Had our wedding at Walcot hall and wow what a venue.beautiful grounds very well kept,staff were amazing and did everything to make our wedding the special day it was.very professional,Cindy the owner was amazing as was Julie the wedding planner and all the staff.book this place if you want the perfect wedding.five stars from me and deb.X

Very disappointing. On arrival, I parked the car and took my dog for a wander to try to find The Dipping Shed. We were then met by a woman on a horse with two dogs off lead that ran up to my on-lead service dog barking at us. The woman on the horse couldn't recall her dogs yet stayed on the horse and we had a standoff that lasted almost 10 minutes until she finally got off the horse to round up her dogs, announcing "THEY ARE TERRITORIAL - THEY LIVE HERE". Well, assuming she was the owner of the place, if you're unable to recall your dogs, perhaps you shouldn't let them harass visitors and make them feel unwelcome?
I found The Dipping Shed which was in no where near as remote as the website implied - a 38 second walk from the main path and communal carpark, and right next to a field in which the owner kept her horses. There were two dead bats on the doorstep which a cleaner must've noticed when they put the key in the door ahead of my arrival - i love wildlife and I dont understand why they couldnt have just been moved out the way. The actual Dipping Shed itself was beautiful and the kind of place I would love to live in, however, it wasn't remote as I later discovered - during my 3 night stay, I was disturbed 3 times by other guests wandering past my window looking in, during late afternoon and evening. I had emphasised when enquiring that I wanted complete peace and to be "away from it all" - I don't consider a 38 second walk from the car remote, especially when other guests can wander past freely. Maybe a "Guests of The Dipping Shed Only" sign may deter people?
The Dipping Shed was beautiful but not £200 a night beautiful. It was more in line with other cabins I've stayed in around £100-120 a night. For £200 a night, you could have at least left a pint of milk or a small welcome pack as many places do. My dog and I went exploring and were disgusted to find dog poo all over the site. It was every few meters around the paths. It really spoilt the surroundings having to watch my step. The arboretum was very disappointing too. When I was emailing Walcot Hall prior to booking, I had been hoping to not need to leave the site all three days and just enjoy the surroundings but straight away I realised we would have to leave the site if we were to enjoy some nice walks.
That evening I went back to the cabin, to cook supper, and found plates and utensils that were dirty. Its all very well leaving a sign asking guests to leave the place tidy for the next guests, but you need to check they have actually done that and correct it if they haven't. I couldn't find any cleaning supplies to wipe down the sides and in the end abandoned cooking because I felt I would have to clean the area and cooking equipment first which put me off, as I hadn't bought cleaning supplies with me, assuming that there would be basics there.
The bathroom facilities were good but there was no shower - the shower curtain in the pictures implied there would be a hook for the shower hose, but no. The antiques around the cabin were beautiful and interesting but it was style over substance as few of the lights worked and every single chair wasn't that comfy. I ended up laying on the bed to read rather than the sofa or chairs, all of which were in dire need of being re-sprung or having new cushions/seat padding. The place wasn't dusty as can often be the case with cabins full of antiques, but the kitchen cleanliness was poor and I couldn't find any cleaning supplies other than a sponge and washing up liquid, which was rationed in a tiny pot. Why can't you provide a bottle of washing up liquid?!
We ventured to Bury Ditches the next morning and got chatting to a couple, one of whom said she used to work at Walcot Hall. I said how disappointed I was at the dog poo everywhere and she told me that one of her reasons for leaving her job there was she was fed up of the owner acting like her dogs could do no wrong. The next day we went to Long Mynd and met a family who said they come to the area twice a year but would never return to Walcot Hall. When we popped into Bishops Castle and got chatting to locals, it was clear there was something of a reputation because I was asked things like "was it what you expected?" And "is there still dog poo everywhere or does she bother to clean up now?". My dog and I loved exploring Shropshire and the area around Walcot Hall, but the actual estate was a huge let down. Between the old cars decaying around the site, dog poo everywhere and a miserable welcome, we chose to stay away from the site as much as possible, which was the opposite of our intention.
If the cabin was around £100 a night, I would consider tolerating the lack of cleanliness, lack of seclusion and badly maintained grounds and just use it as a base, but the whole point of this weekend away was to relax somewhere remote without having to use the car.
On our final day, we had pre-booked lunch at The Powis Arms. We walked there and found there were more staff than punters and when I was given the menu, the only veggie option was a mushroom wellington which, when I booked, I specifically said the only thing I didn't like was mushrooms. I was told I didn't have to pre-order a specific meal and was assured there would be options but the only veggie option was based on mushrooms. The waitress offered to make me a salad, but I asked what would be in it and she said she didn't know, it would just be whatever they had in the fridge, which didn't feel appetising for a Sunday lunch I'd been looking forward to. I paid £2.80 for a flat half-pint of orange juice and lemonade and left. The menu was very poor and unimaginative and considering I'd phoned and emailed ahead, this was the final straw.
If the owner controlled her dogs, if the cabin had been clean and actually remote, and if the grounds were pleasant and paths were poo-free, this could've been a lovely place, but it really fell short on the expectations from the website. The cleverly photographed site fails to show decaying cars, dog poo, and actually how close all the accommodation options are to each other. At £600 for 3 nights, they must be raking it in, so where are they investing this money to make the holiday experience nice for guests? A few simple touches and attention to detail would have changed this whole experience, but we will not be returning nor would we recommend this estate for a holiday. Such a pity as I was testing the place put for a 10 day group holiday in September and I certainly won't be suggesting that my friends and I return here.

We saw on their website that they had gardens to walk round and the best arboretum in England so we went. The drive has a big sign immediately on entry saying stay out unless you are at an event which is not a good start. We followed the signs in anyway and found a car park with a few half-derelict cars round. The map on the wall didn't show the arboretum and every path we tried ended at a "No entry" or "Private" sign so we gave up. They asked for a £3 contribution but fortunately we hadn't put any money in as there were no paper maps available.