Poll: Lonely Planet leaves Shropshire and Mid Wales out of guide - do you agree?
Shropshire has missed out on being included in a guide to the best places in the world to visit – but officials today said the county could hold its own on the international stage.[gallery]
The Lonely Planet has released its annual Best in Travel guide for 2014, with Yorkshire taking pride of place as among the best regions in the world to visit. But there is no mention of Shropshire or Mid Wales.
The book says: "If the good people of Yorkshire were proud of their heritage before, the 2012 London Olympics only served to cement what they have always thought: that their county is better than – and really the best of – all the English counties."
Yorkshire is third behind Sikkim in India and The Kimberley in Australia and touted as a "fantastic all-rounder" with "stunning scenery", "dynamic cities" and "friendly people".
But Leader of Shropshire Council Keith Barrow said Shropshire was more than deserving of inclusion.
He said: "Shropshire is a fantastic place to visit. It's home to the birthplace of the industrial revolution at Ironbridge and the modern Olympic movement was born in Much Wenlock.
"We have the hillfort at Oswestry. The Flax Mill in Shrewsbury is the first iron frame building in the world.
"In it's day the size of it would have been phenomenal, lighting up the landscape."
He said with it's place in history as the inspiration for the modern skyscraper, and a £13 million lottery grant to bring it back into use awarded this summer, it was a world-class heritage site.
He added: "Adjacent to us we have the Pontcysyllte aqueduct World Heritage Site.
"It was built by Thomas Telford and his drawing and workings for it are in Ellesmere, and that's where the casting was done too.
"And it's just such a fantastic and beautiful county.
"I do think we deserve a place in the guide because of the importance of Shropshire to modern industry, I don't think that can be underestimated.
"I certainly think we can hold our own against almost anybody."
Shropshire does feature in the England and Great Britain Lonely Plant guides.
Heather Carswell, speaking for Lonely Planet, said the destinations in the book were selected because they met certain criteria, whether it was something special going on that year, or recent development and "a lot of buzz about the place".
"It covers the world so the vast majority of countries would not be included," she said, let alone UK counties.
