For a relatively small town, there are precious few Quiet Places to be found in Ludlow. Those pesky town planners from the Middle Ages put paid to that with their fancy street grid patterns, creating high density commerce and housing.
As the modern ‘See Britain in 2 days’ tour coaches struggle through nightmarishly narrow streets, discharging portly Americans and snap happy Japanese, it's anything but quiet. And that's got to be a good thing in these days of economic ruin and recession. A happy, bustling, buzzing town. Until 3pm, when shops traditionally and inexplicably close up for the day.
So Ludlow boasts over 500 blue plaque buildings but very little peace. To gain any traction within the town you have to literally move behind the facades and get off the beaten track. The pretty almshouses and timber-framed Readers House around the back of the church make a good starting point that gets you swiftly away from the numbers. The Bread Walk, Whitcliffe Common and Dinham bridge are slightly out of town but stunning nonetheless. But another top of the range jewel in Ludlow’s sparkly crown is its 11th century ruined castle. Visitors to the town tend to arrive at the ‘front door’ just off the marketplace, which, whilst impressive and full of nails, only hints at the tip of the feudal iceberg. For the full wow factor get yourself inside or walk for free on the Queen’s Walk around the castle. Sticking closely to the base of the walls, the sheer scale and vertiginous position of the castle is really something else. If following the footpath heading clockwise, walk through the second stone archway, allegedly frequented by Mary Tudor, and hint at a right. Follow the grassy pathway as far as it goes and claim the last bench for Harry, God and England. Time your visit right after the trees and foliage have been seriously pruned back and you'll be rewarded with picture postcard views over the languorous loop of the RIver Teme, its foaming weirs, across the patchwork fields on into Shropshire and ‘those blue remembered hills’. Peaceful, serene and a top Quiet Place to boot.
So, where are your Quiet Places? We’d love to hear from you.
Dave Fletcher @ 2022
Photo by Dave Fletcher
www.cariadwelllbeing.co.uk
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