Fancy a short circuit round lovely Ludlow, taking in some of the most famous sights in the town, with ten things to spot along the way? Try this free treasure hunt. No prizes, it's just for fun, but you could treat yourself to something fabulous at The Chocolate Gourmet on Castle Street when you’re done (but only if you manage to spot everything!)

Start outside the Castle gates on Castle Square. You'll see a cannon...

1. Where and when was it captured? Take a closer look and you'll see.

Now follow the road named 'Dinham' that skirts around the castle walls. As the road bends left away from the castle wall look ahead of you and you'll see Dinham House.

2. Which famous emperor’s younger brother visited here?
Clue: this emperor once said 'an army marches on its stomach' – he should have brought his armies to Ludlow, the foodie capital of the UK!

Continue along Dinham onto Dinham Bridge. Pause and look behind you for a gorgeous view of Ludlow Castle, then cross the bridge and turn left to follow the riverside ‘Bread Walk’.

As you walk you’ll see, at intervals, six cast replicas of creatures from Earth's geological history, when life began to emerge onto land for the very first time...

3. Hunt the monsters.
After the more familiar shellfish and starfish you'll need to find these weird and wonderful species: Orthoceras - a cephalopod (a bit like a squid); Eurypterid - a fearsome, clawed arthropod; Trilobites, beasts with shovel-shaped heads (evolved to help them burrow for food in the muddy sea bed); and Cephalaspis, an armour-plated fish.

 
Having dealt with the monsters, you'll emerge from The Bread Walk onto Whitcliffe Road, where you can swiftly turn left past The Charlton Arms and cross back over the River Teme across Ludford Bridge and up Lower Broad Street.

You'll pass under the Broadgate, last remnant of the medieval gateways that were set into a protective wall around the town. At any sign of trouble, a portcullis would drop, turning Ludlow into a fortress, to protect the buildings, wealth and goods of the town within the boundary walls. As you emerge on the other side, see if you can learn...

4. How many medieval gateways protected Ludlow?

Take a walk along Broad Street and admire the elegant Georgian buildings. As you approach the shops you'll pass, to your right, The Angel, a coaching inn since 1555...

5. How long did it take for a horse-drawn coach to reach London?
Have a guess... then find the blue plaque and see.

Continue and...

6. Find the oldest store in Ludlow.
Clue: it's oak-beamed upper floors appear to be climbing across High Street! 

A grand building with stone columns faces you as Broad Street meets High Street. It’s ground floor was originally a market, but for what?

7. Find the name of the stone-columned building and you'll know.

Now follow the narrow alleyway to the right hand side (as you face it) of this grand building. This will take you to St Laurence's Church, which has twenty eight beautifully carved misericords (perches fixed underneath hinged seats for worshippers to lean back on during particularly long church services!) each showing different characters...

8. Find three mythical figures: a Green Man, a mermaid and a gryphon. 

Now retrace your steps down the alleyway, turn right onto High Street, and follow it all the way back to Castle Square. Once there...

9. Find Castle Lodge – a house with timbered upper floors and Tudor stained glass in one of the ground floor windows that was once home to Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII.

Did you find them all? Then it's time to answer this question:

10. What kind of chocolate shall I choose?!  Head to Chocolate Gourmet (in the summer months they have THE BEST ice cream too!) and reward yourselves!