Castles of the Shropshire Marches

Had we known when we booked that Storm Babet was approaching we probably wouldn't have chosen this holiday. Ideal footwear would have been wellies. There was so much mud especially in fields with cattle, and in a recently cropped potato field. But we plodded (plodged) on, admiring the countryside, spotting buzzards and failing to identify lots of different fungi. Highlight was Stokesay Castle - well worth a visit - and also the town walks around Ludlow, and Ludlow Castle itself. We chickened out of the last suggested walk, to Mary's Knoll, because our boots were still so wet and muddy from the previous day. Both hotels were excellent and the food delicious. The Castle also has a very useful outside boot cleaning area. And despite the earlier comments, we did actually enjoy ourselves!

Stokesay Castle was fabulous, particularly since we arrived just as it opened and had the place to ourselves.

Very enjoyable walks, although a few paths well overgrown and difficult to spot. A number of shops, pubs and restaurants only open Wednesday to Saturday. Both because we were late in the season?

Interesting and varied routes through beautiful countryside - a joy to walk!

Our walk was most enjoyable with the distances comfortably achievable and with clear directions. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at The Castle Hotel and the exploration of Bury Ditches and Stokesay Castle was a bonus. On arrival in Ludlow we found the dining room at The Cliffe at Dinham to be rather austere and bleak, but the rooms were pleasant and within easy walking distance of the town. The Charlton Arms provided us with an excellent final night dinner.

Scenery fantastic, loved the towns and villages. Inntravel should maybe consider an alternative to The Cliffe in Ludlow.

The Castle Hotel was very comfortable and served excellent food. The staff are friendly and efficient. 

After two years plus away from a walking holiday, I was looking for something that wasn't too difficult or too long to get me back started again. Because it was a holiday, I was also looking for good accommodation with good food. This holiday provided both of these things: just enough challenge for an out-of-practice walker in his 60s and just enough comfort to be relaxing in the evenings. My expectations of the third morning around Ludlow were not that high; but it turned out to be a very interesting and delightful town. After a few hours looking about and a light lunch, I did the shorter walk in the afternoon, which was also delightful and very enjoyable. I was very fortunate with the weather, thought it was probably too hot. 

The Staff at InnTravel were very helpful in helping us organize our holiday in a very short time frame.  The accommodations were comfortable and the food was great!  All transfers were timely and efficiently done.

The town tour around Ludlow was really interesting, obviously well researched.

It is a delightful area in which to walk, with beautiful quiet countryside coupled with interesting history and friendly people.

Two very different hotels, each charming in its own way. Cliffe at Dinham is well situated for exploring Ludlow and the food is excellent. The Castle hotel is welcoming, warm and friendly with great food.

Staff in both hotels kind, accommodating and couldn't have been more helpful. 

An excellent walking journey. Really enjoyed Stokesay and Ludlow.

Both Clun and Stokesay were delightful places to explore on sunny mornings.

We could never have foreseen that our 50th trip with Inntravel would be in the UK, but it was very enjoyable. We look forward to resuming our walks abroad with you in 2022.

The walks were ideal, the accommodation locations were good. The staff and food at the Castle were excellent, as were the taxi team. The Cliffe was a huge disappointment, both the standard of room and supper although breakfast was good. Equally staff weren't keen to be hospitable.

Ludlow is a great place to amble around as was Bishops Castle with individual interesting shops.

Really beautiful walks and lovely hotels - fabulous food and a very warm welcome. Thoroughly enjoyed a short break and would definitely recommend to anyone looking to explore this area of the country.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Castles of the Shropshire Marches break. The two main walks were challenging for us but we were rewarded with some spectacular views from the higher points. The walking notes were very detailed with lots of interesting information about the area and it's history. Both hotels were great with the food at The Cliffe at Dinham (Ludlow) being a particular highlight.

We can recommend the turmeric, ginger, pine-nut & tahini cake at the Postcard Cafe in Clun (their signature cake). Our meal and the service at The Blue Boar in Ludlow were excellent.

The first day's walk is quite challenging as there is a lot of uphill climbing, though never steep. We are in our late 60s but managed ok. On both of the longer walks there are quite long stretches of walking along lengthy field margins and in one case wading through a maize crop. Bishop's Castle is a lovely town. Of the two hotels we preferred the Cliffe. However the Castle is interesting and the staff hospitable. In Ludlow we ate at Bistro 7, which has a great menu.

Overall we enjoyed the holiday, although on reflection we should have added an extra rest day in Bishop's Castle, between the walks.

Vaughans sandwich bar in Ludlow is a great option for lunch. We could smell the pork roast and sausages when we passed by earlier in the day and made a note to return. The lunch surpassed expectation and they also had a wonderful selection of salads. We enjoyed our purchase on a seat by the river with a view of the castle.

A lovely couple of days walking. Paths were well signposted through varied countryside, and the castles were well worth visting. Stokesay Castle in particular was quite magical. Accommodation was excellent throughout.

The variation of the terrain and myriad of stiles, footbridges, gates through fields, tracks, lanes, meadows, streams and woods was marvellous. The wealth of wildlife - birds, horses, fields of sheep, cattle, wild ducks, frogs and toads and the solitude made this a truly memorable holiday.  We loved the fact that some of the pathways had not been used recently and we felt like we had the whole trail to ourselves.

Generally an excellent walking holiday that I really enjoyed.It was marred only by a couple of hiccups in the walks.The instructions were very detailed.The accommodation in The Cliffe at Dinham was disappointing and should be addressed to prevent future customers having the same experience. [Inntravel note: We were sorry to hear that you found the room to be small; we are now recommending that customers upgrade for a more spacious room.]

Bishops Castle and the The Castle Hotel definitely warrant extra time and the hotel garden is utterly delightful.

Excellent hotels are without doubt the highlight of this holiday.

Highlights: Stokesay Castle. Ludlow country walk. All the food provided. Ludlow pubs.

Tips: Wear long trousers and long sleeves for the overgrown paths. 

We really liked the area. Lots to see and do. Bishops Castle is a little gem as so out of space and time. Quirky. Ludlow is an interesting place and a four day break is perfect. Particularly liked Castle Hotel as had a lot of character and great breakfasts. Enjoyed the walks - decent distance and range of countryside and also interesting serious large scale agriculture if you are interested in that area.

A very good introduction to walking in UK after a Covid interrupted year. We were generally impressed by the attention of the hotels to hygiene

We very much enjoyed our holiday. We were interested in exploring places we hadnt been to before and found the Shropshire  countryside beautiful. Ludlow has a fascinating history and your notes enabled us to explore the town and its history in some detail. The food at the Cliffe was a highlight for me! The walks were just about what we expected.

A wonderful short break. Varied walking in beautiful English countryside with two splendid hotels serving excellent food. Shropshire feels deeply rural and remote from urban life.