Sunday 15 September 2013

Sunday Mornings: Coffee, Reflections and Music

You don't so much make a grand entrance upon arrival in Shropshire as tip-toe into it. In fact, you are already in the West Midlands county by the time you realise. One minute you find yourself on the M40 coming from London, the next you are driving on the M42 and before you know it you’re sandwiched by country lanes. Beautiful but dangerously narrow country lanes. Tooting your horn before each bend, alerting other drivers of your presence.

I had an absolute ball in Shropshire. Having been to Wales before, three years ago, this time my wife and two children spent eight days next door. And I mean next door. One day I went to Knighton with two of my brothers-in-law to do some shopping. The first thing I noticed was the accent of the folk in the little town. After I enquired about it I was told that I was now in Wales. That was a permanent feature of my sojourn in Shropshire. We kept crossing into Hereford and Wales and back into Shropshire.

Not that it mattered. We were all looking for relaxation, pure air and fun activities. We got those three things by the bucketload. First of all, we stayed in a converted barn that ought to be featured in one of those property programmes Channel 4 is so fond of producing. The Barn at Ryecroft is a picture-perfect, idyllic place to in which to spend your holidays. This – very reasonably priced - hay and stable conversion has solid pine beams, a wood burning stove (which we lit one night, well, you had to, really, although it never got chilly), two bedrooms (with a top bunk bed for the lucky child) and plenty of attractions nearby. This is the sort of rural retreat I could see myself buying in a few years’ time when I have enough money (yeah, right, dream on, my boy).

One of the local attractions was cycling. We searched online for cheap bicycle hires and Wheely Wonderful Cycling came out on top. Easy to see why; they had the works and their rates were affordable. Located in the Petchfield Farm, Wheely offered a wide range of routes on, mostly, traffic-free roads. The first time we got our bikes we went to Leintwardine, an old village with plenty of Roman history behind. We had our lunch on the banks of the River Teme on a day when the temperature was neither warm nor cold, just perfect. The second time we ventured further afield and chanced upon Hopton Castle, which played an important role in the English Civil War, on our way to the Rocke Tea Rooms. These were highly recommended by the people who ran Wheely Wonderful Cycling. And you know what, my lovely readers and fellow bloggers? The hype was justified. I had the best coconut and blueberry cake I’ve ever had in my life.

Another attraction was the town of Ludlow. I have a soft spot for quaint British villages and towns. In Ludlow’s case, besides having souvenir and antique shops, it has also gained a reputation over the years as a gastronomic haven. I must admit at this point that Michelin ratings do nothing for me. Give me pub grub anytime. Still, the Hindu couple who run The Plaice on the high street makes one of the better kebabs I’ve ever eaten. Plus, it was put on naan bread as opposed to pitta. Kudos for that.

After four days on our own as a family at the Barn at Ryecroft we joined my wife’s brothers and mother for a big reunion to celebrate the latter’s 80th birthday. Her big eight-oh was actually back in February but this was the first time this year that he whole family came together. Eighteen people in a spacious, luscious and picturesque farm in the middle nowhere. Not even a phone signal could you get in Orchard House, a converted cow byre in Hicks Farm. There was however access to Wi-Fi, one of those modern quirks that I can’t quite figure out. There was even an indoor swimming pool which delighted children adults alike.

Like the Barn at the Ryecroft, Hicks Farm offered plenty of activities within walking distance. That word, “walking”, was key. I love going for a wander whenever I find myself in a rural area and there was no shortage of places to visit. One day we all got into our cars and drove all the way to the Long Mynd, one of Shropshire’s natural wonders. Once there we went for a short walk. Around us a sea of heather stretched well beyond our field of vision. Another time I took a stroll from the Hicks Farm down country lanes to a nearby second-hand bookshop I had seen a few days before when we had been riding our bikes. The physical effort was complemented by the smell of moth-eaten books, some of them with dog-eared, yellow, stained pages. I bought a very basic step-by-step guide to drawing (long story, no time to explain now) and after a while headed back to the farm.

If there was a downside to our holiday (and really, nothing stood out as negative) it was the length of it. I wish we had stayed longer at the Barn at Ryecroft. And the second minus was an outing we took to Kingsland to eat at a pub called The Angel. The food, although nice, was too pricey and we felt ripped off. Plus, one of the waitresses was somewhat rude.

I will never forget Shropshire, its rolling hills, its narrow lanes and rich history. I would strongly recommend all the places where we stayed to anyone wanting to get acquainted with the British countryside. Believe you me, it was a very enjoyable experience.

© 2013

All photos taken by the blog author

Next Post: “Food, Music, Food, Music, Food, Music... Ad Infinitum”, to be published on Wednesday 18th September at 11:59pm (GMT)


23 comments:

  1. Your first sentence is a perfect intro to Shropshire. It's old stamping ground for me, and you have the exact right touch throughout the post. Excellent. Brought it all back!

    ReplyDelete
  2. nice...i will put it on my list should i ever get to jump the pond....i like small towns and villages...there as so much to find if you are looking...and its not over commercialized...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely! Feels like a vacation.. back to blogger after a long time. Was refreshing to to go to Shropshire!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Small towns are the best places to search, as you aren't elbow to elbow with the nuts. Sounds like a great place to enjoy too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Living in mid Wales I know the areas you write about. I know that Knighton folk like to be known as 'Radnorshire' rather than Welsh - they have a distinct accent. I have a friend who hails from there.
    Lovely write-up.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I so love that part of England, and you have refreshed my memories of it so vividly with this wonderful post!
    Thank you so much...:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for your comments. I just realised that I should have written "gastronomic haven". It's now been amended.

    By the way, about the clip today. I saw this singer recently at the Rich Mix in Bethnal Green, east London and she blew the audience away. She's got the voice, the delivery and the guitar skills. Good lyrics, too. I keep looking out for her album but it hasn't come out yet. Her name's Katey Brooks, not Katy, just in case you want to Youtube her music. I just hope people don't start comparing her with Laura Marling. No disrespect to the latter, whose music I adore, but Katey and Laura are rather different singers with different vibes.

    Have a great week.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  8. ah that sounds great - i was staying in some small places during my four week stay in england as well and the english countryside def. is very charming... nice on the cycling as well - would be right up my alley

    ReplyDelete
  9. Veo que disfrutaste de tus vacaciones en un lugar agradable, tranquilo, hermoso y sobre todo rodeado de tu familia. Siempre hay que salir para descansar y olvidar lo cotidiano con eso uno se da cuenta que ha pasado unas buenas vacaciones.
    Un abrazo.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lovely post Cuban, beautiful tone to your holiday writing.

    I have had a hankering to go to Ludlow for a couple of years now, and you've made the whole of the county sound worth it. I did visit The Wrekin as a teenager, but in my memory it was dark all the time. Party season.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This place sounds absolutely lovely and nice,I love small towns too gloria

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a magical time away you had. And captured so well for the aliens reading your post. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  13. It sounds like the perfect holiday. A beautiful setting, family, good food, leisurely bicycling and a used book store! It simply doesn't get much better than that.

    ReplyDelete
  14. sounds like a lovely place love the English countryside too and small villages and towns stunning pleased you had a good holiday and the pic of the fog was close to where I live Clemmons North Carolina

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have been to England only once and, I suppose, I must be honest and admit London was the beginning, the middle and the end of my visit for all practical purposes. Should I return, I would hope to follow a path such as the one you so colorfully described, CiL, and see a bit of "real life" in the countryside.

    I might add that when I travel in the U.S., unless there really are time constraints, I avoid the interstate highway system and drive along the "old highways," which often take you right down the middle of "main street" in every small town along the route. Too much travel today is from Point A to Point B, when the real treasures are to be found somewhere in between.

    A neat post ....

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sounds so pretty! I lived in England for a year and traveled a bit about then and other times, but not enough. I am so interested to hear about your barn as a place for family reunions - that sounds like such an nice idea. I am visiting Washington, D.C. at this very moment - a quite different experience. Ha! (I grew up here.) k. (This is Manicddaily from wordpress on an iPad that wants to use an old blogger ID.)

    ReplyDelete
  17. hi!what a great post!

    I admire England))In fact I am planning my next trip to the Fair Island and The Shethlands

    Thanks for the view and i am following you:)

    ReplyDelete
  18. One of the beauties of reading blogs is that I get to take ever-so-many trips I can't currently afford. This sojourn to Shropshire may be my favorite trip of the month! Thank you for letting my hovering mind share the space in that magical-sounding barn and pedal down those narrow lanes. I feel much rejuvenated.

    ReplyDelete
  19. One of the beauties of reading blogs is that I get to take ever-so-many trips I can't currently afford. This sojourn to Shropshire may be my favorite trip of the month! Thank you for letting my hovering mind share the space in that magical-sounding barn and pedal down those narrow lanes. I feel much rejuvenated.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Shropshire looks beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a lovely holiday I just took from work reading along :) Thank you!! Looks like a lovely place to visit ~ perhaps if I ever make it back to England I will make it to Shropshire (love the name by the way!!)

    ReplyDelete
  22. What an idyllic vacation! I suppose you need a bad pub dinner to make you appreciate the rest. I'm imagining that blueberry coconut pie. We too dream of a vacation home but the advantage of not having one is being free to explore the world.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Many thanks for your kind comments.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...