Kington Golf Club

Kington Golf Club: located a stone's throw from the border with Wales, here you'll find England's highest 18-hole golf course. The out-and-back, pleasantly rustic layout gradually and effortlessly climbs its way to the top of Bradnor Hill (391 m, 1284 ft above sea level). Equally effortlessly, the second-nine brings you back down to the clubhouse.

Renowned golf architect, Major Cecil Hutchinson showed great vision and skill when he converted the unpromising terrain of Bradnor Hill into what is now acknowledged as a fine, fair and very playable hilltop course. You'll not have to walk far between the greens and next tee, and there's no steep climbs to make. At Kington it's the views that are dramatic, not the course elevation changes.

Throughout you'll enjoy magnificent panoramas overlooking the Brecon Beacons, the Black Mountains, Malvern Hills, as well as the Shropshire and Clee hills ... views as far as the eye can see! That said, there are one or two blind drives to make on the course. Plenty of sheep keep the bobbly bubbly fairways trimmed, while gorse bushes and banks of ferns lie beyond the short grass, should you stray too far offline.

You'll not find any sand bunkers (or water hazards) on this immensely scenic and exposed layout. But there are plenty of grassy hollows, mounds and ridges guarding several of the excellent but not overly large greens. A well-known walkers' trail, Offa's Dyke Path, cuts across a couple of holes close to the clubhouse.

Pick of the holes: although stunning views are ever-present, the par-3 9th (Bryn Awelon) arguably serves-up the best of them all. England's Malvern Hills rise up away to the east, while Wales beckons to the west. The infinity greens at the par-5 11th and testing downhill par-5 14th simply add another pleasing feature to Kington's many qualities. The wind however, if it's a-blowin', may not provide you with such a calming feeling.