Shropshire medieval town makes list of 10 best small towns to visit in UK

A Shropshire medieval town has made a top 10 travel list as one of the best places to visit in the UK during 2026.

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Online geography platform worldatlas.com has compiled a list of the 10 best small towns to visit in the UK.

The website says some of the UK’s “most rewarding trips begin in towns where the past still shapes the experience”.

Their list features a range of towns ranging from coastal locations to hidden gems, and one Shropshire town has made the list.

Worldatlas.com says “Ludlow is one of England's most complete medieval market towns”

The website says: “Set in the south Shropshire countryside where the River Teme runs below a sandstone castle that has been standing since 1086.

“Ludlow Castle, built as one of a chain of fortresses along the Welsh Marches, became a royal palace in the 15th century and the seat of the Council of Wales and the Marches under Edward IV.

“The Ludlow Food Festival, held every September in the castle grounds, is widely credited as Britain's first food festival. The festival was launched in 1995 and now draws over 100 local and regional producers for three days of tastings and demonstrations.

“Open-air Shakespeare productions have been performed in the castle ruins over the years, a tradition going back to 1960, though the original festival ceased operations in 2012 and productions in the castle now take place through independent events and the Ludlow Fringe Festival.”

Worldatlas.com also say praise the location for Ludlow for having the “Shropshire Hills National Landscape wrap around the town, with walking and cycling routes into some of the least-visited upland countryside in the English Midlands”.

The 2026's 10 Best Small Towns To Visit In UK according to Worldatlas.com are:

• Bamburgh, Northumberland
• Tobermory, Isle of Mull
• Ludlow, Shropshire
• Stamford, Lincolnshire
• Fowey, Cornwall
• Ambleside, Cumbria
• Plockton, Highland
• Aberaeron, Ceredigion
• Hawes, North Yorkshire
• Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross