Wandering in English countryside in October without reservations?

last week in October is a school break in most areas of england but other weeks should be quiet. But Shropshire isn't in the south.

neither are the Cotswold Hills nor Stratford-upon-Avon.

Stratford, east of East London, is.

Yes you can. Use Booking.com to find places and you can make reservations very slightly in advance. I haven't done it in that region but if you are not fussy over where you sleep you will generally find something. I have also found places online but just walked up to make the reservations.

What I do in advance is to search for hotels to get a general idea of availability and if there's plenty of options I don't worry about fully booking every night before leaving home. Sometimes you need to pick a different town, easy if you have a car. Unless there's an eclipse on your dates, it's highly likely you will find an affordable place to sleep.

Have fun!

Shropshire is a magical place , especially if you appreciate Housman .

Hello

I live just outside Ludlow in Shropshire, it's a very nice market town on the river with a castle. It's well worth a visit if your heading up to this part of the country. I would book somewhere to stay in advance to give you piece of mind but if not there are plenty of B&B's, hotels and a Premier Inn etc. The surrounding countryside is beautiful, Shropshire and Herefordshire, also Hay on Wye isn't too far away which I would say is well worth a visit too.

Cheers

Jayne

Lodging was difficult in Ludlow in mid-August. It is a significant foodie destination, so I don't know how much things will loosen up in October. I'd be nervous about weekends. Very pretty town, but much smaller than Chester.

Some schools take the third week and some the fourth week of October as holidays, so places will be busier then, plus the Cotswolds and SuA can be busy at weekends, particularly if the weather is mild, but you should be ok outside these times just booking as you go.

We generally travel in May and September and have seldom had an issue finding lodging. On a trip around the UK in September 2013, we did have a problem finding a room along the southern coast between Brighton and Portsmouth because of car and boat conventions and some other festivals. Went through a few small towns with no luck until we finally found a place in Portsmouth.