With Ludlow’s great selection of places to treat your loved one, you can celebrate the Valentine’s Day in so many ways.

Easy romantic dinner for two in many of Ludlow eating places, like the Chang Thai, a surprise spa day in Fishmore Hall, or an extra special box of chocs from our own chocolatier – Chocolate Gourmet.

But there’s no better way to say ‘I love you’ than by giving your time. So how about these three different ways of spending the ‘V’ day in our lovely town?

1.  Morning walk with breakfast in the town
Start your morning with a gentle, slow walk taking the Breadwalk. You can access the footpath easily by crossing Dinham Bridge and turning left, or (to take The Bread Walk in the opposite direction) by entering via the stone steps on Whitcliffe Road. Whichever direction you travel, you’ll see ducks, a pretty miniature waterfall surrounded by amazing green ferns and black rock, and a picture-postcard view of Ludlow castle towering high over Dinham Bridge. Finish the walk circular back where you started, crossing the bridge towards the town, up the hill of the Ludlow Castle. Back in the town, windblown and red cheeked, get yourself to Bills Kitchen for hearty breakfast, served till 11.30.

2.  Special lunch and afternoon mooch around the shops
Book a table in one of the hidden gems of Ludlow, Chapter 66 located in the Ludlow Castle.  Excellent food with relaxed and intimate atmosphere is the perfect combination for Valentine’s Day lunch out.

Finish your day out with browsing through Ludlow’s indie shops. It has been raved about so much, but it truly has some amazing collection of small unique places to shop. Follow the trail of whatever brings you and your partner together, if its love of vintage – you can explore the growing number of quirky vintage emporiums like Nina & Co in the Church Street and Ludlow Vintage in Corve Street, both real treasure troves of vintage.

And if you just said ‘Yes’ to the big question, why not explore, what Ludlow has to offer for your very own ‘curated from local shops’ wedding list? You can look in the one of the newest additions to Ludlow indie scene; Velvet Fern, or a long established Bodenhams – both offer lots of beautiful decorative items. Visit Silver Pear for table ware, glassware, soft furnishing and clocks and not to leave out Holloways Period House in Corve Street for lighting, soft furnishing and so much more.

Picture by Jon Simpson

3.  Supper and cinema
Enjoy an early supper from 5pm at The Church Inn. You can get the best Fish and Chips (also Gluten Free, which is a bonus for some of us)  followed by a film screening at the Ludlow Assembly Rooms. They are showing ‘Empire of Light’, a powerful and poignant story set in an English seaside town in early 1980’s about human connection and magic of cinema from Academy Award – winning director Sam Mendes. What a fab evening, eating lovely food by the log fire, drinking wine and hold hand watching film together on the big screen.

Article by Monika Curry, Bodenhams.