By Friday it was starting to get hotter. We had decided to go to Ludlow as its such a lovely old town but it turned out to be a big mistake!! I guessed it would be quite busy but it was heaving with people and there are a lot of narrow alleyways to walk through and many people were not social distancing (although I suppose now since the 19th you don't have to!!!). At one stage we all put on masks even though we were out of doors and we stayed less than an hour. I suspect Ludlow may be a place to visit in the autumn or early Spring or Winter!
Taking photos was hard too partly because B and E were walking fast and kept telling me to keep up and stop taking pictures! In addition while using the camera it was hard to avoid people as they'd suddenly appear out of nowhere and brush past!. Parking was difficult but we finally found a place in a pay and display.
Anyway, Ludlow grew up around the castle which became one of the strongest in the Welsh Marches. The town lies on a hill and the castle and church illustrate the wealth the town had. The castle at one time was the seat of the Council of the Marches and the church was built almost entirely by the burgesses of the town wealthy from cloth and other trades. I would like to revisit the castle at some stage as when we visited before it was for the Christmas Medieval Fayre and it was very busy.
The Feathers became an Inn around 1670 but was much altered in the mid 19th century when a balcony was added for electioneering. It has been called "a treasure of a house both inside and out".
Ye Olde Bull Ring Tavern - I do miss our pub visits but it is still something I am not happy about doing.
The Butter Cross was built in 1743/4 by William Baker. It is built of stone and is 3 bays wide with a clock turret and an open ground floor.
These stone heads were on a Water Conduit - a water supply point given to the town in 1581 by Sir Henry Sidney. It was moved to its present position from the High Cross in 1743.
The area round the market was even busier! but it was good to see the Ludlow Pottery stall was still there selling Herons Cross pottery which I love. I would so liked to have bought something but as I haven't been near a cash point since early last year I had no money and I doubt if they took card payments.
The War Memorial for World War One and the Korean War was commissioned by the local Royal British Legion and the sculptor was Walenty Patel (1941). You may recall he did sculptures of magpies in the village of Weobley - there is also one of his creations at Birmingham International Airport.
Castle Lodge Tudor Mansion
I had no plans to go into the Church of St Laurence as I had been before but I would have liked to go into the churchyard and to have looked round the exterior which I didn't do last time. B and E had had enough however and we decided to escape to the peace of Mortimer Forest to eat our lunch and go for a walk.
If you would like to see the blog post on St Laurence please follow the link here. St Laurence
On the way back to the car park I spotted these murals.
On the way to Mortimer Forest we drove over the15th century Ludford Bridge with its 3 arches and over the River Teme. More on Mortimer Forest in the next post and it was delightfully free of people :)
Timothy sitting in the shade!
I hope everyone is staying safe and well.
All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera
Reference: Pevsner Buildings of Shropshire (first edition)
15 comments:
Just like Hay was when we went last week - absolutely HEAVING - and people not wearing masks, ahead of the 19th - this is Wales, and you still have to wear them (long may that last).
Lovely photos - you captured the splendid architecture so well. I hope you will be able to get to enjoy the castle when it's a quieter day later in the year.
Cashpoints - a necessary evil. For months I used disposable gloves, or wiped the keypad with alcohol hand gel and a tissue. However, the risk of infection via touching anything is supposed to be extremely low. That said I still use inpenetrable gardening gloves for putting fuel in the car!!
Bovey Belle - Thanks so much. I still cannot believe they are no longer mandatory here inside buildings, supermarkets, public transport etc. Sheer madness :( You are more fortunate mask wise in Wales.
Thanks for kind words re: photos as they were taken in such a rush!! I had half thought of castle visit last week until we got there. Good as Medieval Fayre was too many people and stalls to soak up the atmosphere :
OH keeps saying that about risk of infection from touching things but I still wipe most food items after delivery, quarantine post and hand sanitise if I have to touch anything like a gate or door when out! I used to drive car and OH would don disposable gloves and put petrol in then put gloves in bin and sanitise his debit card. I sound like Howard Hughes!!!!! :( Such sad times we live in! OH is not so fussy now though and just uses hand sanitiser at petrol station much to my horror (I would still use gloves as so many people touch the fuel pump) and opens post and parcels as soon as they come!. I used to get cash back when I did the weekly supermarket shop but not possible now we have shopping delivered!
You're a braver {wo}man than I, Gunga Din. My city/village is heaving with non mask wearing, non social distancing tourists and I only venture there now if I must, so a monthly visit to the pharmacist is my limit. If I can't get it delivered, I do without, as numbers climb again.
I haven't been to a cashpoint since before lockdown, and just do contactless payment at the pharmacy or NT, which are the only two shops I've been in since March 2020. Always ask, for even market vendors now do contactless payments with mobile gizmos.
Lovely blog, lots of super photos as ever, and Ludlow is very pretty indeed.
Good to see Master Timothy looking happy and content as he is favourited!
Lovely photos of Ludlow, I like it there and have visited a few times, mainly on our way to visit a friend who lives near Llandrindod Wells. I spent my 60th birthday in Ludlow, the photo on my blog was taken inside the castle can't believe it's ten years ago. You are right though it is always busy and would seem more so in present times down those narrow lanes. Until last week when I went to have my hair cut I'd had £50 in my purse taken from a cashpoint in Feb 2020. I hadn't used cash since then, except once for hospital parking. What a strange world it is. The forest would be quieter and cooler than those busy street, good to see Timothy keeping cool. Take care:)
Rustic Pumpkin - Thanks so much. Not having gone out to busy places, apart from perhaps Hereford, recently it was a nasty shock! I wouldn't have gone if I'd known it would be that busy :( We seem divided between people who carry on as normal as possible and people like me and you who are very cautious!
Thanks for that tip re: market vendors. I did have to use keypad at EH Wenlock even though my purchases were less than £30 or whatever the limit is! I had assumed it would be contactless!
Ludlow when not busy is a lovely town - some super independent shops.
Master T was well content :)
Rosie - Thanks so much. Ludlow is lovely. A lovely place to spend a "special" birthday :) Our trip to the Medieval Fayre was my birthday treat although just a "normal" birthday. We went once in September I think when we had a long weekend in Herefordshire and seem to remember it was not very quiet then either! Normally you would just put up with it!
I haven't had cashback since around February 2020 either!! B even tries to go to car parks when he can pay using his phone. Not always possible though as you say eg hospital car parks.
Take care too :)
I tend to avoid towns! My neighbour works in a supermarket and she said 80% of people are still wearing masks but I doubt it will last long.
Ludlow is a nice town but somewhere I expected would be busy, Corfe Castle was the same I didn't stay long. Only good thing is that the cases in the double vaccinated seems to be growing a lot less so they seem to be working.
Hello Timothy
The Quacks of Life - Thanks so much. Have come to conclusion now towns best avoided atm!! I think mask wearing will be dropping off pretty quickly :(
Didn't you stay at The Feathers??
I think Corfe Castle was quite busy when we went - such a lovely town and castle and church!!! I shall be glad when the kids have had their 2nd vaccine week after next.
Timothy waves back :)
I've never stayed in Ludlow. I've only even been once and I want to go back,
Corfe? the church was closed the day I went.
The Quacks of Life - Thanks Pete. I must have imagined the Feathers then!! unless you had a meal there? I must be thinking of another market town where you stayed in a timbered place perhaps?? It is a lovely town apart from too many people! I take it you visited St Laurence? Brilliant church - if this pandemic ever goes away would like to go inside again and also the castle.
Sorry about Corfe church - there is a nice garden nearby with a model village and also an Enid Blyton shop I think. We also bought the best scones ever from a bakery there.
Blue and white milk jugs with chickens on - I'm in heaven! Caroline, go and get some cash out and either wear disposable gloves or disinfect your hands afterwards, for goodness sake! :-)
I adore half timbered houses, or do they call them fully timbered? I actually have no idea! A lot of the ones in France, particularly in the part of Normandy where they are famous, the bottom third (ish) of the house is built of stone.
Heat, towns and crowds do not go together, even in normal times. We unfortunately visited Colmar in the Vosges when it was 36C; it also was a town full of these timbered houses and SO beautiful, and touristy of course so lots of people. But the heat was very hard to cope with.
Reading Bovey Belle's comment and your reply, whilst I do go to shops, we also still disinfect anything coming into the house, like all the shopping (what a pain!) and post is either opened immediately and then hands washed, or more likely, leave something unimportant for 3 or 4 days and then open it. K keeps thick gloves in the car for shops and petrol stations and I have stopped wearing disposable gloves since being double jabbed because they are just too hot and sweaty in summer anyway, but I have sanitiser in my pocket to use immediately after. We have to wear masks indoors in France anyway, thank goodness!
I have heard on Facebook of people in the US being given abuse for wearing a mask inside a building - seems they don't have to any more. It beggars belief, well I don't actually know what their covid situation is anymore, but being given abuse, and being told upon entering a shop that you don't need to wear a mask (in an unpleasant way) beggars belief! This was on a cancer group, so these folk were wearing masks because they were undergoing chemo, but they shouldn't have had to explain themselves. *shakes head in disbelief*
Millymollymandy - Thanks again :) We still wipe shopping or items we can! Use Dettoll anti viral wipes and spray as you can use on food surfaces! I leave post as you will have seen for as long as possible. When out I do still tend to wear disposable gloves if not too hot and carry hand sanitiser! Glad France is more sensible that our prime minister over mask wearing. Daughter back at work now and 50% shoppers coming into Monsoon are not wearing them :(
I think people are so divided between people like us who are cautious and careful, those that are easing up more and then those who refused to wear masks (say they are exempt!) in shops or public transport when mandatory and have been basically carrying on as normal! That is dreadful about the US and abuse. Really awful. It should be up to the individual to do what is best for them especially those undergoing chemo.
Millymollymandy - Thanks too re: first comment :) Oh that Herons Cross pottery is just gorgeous. I already have 4 jugs! When I go back I will see if they do take cards and if not raid son's money box!!!!
I think they are called half timbered? Would love to see some in France sadly never been over there :( the black and white village trail is the best so many half timbered cottages in the illages.
Thankfully gone cooler here now!!!
We visited Ludlow a few days ago. The problem for us was our teashop order. Mr C queued for 20 minutes to order takeaway sandwiches. He was told that there was a 20 minute delay was that OK?
He had already queued for 20 minutes so he went ahead with the order. When the order eventually arrived his sandwich was missing! Luckily mum and I have small appetites and the sandwiches were enormous so we were both able to share our sandwiches with him.
Note to myself... Next time in Ludlow, visit a bakery that makes sandwiches to order.
CherryPie - Thanks you. What a pain re: the sandwich and that long wait!!!
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