Ludlow (England)

Ludlow is in Shropshire. It is a typical English market town, and has been described as probably the loveliest town in England by Sir John Betjeman.

Ludlow Castle

Get in

By car

The town is situated on the A49 road, which bypasses the town. To get to it from the east (for example from Birmingham) you can take the A4117 from Bewdley.

By train

There are trains to 🌍 Ludlow station from nearby Shrewsbury and Hereford, as well as from further afield including Manchester and Cardiff.

Get around

Ludlow is quite small, and its centre consists of medieval streets, so getting around by foot is suggested, although to visit many of the surrounding areas of beauty and villages, a car will be necessary, as public transport in rural England is generally sporadic.

The town centre is situated on a small hill, but once you're there it's largely flat ground. Parking fees apply Monday-Sunday at these car parks and also on-street in the centre. Parking is free between 18:00 and 08:00, as well as on bank/public holidays.

There is a small car park in the town centre itself, at Castle Street.

• Castle Street car park, Castle St, SY8 1AT. M-Sa: Up to 1 hour: £0.50, Up to 2 hours: £1.10, Up to 4 hours: £2.40, Su: Up to 1 hour: £0.30, Up to 2 hours: £0.60, Up to 4 hours: £1.20. (updated Jan 2018)

Otherwise there are two larger car parks a short walk away at Upper Galdeford (by the Co-op supermarket) and Lower Galdeford (the old Smithfield).

• Upper Galdeford Zone A car park, Upper Galdeford, SY8 1QB. M-Sa: Up to 1 hour: £0.50, Up to 2 hours: £1.10, Up to 4 hours: £2.40, Up to 10 hours: £4.80, Su: Up to 1 hour: £0.30, Up to 2 hours: £0.60, Up to 4 hours: £1.20, Up to 10 hours: £2.40. (updated Jan 2018)
• Smithfield car park, Lower Galdeford, SY8 1RN. M-Sa: Up to 1 hour: £0.40, Up to 2 hours: £1, Up to 10 hours: £2, Su: Up to 1 hour: £0.20, Up to 2 hours: £0.50, Up to 10 hours: £1. (updated Jan 2018)

See

• You can see many fine examples of historical architecture in Ludlow, from its grand St Laurence's church to a magnificently restored late medieval house on Castle Square, open to the public.
• 🌍 Ludlow Castle, Castle Square, SY8 1AY, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 10:00am-4:00pm. As is typical of medieval English castles, dating from as early as the Norman invasion of 1066, it has had a rich and interesting history, particularly being involved with the Wars of the Roses and Tudor royalty. Adult: £5, Child: £2.50, Senior/Student: £4.50.  
• 🌍 St Laurence's Church, College Street, SY8 1AN (Tucked away from the main streets, can be reached by walking round either side of the Church Inn, behind the Buttercross.), ☎ [phone]. Shropshire's largest parish church and described as the 'cathedral of the Marches'. You can climb the tower for £3. Otherwise entry is free.  
• 🌍 Stokesay Castle, Nr Craven Arms, SY7 9AH, ☎ [phone]. Beautiful 13th century fortified manor house, run by English Heritage. Excellent audio tour in English, French and German. adults £6.20, children £3.70, concessions £5.60.  

Do

• 🌍 Ludlow Museum (The Buttercross), SY8 1AW (Top of Broad Street). The town's main museum, since 2016 located inside the historic Buttercross building in the heart of the town. (updated Oct 2016)
• 🌍 Ludlow Assembly Rooms, 1 Mill St, SY8 1AY, ☎ [phone]. Hosts films and various plays, workshops and performances. (updated Nov 2017)
• 🌍 Teme Leisure, Bromfield Rd, SY8 1DR, ☎ [phone]. The town's leisure centre with a gym and swimming pool. (updated Dec 2017)
• Overlooked by the castle and the church, the River Teme in Ludlow is also nice to see. In the summer, you can hire boats and row along the river, under the shade of some trees.

Events

• Ludlow Festival. Runs each year in June and July and has a wide programme of events, including a Shakespeare play performed in the castle grounds. (updated Dec 2017)
• Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fayre, Ludlow Castle. Savour the sights and sounds of a medieval fayre in the glorious setting of Ludlow Castle 

Buy

Ludlow has a number of small independent food shops – including both traditional butchers and bakers, and more specialist shops selling up-market, unusual or health foodstuffs. A wide list of shops and businesses in Ludlow is available here.

• 🌍 Castle Bookshop, 5 Castle St, SY8 1AS, ☎ [phone]. The independent bookshop on Castle Square comes highly recommended, although it is small. (updated Dec 2016)
• 🌍 Bodenhams, 1-2 Broad St, SY8 1NG, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. A well-regarded, family-run clothes shop situated at the top of Broad Street, and has been operating since 1860 making it one of the oldest clothes shops in Britain. (updated Dec 2016)
• 🌍 Chocolate Gourmet, 16 Castle St, SY8 1AT, ☎ [phone]. M-F: 10:30AM-5PM, Sa: 10:30AM-5:30PM, Su: 11AM-4PM. The town's independent chocolatier. (updated Jan 2018)

Ludlow is well-known for its market within the Castle Square.

• 🌍 Ludlow Market, Castle Square, SY8 1AX. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Award-winning market that hosts stalls with local produce, books and bric-a-brac; depending on the day. There are additional specialist markets held on some Thursdays and Sundays. (updated Dec 2016)

Ludlow also has its own food centre, specialising in locally grown organic produce.

• 🌍 Ludlow Food Centre, Bromfield, Ludlow, SY8 2JR, ☎ [phone]. (updated Oct 2016)

Ludlow also has Tesco and Aldi supermarkets in the town centre.

Eat

Ludlow recently had the highest number of Michelin starred restaurants anywhere in England outside of London. However with the closure of Mr Underhill's, the town has lost this gastronomic heritage.

Nevertheless, Ludlow is bursting with nice looking places to eat, and probably the most rewarding thing to do is to walk around (it's really not that big) until you find something you fancy. Walking just outside the centre is worth it though, as there's a tiny, but delightful, Japanese restaurant towards the bottom of Old Street, called Koo.

• 🌍 Koo, 127 Old Street, SY8 1NU, ☎ [phone]. 

Outside of Ludlow in Bromfield, adjacent to the Ludlow Food Centre is The Clive and Ludlow Kitchen.

• 🌍 The Clive, Bromfield, SY8 2JR, ☎ [phone]. (updated Dec 2017)
• 🌍 Ludlow Kitchen, Bromfield, SY8 2JR, ☎ [phone]. M-F: 7AM-4:30PM, Sa-Su: 7AM-5PM. (updated Jan 2018)

Drink

Just like places to eat, Ludlow has many pubs.

• 🌍 Church Inn, The Buttercross, SY8 1AW (Located right by St Laurence's church), ☎ [phone]. A long-time entry in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. Serves food. 
• 🌍 The Queens, 113 Lower Galdeford, SY8 1RU (From the town centre, head along Tower Street and it is on the right), ☎ [phone]. Beer garden. Good food. 
• 🌍 Rose and Crown, 8 Church Street, Ludlow, SY8 1AP (Can be accessed either via a passage off Church Street or by following Quality Square round to its rear), ☎ [phone]. Large pub in the heart of the town which caters for both diners and drinkers. Owned by the Shropshire brewing company Joule's. Small outdoor seating area to the rear. (updated Mar 2017)

Ludlow also has its own brewery, which is open to the public during the day, located close to the town's railway station and Tesco supermarket, off Corve Street.

• 🌍 Ludlow Brewing Company, The Railway Shed, Station Dr, Ludlow, SY8 2PQ, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. (updated Oct 2016)

Sleep

Budget

Ludlow is a small and quiet town, and so does lack cheap accommodation. There is a Travelodge located at Foldgate, on the A49 bypass about 1 mile east from the town centre.

• 🌍 Travelodge, Foldgate Ln, SY8 1LS, ☎ [phone]. (updated Dec 2017)

Mid-range/Splurge

The Ludlow tourist board offers a fairly comprehensive list of places to stay

• 🌍 The Bringewood, Burrington, SY8 2HT, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 11:00. Renovated Victorian farm buildings (est. 2006) in 250 acres of beautiful English countryside. 11 ensuite rooms with modern touches blended in with the traditional building. Unique accommodation for people who want something different. With 2 lounge areas to relax and enjoy the stunning views or the large wood burning stove to keep you warm during the winter. Restaurant offers high quality meals in an atmosphere and caters for intimate meals for 2 as well as weddings, civil ceremonies, business conferences, private functions, team building days and corporate events. Near the market town of Ludlow; famous for its Michelin star restaurants, Shakespearean plays, food fairs and local farm produce. £75+. 
• Ludlow Castle. Ludlow Castle offers self-catering apartments. Complimentary tickets for entry are provided. (updated Jan 2018)

Go next

Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby

• Around the Ludlow area are many places of great natural beauty, and the hills of Shropshire are great for walkers or cyclists. Try the Wyre Forest which has a number of different walks for people of different abilities, and also sculptures etc handily placed on the paths to stop it from getting boring. You could also try walking around Clee Hill, which has great views of Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and beyond.
• Ironbridge is a great place for a day out (The Tar Tunnel is recommended.)
• Visit nearby Craven Arms to go to the Shropshire Hills discovery centre or Acton Scott historic working farm. Both are great for children.
• A number of larger towns with many things to do in them are within driving distance of Ludlow - Shrewsbury, Worcester, Birmingham, to name a few.
• For a more complete list of local attractions, Ludlow has a good tourist information centre, located on Castle Square.

Routes through Ludlow

Shrewsbury ← Church Stretton ←	N  S	→ Leominster → Hereford
merges with A49 ←	W  E	→ Kidderminster → Birmingham