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When deciding on a short break in Ludlow you are spoilt for things to do. In the end it boils down to how active you want to be. Most of the guests who stay with us can be broken down roughly into 4 groups: those who have come to sample the restaurants; those who are sight seeing; those who enjoy walking or a combination of the other 3.

Ludlow is fortunate in having lots of good places to eat, from the expensive to the very good value. There are 2 Michelin restaurants in the town all within a short walk of our accommodation. The longest established is Mr. Underhills, named after the owners’ cat, long since departed. It has an enviable location next to the river. Drinks can be taken in their garden and there is something magical about this on a summer’s evening. Mr. Underhills is open for dinner, Wednesday – Sunday. The other starred restaurant is La Becasse (The Woodcock) in Corve Street. La Becasse offers a more extensive menu than Mr. Underhills but both are excellent places to dine or for celebrating a special occasion. La Becasse is open for dinner Tuesday – Saturday and for lunch Tuesday – Sunday. The lunch menu is particularly good value. Just outside Ludlow is Fishmore Hall, a Georgian country house beautifully restored. The food is excellent and , as with La Becasse, the lunch menu is good value. For those who enjoy pub food you are spoilt for choice. Our favourites are The Unicorn , at the bottom of Corve Street and The Wheatsheaf, by the Broad Gate. Most of their food is locally sourced and cooked fresh. If you like Thai food try The Globe, just off the market square and there is an excellent Japanese restaurant called Koo at the bottom of Old Street.

Recently opened in Castle Square is the excellent wine merchant, Bentley’s. They mostly sell wines you won’t find anywhere else. Prices are competitive. The staff are knowledgeable. Recently, Will suggested two excellent wines to go with the locally produced faggots, not the easiest food to match with wine. If you like floral whites try Santa Isabel. During summer there are often wine tastings on a Saturday.

As for sight seeing, it is difficult to know where to start. For a good view of the town you can climb the castle keep or the tower of St. Laurence’s church. Ideally do both if you leg muscles can stand it. Both the castle and the church in their scale and magnificence are a reminder of when Ludlow was almost as important as London. The castle was home, for a short while, to Prince Arthur and his bride Catherine of Aragon. In the church is an empty tomb which was for Catherine and Arthur. Legend has it that on his death, Arthur’s heart was removed and buried in the tomb before his body was buried elsewhere. The castle was also the place where the Princes of the Tower lodged before taking that fateful journey to London. For most of the 16th and 17th century the castle was the administrative capital of Wales and the land known as The Marches which stretched up to Chester. There is lots of easy walking round Ludlow and the surrounding area There are also walks that will challenge the most dedicated of walkers. The paths around Whtcliffe Common are favourite walk of our guests and offer excellent views of the town and River Teme. The quality of the Teme’s water is very good and is popular with anglers. If you are fishing these waters you can expect to catch trout, chub, barble, pike and eels.

However, many of our guests who come for short breaks to our self catering cottages just enjoy exploring the streets with their timber framed buildings, Georgian houses, numerous individual shops and the open air market. Isn’t it time you treated yourself to a short break in Ludlow?