The Blood Bay - Ludlow

A short break during some of the chillier days of May 2026 took us to the western edges of Shropshire and the historic town of Ludlow.
Our base for three nights was the Wheatsheaf Inn, five minutes walk from the town centre, sitting just outside the old town walls.

The Wheatsheaf Inn (Lower Broad Street, Ludlow, SY8 1PQ)
As befits historic pubs outside the town walls, they once had a reputation for a much rougher and rowdier crowd than those on the other side of the gate.  In the 17th century the landlord is recorded as being fined for “harbouring...lewd and evil disposed persons, rogues, beggars and such like."
Maybe in this day and age they'll be more willing to accommodate a scruffy bugger like me, although this being Ludlow, I wouldn't bank on it.

After dropping our bags off, we decided a pint in the Wheatsheaf could wait until later, wanting to make the most of the blue sky and pay a visit to the castle.

Construction of Ludlow castle began around 1085 with numerous additions being made over the next two centuries.
Historic residents include Edward and Richard, ill-fated sons of Edward IV, who were whisked away from here to become the 'princes in the tower', never to be seen again.
Catherine of Aragon honeymooned at Ludlow Castle.  A miserly five pounds was spent sprucing it up in readiness for Mary Tudor's year-and-a-half overseeing the Council of the Marches.
Author Daniel Dafoe popped his head in when it was falling into disrepair.  US forces played baseball in the castle grounds when stationed here in the second world war.

In this day and age you can spend £10 to wander around the ruins and imagine what life used to be like within these fortified walls.
Or you can come and see Snow Patrol and Rick Astley as part of the summer gigs lined up for 2026.

I thought the castle was great - especially the superb views afforded by the stone staircases to the tallest remaining tower.
Back through the market place, the town was looking good in the sunshine.

Joules would provide our first beer in Ludlow at a pub tucked into a courtyard just off the market square - down the alleyway to the left of the picture above.
A turn through an archway gives you the first glimpse of the timbered buildings...

Rose & Crown (8 Church Street, Ludlow, SY8 1AP)
This is possibly Ludlow's oldest pub, even though you'd probably take a punt on one of the timber framed inns taking that title.
Joules claim that historical records show that an ale house existed here in 1102.  Parts of the current listed building date back to the 13th and 15th centuries.
Joules, from Shropshire town Market Drayton, took over in 2016 and unearthed old features such as fireplaces and wooden beams, returning an historic feel to this old coaching inn.

It consists a U-shaped layout, with rooms surrounding the small courtyard: dark wood panelling to the left where you'll find the bar counter, stone floors and fireplaces to the right.

Of the cask ales on offer, three were Joules regulars ('Slumbering Monk', 'Pale', and 'Citra') and two were limited edition/seasonal brews ('Bilby's Trail' or '1038 American Pale').  That's a line-up very heavy on pale ale and crying out for a mild or stout.
Looking for something I'd not tried before, I opted for the light and crispy 4% 'Bilby's Trail', easy-drinking and in good condition.

 

Moving on, we wandered through town, taking the opportunity to photograph the Feathers Hotel in the sunshine.

Looks incredible.  Reportedly very ordinary inside, and we never did build up the motivation to step inside and see for ourselves.
Instead we patronised another good-looker, the Old Bull Ring Tavern.

Old Bull Ring Tavern (44 Bull Ring, Ludlow, SY8 1AB)
This was quiet, possibly due to the odd food service times (the A-board advertised food from 12-5, which struck me as shutting the kitchen just as folk start to think about tea).  It has spent about four months closed in 2025, reopening in December, so I guess they may still be testing the waters.
Heading through to the right side room with bar counter we found Wye Valley 'HPA' and 'Butty Bach' on offer, as well as Devon interloper Otter 'Bitter'.

I grabbed a pint of the 'HPA', taken through to the quiet and brightly lit second room.
A bit too brightly lit for me.  For a pub dating back to the 14th century, complete with ghost stories, and named after a grisly 'spectacle' that would have taken place on the market square, I'd kind of like rickety floorboards, dark corners and flaking paint.  But that's just me.

The Bull Ring couldn't feed us at 6pm, so we headed for a cafe/bar on the market square for a bite to eat.  The Old Bakehouse was a relaxed and pleasant place that provided us with tasty plates of food and a bottled 'Butty Bach' in the absence of anything exciting on the beer taps.

Our next pub stop was the undisputed highlight of the evening...

The Blood Bay (13 High Street, Ludlow, SY8 1BS)
Although it's not actually the historic hostelry that it appears to be at first glance.  
The building previously housed a newsagents and was brought by a local entrepreneur named Jon Saxon, who had a plan to convert it into a pub.  When they began a 9-month renovation project, Georgian and Victorian features were uncovered and the idea emerged to recreate how the ground floor would have looked in the 1820's.  The oldest layers of paint and wallpaper were scanned to recreate these and decorate in the original style.  The bar counter and beer engines were salvaged from a pub demolition in Islington.

The front room is tiny, with a handful of small tables in front of wall-hugging bench seating and dumpy stools.  A mahogany divider behind the bar splits the ground floor into two, with a couple more tables on the route to the back.  But we found the best seat in the house...

A great wooden benched booth with small serving hatch to the back of the bar, lest you declare it too far to walk around to the front.

Beers being served on our visit were Uley 'Taverner' from Gloucestershire and Teignmouth Brewery '1846' Irish cream stout from Devon.

The Dark Ruby Mild and Bass were "coming soon".
"Won't be long," said the friendly chap at the bar.  "The Bass will go on as soon as the Taverner's finished.  Taverner's just as good, mind."
Well, not quite, in my humble opinion, but it was in great condition and a really enjoyable premium bitter. 

I stuck around long enough to try the second beer - the 6.2% stout being absolutely superb.  And long enough to climb the stairs to a very respectable WC and a characterful first floor room, devoid of customers...

We ended our evening back at the Wheatsheaf, with another Wye Valley 'HPA', sat under the fairy light-lit wooden beams.

More Ludlow pubs to follow, as we spent the next couple of days exploring nearby towns and villages and the evenings seeing what else the town itself had to offer.  Expect parlour pubs, a brewery tap, hills, and more Wye Valley beer.
And a return visit to the Blood Bay when that Bass come on?  Yes, I expect so.