Craven Arms
Craven Arms (population 2,289) is a small town and also civil parish in Shropshire, England, on the A49 road and the Welsh Marches railway line, which link it north and southern to the bigger towns of Shrewsbury and Ludlow specifically. The Heart of Wales railway line signs up with the Welsh Marches line at Craven Arms and the town is served by Craven Arms train station. The community is enclosed to the north by the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as well as to the south is the fortified manor house of Stokesay Castle. Craven Arms is a market town for the bordering rural area, with a number of stores, banks, estate agents, a supermarket, an abattoir and several commercial/light industrial businesses. It is also a site visitor location, being home or nearby to a variety of tourist attractions, and being central for visitors to the area of impressive all-natural charm. It defines itself as the "Gateway to the Marches".