, caves, towers and bridges and has been one of Shropshire’s premier outdoor beauty spots for walkers for over 200 years.

David Sims, General Manager for Hawkstone Park Hotel, golf course and Follies, said they will trial re-opening the park from Saturday 30th May. He has stated that visitors must adhere to strict social distancing rules to ensure the Follies can remain open after the three-day trial.

He commented, “Whilst we are very pleased to be able to re-open the Follies to the public from Saturday, we can only make it possible by keeping the buildings closed, limiting visitor numbers and asking the pubic to be disciplined with social distancing when passing people on the paths.

“This means the café and toilets will remain closed - however visitors can bring a picnic as long as they take their rubbish home. We will be implementing sanitizer stations at the grounds, and we encourage the use of gloves if you will need to use the handrails around the paths. We are altering our ticketing so that we will charge entry per car to simplify the process.

“At a time when our outdoor exercise is sacred and the sun is shining, the relaxation of the Government rules is just in time. We also hope the public are able to visit whilst our rhododendron jungle is in full bloom!”