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Long day - what could be eliminated?

Posted by (BC, Canada) on

We have been working on our itinerary for months now and have whittled down from all our "oohs and ahs" when first discovering all the fantastic places to see and activities to do and the little time we actually have. This is the one day here I am having trouble whittling down! Realizing we can't fit all this in, but being on a tight timeline, what could we take a miss on? Notice a couple of sites I have indicated "view from outside only" - is this short changing these sites? My husband really wants to visit the Iron Bridge.

Leaving Llangollen, drive an hour to Powis Castle, then on to Shrewsbury and Telford/Iron Bridge. All on the A49, drive 50 min. to Stokesay Castle, 15 min. to Ludlow and castle (view these castles from outside only) and 1.5 hours via A422 to the A46 to our B&B 10 miles south of Stratford-Upon-Avon. Check in and drive the 10 miles to Stratford-Upon-Avon for dinner and strolling. Can return to Stratford the next morning as well. Also, are my approx. driving times accurate?

Thank you!

Posted by
7175 posts

The garden at Powis opens at 10am and the castle at 11 am, which would realistically mean midday before you left, and an approximate arrival of 1pm at Iron Bridge. Grab some lunch - we had some nice pies & pastries from a bakery within view of the bridge. It would be 3pm at the earliest before you were at Ludlow - just park and walk the town centre for a couple of hours. This would mean striking traffic as you drive (5-7pm) to your BnB near Stratford-upon-Avon. I am with your husband and would say don't miss the Iron Bridge - it is UNESCO listed. Daylight is not a problem for you. I would probably skip the Stokesay diversion, unless you wanted to arrive at your BnB a bit earlier, in which case I would forget Powis (as unfortunately the late opening times slow down your day).

Posted by
3898 posts

I would cross off all the castles except Ludlow. A glimpse from the outside of Powis Castle and Stokesay Castle--you said " (view these castles from outside only)"--is not worth your time. You might consider driving directly from Llangollen to Shrewsbury, spend a little time in Shrewsbury (interesting buildings). Then on to Telford/Iron Bridge. Then to Ludlow Castle, and do take the time to go into the castle.

Later that evening, you will find Stratford-Upon-Avon to be ideal for strolling. There are dozens of good dinner options, many located on Sheep Street.

The next day after seeing Stratford-Upon-Avon, I suggest heading east not very far, to Warwick Castle. Do go in and tour the castle. It very well might end up being the highlight of your trip.

Posted by
92 posts

Thanks Rebecca and David! We are eliminating Powis Castle as it is out of the way for our route, and we just could not do it justice given the day of travel we are looking at. Now we will head straight to Telford/Iron Bridge, return to Shrewsbury for a walk about and lunch, then head south and take in Stokesay Castle and Ludlow Castle. This will at least give us more time at each location rather than trying to fit in Powis Castle as well - I see now that would have been way too much for one day! We'll have to save that for another holiday.

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