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nagapie

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One of my best mates is moving to Ludlow from Australia as she's been offered free accommodation while her husband does his PhD. As a foreigner who's only lived in London and knows nothing about Ludlow, I'm worried that it might be somewhere she goes mental. So what's Ludlow like? What will keep her amused there? She has a two year old and will need things for him to do as well and I don't know what services there are for toddlers outside of London, which has tons of children's centers.
 
I think my brother lives there.
He is a bit out of the way of the hussle and bussle of the centre.
If you like doing nothing and you don't mind not going anywhere then it might be ok.
 
Oh god, so it's going to be dead AND expensive. My friend is a city girl, I think she will go insane. However, I'd like to visit it's picturesque surrounds before she leaves screaming.
 
It's also a massive pain in the arse for me to get to as I don't drive. I get the train up to wolverhampton and have to get my brother to pick me up from there (hours drive).
I can't remember why but it's a bitch actually going to ludlow station. Or maybe my brother live to far away from it.
I went out there one night. Just ended up buying a pizza and renting a DVD.
 
been there a few times, it's a nice place, but a little dull. Looks pretty and that, the kids might like the re-enactment stuff they do at the castle - and you get to laugh at Knights smoking fags and making calls on their mobiles, but I think that is the height of their social life in the place.
 
She does drive but I doubt they'll buy a car as they're only coming for a year on a PhD scholarship so will be skint. I have suggested she live with me during the week and goes to Ludlow on the weekends but getting there might be too much of a pain every weekend.
 
Even with a car it's a bit of a haul to anywhere vaguely city like and the roads are far from quick. 40 miles and well over an hour to Brum.

Shrewsbury and Hereford are nearer but neither is exactly party central.
 
I don't really know Ludlow well but it's a lovely area - Shropshire is a picturesque county.

Not sure that there would be alot going on, especially if you're into slightly alternative stuff. However, there must be quite a few mothers with young children so there might be plenty of things for people in that group. I would think it's a nice place for a child to spend some growing up time.

She could check the internet for local papers etc to give you and idea and the local council website for playgroup fascilities.
 
I think I went through it on the train to Shrewsbury the other week - Shropshire is beautiful. I reckon she'll need a car though - even in Birmingham it's hard without a car as stuff to do is spread through the region rather than just in Brum.
 
It can actually be a very lively little town. Fabulous food festival. Outdoor theatre. Loads of couples with young families and stuff for the children. Not expensive. Hereford is an easy drive and a nice city with big photography festival. It's as good as very Conservative rural England gets. I would never return - I hated living there, but for your friend it might be all they wish for from stereotypical English countryside.

Hay festival not too far away also. Surrounding towns and countryside are as good as *England gets IMO. Church Stretton and the Long Mynd for picnics. Fabulous hiking. Great little country pubs with beer gardens. Brown Clee, Titterstone Clee, Tenbury Wells.

*Rural England (edited).
 
Stanley Edwards said:
Surrounding towns and countryside are as good as *England gets IMO. Church Stretton and the Long Mynd for picnics. Fabulous hiking. Great little country pubs with beer gardens. Brown Clee, Titterstone Clee, Tenbury Wells.
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I'd agree with that. We spend a lot of weekends camping and vanning it around that area. We're off to a site on the Mynd near Church Stretton next weekend and we went to near Ludlow a couple of weeks ago. It's a great place to go and relax with a few ales for the weekend, but it's the Shropshire countryside not London.
Clee Hill is great for mushroom picking if that's any good? ;)
 
Spent a few weeks in Ludlow for work. Small pretty town with enough boozers to keep you happy. Not much to do that I remember. The town swimming pool was one of the most unpleasant pools I have been to. Cloudy water and water dripping faster than you can dry in the changing rooms. The nearest cinema was telford. There's a big agricultual market and the races.
 
discokermit said:
they'll have to. public transport in places like that is proper shit. it is beautiful round there.
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They have decided to get one. I think she'll be fine if they have a car as she won't feel trapped and will be able to access a lot of lovely countryside.

I'm looking forward to visiting, except for the apparent nightmare of getting to the deepest Midlands.
 
Ludlow is a nice quaint village, situated between wolverhampton, bridgenorth and sedgeley (dudley)
Without a car your stuffed to get anywhere, Wolverhampton town centre is about 1/2hrs drive in normal traffic conditions.
If you like a quiet life, then it perfect... if you want to go out clubbing then it will kill you in taxi fares.
Lots of nice pub/restaurants around and a good village community spirit.

I might take a drive out there this week actually and do a spot of fishing at the cannal there, and have a pint in the 7 Stars.
 
Addy said:
Ludlow is a nice quaint village, situated between wolverhampton, bridgenorth and sedgeley (dudley)
Without a car your stuffed to get anywhere, Wolverhampton town centre is about 1/2hrs drive in normal traffic conditions.
If you like a quiet life, then it perfect... if you want to go out clubbing then it will kill you in taxi fares.
Lots of nice pub/restaurants around and a good village community spirit.

I might take a drive out there this week actually and do a spot of fishing at the cannal there, and have a pint in the 7 Stars.
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You best buy a map before you set out :D
 
Friend decided to settle in London. However, she did spend two weeks in Ludlow accessing some free accommodation. She thought it was really lovely and beautiful. But after 10 days she'd had enough and is now happily settled in Dalston for a bit. City folk, no accounting for their tastes.
 
nagapie said:
Friend decided to settle in London. However, she did spend two weeks in Ludlow accessing some free accommodation. She thought it was really lovely and beautiful. But after 10 days she'd had enough and is now happily settled in Dalston for a bit. City folk, no accounting for their tastes.
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I can understand that - as I said, Shropshire is a lovely county but not much to do.

Dalston is a very diverse area with loads going on (and Hackney is the best borough in London :)) sure she will enjoy it!
 
blossie33 said:
I can understand that - as I said, Shropshire is a lovely county but not much to do.

Dalston is a very diverse area with loads going on (and Hackney is the best borough in London :)) sure she will enjoy it!
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She's lived in London before and does like Hackney but it's a bit dear for them at the moment so once they finish flat sitting, they'll be moving down to south London.
 
When I used to live in Redditch I think Ludlow was on my route when I used to go for a blast on my motorbike. Some great biking roads that way iirc.
 
I am going to Ludlow in May. I’ll be there during the week for two night for a gig.

What could I do during the day in the surrounding area as I’m sure the town won’t take two days to see. I like to visit castles, cathedrals etc and I like to walk, and I drive so can go anywhere. While I don’t particularly need to stay in Ludlow, as I will be there both evenings it makes sense to use it as base and I can explore the surrounding area.
 
You could literally throw a stone with your eyes closed and you'd hit a castle.

For walking you can do a great deal worse than Mortimer Forest and High Vinalls, which is just outside the towm, or you could go for a couple of 500m high ridges - Long Mynd or Stiperstones. Both are about 10km long, Stiperstones will remind you of Dartmoor's Tors, Long Mynd is rounder but with some incredibly steep valleys. It's fantastic walking country - you could look at Cerri Ridgeway, or Offa's Dyke as well. From Stiperstones you can see well into Snowdonia.

Brown Clee is the highest point in Shropshire - 540m or so. It's a good walk. if you need a quick and dirty win, there's Titterstone Clee, the big hill you can see from the town - 520m, andvtyers a car park at about 450m. Takes about 15 minutes from Ludlow. Views from the Cotswolds to the Forest of Dean, down to the Brecon Beacons, and out over mid Wales to Cadair Idris on the coast.

Local towns that are worth an explore are Bridgnorth, Church Stretton, Bishops Castle, Leominster, Knighton, Kington.
 
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