Craven Arms is a small town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, on the A49 road and the Welsh Marches railway line, which link it north and south to the larger towns of Shrewsbury and Ludlow respectively. The Heart of Wales railway line joins the Welsh Marches line at Craven Arms and the town has a small railway station. The town is enclosed to the north by the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and to the south is the fortified manor house of Stokesay Castle.
Craven Arms is a market town for the surrounding rural area, with a number of shops, banks, estate agents, a supermarket, an abattoir and many commercial/light industrial businesses. It is also a visitor destination, being home or nearby to a number of attractions, and being central for visitors to the area of outstanding natural beauty. It describes itself as the “Gateway to the Marches”.
Surrounded by hills, Craven Arms is the natural start point for many long distance and shorter circular walks it was almost inevitable that it also became the home of the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre.
Just out of the town is the romantic Stokesay Castle – a 13th Century fortified manor house said to be so beautiful that when attacked no-one had the heart to destroy it – Be prepared to fall in love.
Craven Arms is less than a hours drive from Sweeney Hall Hotel.