Shortly after we get back from Whitby we travel
to Shropshire where we have visited previously in 2010 and 2013. There is
something deeply comforting about visiting a familiar area especially
after a long absence. We decide to
pursue an itinerary of tried and trusted places, beginning with the George and
Dragon at Much Wenlock, where we have lunch: Shropshire faggots and peas!
Following this we arrive at our cottage and
spend the afternoon unpacking and making ourselves at home.
We go out for a walk and although the local pub is not open
yet, the landlady does let us buy a drink while we sit outside in the sunshine and wait for it to open. We
go inside and have a pleasant talk before going back to the cottage for cheese
and crackers: all we can manage after such a big lunch!
The Shropshire Hills is a gently undulating landscape with a
variety of walks and hills with beautiful views, plus lovely old pubs,
attractive market towns, castles and a glorious array of food: the only
drawback, depending on your point of view of course is that the portions are
often so large you cannot eat it all! However I cannot complain, the wholesome
English grub is doing wonders for my health! We have a lazy Sunday walking in
the morning, then having Sunday Lunch at the Boyne, a nearby pub (where I get
invited to join the men’s cricket team and politely decline as I can’t play for
toffee) and cap off with a visit o the Howard which is our local.
The owners
are unfailingly friendly and charming. The cottage is attached to an old
vicarage with stables, dogs and chickens roaming the grounds!
The weather is beautiful throughout and Monday sees us
walking up Brown Clee Hill, Shropshire’s highest point, from which you can see
to the Black Mountains in Wales. We take packed lunches with us and in the
evening have dinner at the cottage again. The walk takes less time than we
think so we have a liquid lunch in a nearby pub. I have prepared a big Greek
stifado at the cottage which we have for dinner. We both feel it’s best not to
have too many dinners out to save money and have brought plenty of food!
We go to Ludlow the next morning and spend most of the day
shopping: this charming old market town is filled with epicurean shops and
markets, so we buy a lot of deli food and prepare a big platter in the evening.
We have visited the castle before so decide not to repeat the experience
although it is a fascinating building.
We end up just having snacks for lunch as our favourite pub has closed
down and we can’t find any light lunches!
Food is one of our great pleasures and we make the most of
it: it’s mostly “man food”, big portions and loads of meat and fish! In the pub
we are getting to be well known as the people are so friendly, and we feel like
locals!
We visit Bridgnorth, which is on the River
Severn and is on two levels separated by a high cliff. Here there is a cliff
railway which we use to descend to the lower town. It’s very old, a piece of
history from the Industrial Revolution and was at one time operated by water
pressure.
Here we give in to a pub lunch and the food is
great but the portions are enormous so I feel guilty about not being able to
polish it all off!
We spend a bit of time on the Cliff Railway and I have
managed to break my glasses so try in vain to find another pair: my spares are
at home so I have to mange with sticky tape for the time being. I discover
Lapsang Souchong tea which Sarah tries and is hooked!
Our second walk up Caer Caradoc Hill near Church
Stretton has the best views of the week and the weather is stunning.
We have the usual Shropshire-sized lunch: I am
eating as much fish and chips as I can get hold of on account of having missed
it in China. The pub at Cardington, the Royal Oak, was once, it seems, visited
by Prince Edward so Sarah calls it the Prince Eddie as she can’t remember the
name. It’s a delightful old place and as ever the people are friendly and
polite. We cannot fault the hospitality.
We decide to make spaghetti in the evening and round off at
the Howard as usual. At night the area seems very atmospheric and a little
ghostly, with bats flittering about and the odd fox.
On Friday we visit Church Stretton again and
walk up Cardington Mill Valley to the Long Mynd. Would you believe it: a
cyclist drags his mountain bike all the way up this craggy and rather tortuous
walk to a lovely waterfall ending in a sheer cliff! It turns out he has taken the wrong road and
I do feel a bit sorry for him as it must have been exhausting.
We have another pub lunch and I have my default dish again,
which at least is a normal portion size, and do a little shopping. Sarah really
enjoys this walk. The weather is the best we have had all week in the morning
with wall-to wall sunshine. As it’s our last night we finish off with a pub
dinner of steak for Sarah and crab salad for me: irresistible! I have a
farewell beer at the local as Sarah feels a little tired.
I have indulged my tastes for all the English things I love,
the countryside, pubs, beer and food.
