This morning we turned our rental car to the south and programed our GPS to avoid all Highways and head for the Village of Ludlow. The 45 minute drive took us through many little towns and villages. We have been looking at wonderful scenery the whole trip and today was no exception. The land as you turn south along the Welsh border becomes more hilly than the rolling farmland we experienced in Yorkshire. I wouldn't go so far to call them mountains and I am reminded of the cute Hugh Grant movie "The man who went up a hill and came down a mountain".
Village life in England appears to be absolutely idyllic and something that all our hectic world could benefit by. Like all dreamy ideas however I'm not sure its everyones cup of tea on a long term basis. It seems that all the villages we have seen have done an excellent job of keeping the new buildings and homes compatible with the old history. You have to look closely to see what's new and what's not. This just does not happen but requires strict building codes and enforcement. This is not the place for the free spirit in architecture. No "don't tread on me" types I suspect. The result however is very pleasing.
England for centuries has been called a nation of shop keepers and in the villages, shop keepers seem to be surviving. I stopped in a wonderful old bookshop in a 15th century storefront and leisurely looked at the old books. The shop keeper engaged each shopper in conversation and I was no exception. She was very helpful in suggesting sights to see and where I might find what I was looking for, though it was not in her shop. In Ludlow today it was Market day. The square was filled with stalls and the town was busy with shoppers and a few tourists like ourselves.
The towns have wonderful names to our ears, like: Uffington, Wrekin Hill, Bridgnorth, Craven arms, Much- Wenlok, Church Stretton. Like in America each village seems to have some historical feature that defines its character; a castle, a mill, a bridge, an abbey. The difference is the age. While we see something from the 1800's as a relic, here we are talking about the past 1000 years.
Our destination today was Ludlow Castle, the home of King Edward the first known also as Edward Longshanks. If my history is correct Edward is remembered for his battles with the Welsh, the Scots and the unification of Wales with England. He permanently established Parliament as a form for raising taxes. I guess he gets credit for settling down the lords however those battles would be fought again and again.
We returned home after a beautiful meander through the county of Shropshire to our luxury Pub Hotel. Its Friday night and the townspeople are playing lawn bowls out on the lawn. One more day to explore and then we drive to Manchester for our flight home on Monday. Thanks for following our travels. It's been fun to collect my thoughts in the evening and write this Blog for family and friends.
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