‘Absolutely amazing’: What visitors think of 'Shropshire's best market town'

Last month, coach company Bullocks compiled a list of the best market towns in the UK - and one of Shropshire’s made the list.

Beating off tough competition from Shropshire’s many stunning market towns, Ludlow was crowned Shropshire’s best - and the UK’s fourth best overall.

Bullocks describes Ludlow as a “Foodie Heaven” due to its thriving food and drink culture and award-winning market.

Following the crowning, we popped down to the south Shropshire hilltop town to see what locals and visitors thought of the ranking.

Many agreed the honour was no surprise. Jan Parker, from Bridgnorth, said the mix of heritage and independent retail was what set Ludlow apart.

“The castle, of course, is special. The shops being small, some of them still independent shops, which is nice and quite unusual. And the markets, of course, are lovely.”

Jan said she visits around once a month, often bringing friends who want to see the town for themselves.

For Mike and Jill, visiting from Wolverhampton, it took just an hour for Ludlow to win them over.

“It’s lovely. Absolutely super,” said Jill. “We’ve only been here an hour, but it’s just got better and better and better.”

They had wandered the streets, circled the castle walls and browsed the market before stopping for coffee.

“We’ll be back many times I think,” added Mike, who said the castle was “gorgeous”.

It was the first time in the market town for Andrew and Julia too, who were visiting from Somerset. Here to experience Shropshire’s countryside, the pair said Ludlow had exceeded expectations.

“I absolutely love it,” Julia said. “We’ve been to the church, which is Saint Laurence’s, which was amazing and almost like a mini cathedral… Lots and lots of shops, lots of independent shops.”

They were heading to the castle next, while Andrew admitted he was more interested in the food: “Just had a nice pork roll, which was fantastic.”