Visitors to Ludlow may already know the castle as a magnificent ruin dominating the town. We visited it last summer and spotted that they've opened special apartments within the castle walls, so we booked to stay there. There are three self-catering apartments; ours was the Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon suite. (Prince Arthur, Henry VIII's elder brother, honeymooned with Catherine of Aragon there. He died before he could become king and Henry took the throne and his brother's wife, which ended up causing a bit of trouble).
This is not a cheap option, but it is fantastic. Ludlow says it aims to make visitors feel like honoured guests while they stay in the town, and the castle's Custodians, who personally welcome you with a basket of goodies and wine, certainly live up to that. The rooms are gorgeous, and we had the castle all to ourselves as it isn't open to the public in January.
It's also a perfect base to explore Ludlow and the surrounding countryside, pubs and... more