One of the quiet pleasures of staying in the middle of Ludlow is that you do not need the car to get out of it. Three of our favourite walks begin within a few minutes of the cottage door.
Whitcliffe Common, for the view
Cross the river at Dinham Bridge and climb into Whitcliffe Common Nature Reserve. Twenty minutes up and you are looking straight back at the castle and the church tower with the whole town laid out underneath. It is the view every photograph of Ludlow is taken from, and it is a short enough walk to do before breakfast.
Has there ever been a visitor to Ludlow who hasn’t wished they lived there?
The river loop, for an easy hour
Follow the Teme downstream from Dinham, along the weir and back over Ludford Bridge. Flat the whole way, pretty in every season, and it drops you back into town at the bottom of Broad Street — which means the climb home goes past a good number of places to stop.
Mortimer Forest, for the afternoon
A short drive out of town and you are into miles of forestry with long views over the Shropshire Hills. There are waymarked routes of most lengths, and it is the one to save for a day when you want to be out properly rather than back for lunch.
The guest guidebook in the cottage has the routes marked up, along with a few more that need a car.