Ludlow Racecourse

You could start off a trip here by whizzing over to historic hotspots such as Ludlow’s 11th-century castle (10 minutes' drive), set on a cliff above the river Teme. After inspecting the surrounding area from its impressive ramparts, you might like to move on to Stokesay Castle (10 minutes), a historic site with an altogether different vibe as this is a fortified manor house, built by one of medieval England's most powerful wool merchants. Staying in the past, you could explore the agricultural heritage on display at Acton Scott Historic Working Farm (20 minutes), or instead zoom forward a few hundred years to the Industrial Revolution by exploring the Ironbridge Gorge Museum (40 minutes), located in a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the banks of the Severn. If you don't mind roaming slightly further from base, you could visit the famed medieval Mappa Mundi at Hereford Cathedral (40 minutes), let the kids go and say hi to the animals and birds at West Midland Safari Park, take nostalgia-tinged train rides aboard the lovingly preserved Severn Valley Railway in Kidderminster (50 minutes) or head out hiking in the Brecon Beacons National Park (from 45 minutes).