Cool Place of the Day: The Castle Hotel, Shropshire

Every day, a new place to discover or explore from coolplaces.co.uk

Perched at the top of the steep main street of the tiny Shropshire town of Bishop's Castle, the Castle Hotel is a perfect place to really get away from it all. There are glorious views over the surrounding countryside, which is beckoning and accessible, and the hotel makes for a relatively affordable bolthole for walkers, cyclists and families.

It's just our sort of place: comfy rather than posh, with eight large and cosy rooms with flatscreen TVs, tea and coffee-making facilities and wi-fi throughout. There's a good restaurant downstairs serving a lovely menu that includes lots of local produce and a veggie option or two, a pleasant bar that is well used by locals and makes a point of serving proper brews from the local area, including the town's two microbreweries, the Three Tuns and Six Bells (the hotel has special rates on brewery tours for real enthusiasts).

They also have a fantastic, almost Mediterranean-style garden that overlooks the Shropshire Hills from its high perch behind the hotel, and which is perfect for enjoying an early evening glass of wine from its covered arbours.

Finally, the Castle is one of the most dog-friendly hotels we know, which makes us like it even more – not only encouraging you to bring your pet but also providing a “Dog Welcome Box” in the room that includes a feeding mat, food bowl, towel, lead, treats and even poo bags. Plus your hound might like to play with the owners’ friendly dachshund. In short we reckon the Castle is as friendly and relaxing a place to stay as you'll find – and situated in what is frankly a glorious location. A bit of a gem.

Cool Places is a website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)