On our 'rest days' we decided to do the touristy thing and visit some of the nearby towns for a bit of sightseeing and possibly a bit of retail therapy. Two of these were Ludlow and Hereford. Not Wales I hear you shout. No I know, but they did sound interesting and were pretty close.
I have to say that for me Ludlow was my favourite. The architecture was quite stunning. I really love the whitewashed and timber buildings. In fact there are 5 grade 1 listed buildings in the town including Ludlow castle and the impressive Feathers Hotel, and over 500 listed buildings altogether including some fine medieval and Tudor examples.
The town plan remains much as it did when it was built around 900AD.
We spent a lovely afternoon here doing a little shopping and we even found a small antique emporium filled with all kinds of wonderful French furniture and linens, but alas the things I coveted most were too big to transport home, so regrettably and much to DH's relief I had to leave them behind.
On the way back to base we came across another castle, Croft castle, now under the care of the National Trust, but the Croft family still reside in part of it. What a find. There is not a massive amount of the inside open to the public, but the gardens were lovely, especially the kitchen garden and the parkland.
For our second walk of the week we set off from Presteigne, about 3 miles from our base, on a circular route taking in part of the Radnor forest. A mere 8 miles this time and in beautiful sunshine. Its hard to put into words how amazing the views were but I hope my photos can give you a little taster.....
My final post will take you with us through the Élan valley to Aberystwyth via the Devils bridge. I hope you can join me next time.......
TTFN
Jenny xx
