'Bucolic' south Shropshire hotel named among the best in the UK in The Telegraph's new guide

A Shropshire hotel has been named among the best in the UK in a new guide from The Telegraph.

Telegraph Travel, one of Britain’s leading travel publishers, has launched a Guide to the 250 Best Hotels in the UK, which represents the very best that UK hospitality has to offer.

The hotels were selected based on a range of criteria, including their locations, character, service, facilities, rooms, food and drink, and value for money.

Only one location in Shropshire made it on the list: the Old Downton Lodge in Ludlow.

Set in an 18th-century farmhouse with views across south Shropshire and Herefordshire, Old Downton Lodge was recently crowned Hotel of the Year at the Visit Herefordshire Tourism Awards.

A recent review of the Shropshire hotel by Telegraph travel writer Rhonda Carrier praised the “characterful” and “bucolic” award-winning lodge.

She wrote: “This restaurant with rooms is set deep in charming countryside, reached via winding lanes on which you need to be mindful of pheasants darting out at every turn.

“It’s a cosy escape from the modern world, part of the 5,000-acre Downton Estate straddling the Shropshire-Herefordshire border, and close to the foodie paradise of Ludlow.”

Rachel Cranshaw, The Telegraph’s hotels editor, said: "With a staycation boom being predicted this summer, it seemed the perfect time to select our favourite hotels in the UK.

“This guide is for anyone looking for honest recommendations from experts on the best in homegrown hospitality.”

The full guide is available to view online at telegraph.co.uk/travel/250-best-hotels.