English adventures May/June 2008

Sue!!! I also bought a bag at Winchester cathedral shop and a candle in a vase thingy & the coffee spoon set and coaster set at Harrods as well as a candle holder at Ludlow market  I've been collecting it bit by bit too. It's soooo expensive over here but we use it every day too. It's too pretty to be hidden in cupboards  

My obsession began with a vase I was given as a gift by a friend for getting all A's at Uni

did i get the chance to introduce myself Jen?

Hello Paul

is that a nice store Paul?

OOOOPS...yes that's where I was

 And Harrods is the be-all and end-all of shopping...such lovely staff that treat everyone the same....yes that does mena I was there more than once  

LUDLOW: I arrived here in late in the morning, after all it's only a 30 minute journey on the train from Shrewsbury. I dropped my bags at the B&B I'd booked and thank goodness they gave me a ground floor room...dragging suitcases packed with china up hills is not my idea of fun! Yeah I know it serves me right for buying dinner plates so early in the trip  

I had lunch at De Grey's Tea Rooms...I won't comment on the service here! The food was good though. After lunch I went on the walking tour of Ludlow that leaves from the cannon near the Castle entrance. What was supposed to be about 1.5 hours became more than like 2.5 hours because yours truely got on so well with the guide and took over in parts   The poor American couple who came along got more than they bargained for  But we got to see inside the Buttercross because there were only the 3 of us hence how I managed to get the pics of Broad & King sts from there

I also did the tour of Castle Lodge: an amazing house adjacent to the Castle, it has one of the largest collections of oak panelling in England and dates from the early 13th Century. Catherine of Aragon lived there while she was married to Prince Arthur before marrying Henry VIII. The panelling is amazing! You can see the tool marks! I didn't encounter the resident ghost though  

I checked out the Ludlow market each day...Sunday's is an antique market & I came across a rare 1970's candle holder from Portmeirion, so more china to lug around England  It was here in Ludlow that I saw my very 1st Bedlington Terrier who is a pet...other than my own Miss Bride, who I was missing awfully. The poor couple who own Monte must have thought I was absolutely balmy...I swooped on their dog like a bird of prey. After much patting and hugging of this poor dog I later realised I was so excited I never even thought to take a photo of him  so there is no proof that I did actually see a Beddie.

From Ludlow I visited Hereford and toured the Cathedral and saw the Mappa Mundi which has been on my list of To Do's for ages and ages. So one thing ticked off  And it is an amazing thing to see in the flesh...so-to-speak!

I also took a train up to Church Stretton: a pretty small town to the north of Ludlow with lots of black & white buildings still intact. I had a wonderfully tasty home made sausage roll followed by a small apple pie at the local bakery that's me drooling  

I really like Ludlow, it's an amazing town with so much history intact. I intend to go back with DH in tow soon and see some of the things I missed and revisit those I've experienced.

Very interesting to read of your trip Jen but making me a bit homesick. hope to go one day in the future.

Hope our exchange rate picks up by then !

Sorry.....I've been on at my hubby to send me back for the past 3 months or even better to buy me a house there
Where about are you from??

Wonderful Jen. It sounds like you are making every last minute count.

I've never been to Portmeirion Village Peter, do they do the pottery there? I know the big pottery is in Stoke-on-Trent, as I had a wonderful time there picking up a few items.

I think Portmeirion Village is on my next trip list.