LUDLOW

There are times when England gets it almost completely right. One of them is Ludlow, a town that grew up around its hilltop castle, above the serenity of the River Teme. Ludlow is not stuck in a time warp. It has internet cafés as well as antiques shops, Tesco (reluctantly) as well as specialist butchers’ shops. But Ludlow’s essential character has not changed and it has infinitely better food now – with its famous Food Festival, started in 1995, and its market days. Ludlow feels buoyant. So what is the reason for its good fortune? The beauty of the place. Today, people can increasingly live where they want to and choose a high quality of life. I said England can get some things almost completely right. Delete the ‘almost’.