Following an awful weather forecast we were surprisingly treated to a bright sunny day for our journey up the Wye Valley. Dependent upon the season this area presents itself in many guises and we were not disappointed with views of the ruins of Tintern Abbey and Symonds Yat en route to our first National Trust venue, Berrington Hall.
The Georgian house stands proudly within Capability Brown's final garden and landscape whilst inside the many rooms were lavishly appointed with artifacts from every corner of the world and was well worth the visit.
Just a ten miles drive from Berrington Hall and we arrive in the beautful town of Ludlow, claimed by Sir John Betjeman to be "the loveliest town in England". Jeremy Paxman of TV fame asked " has there ever been a visitor who hasn't wished they lived there?"
The Feathers Hotel was to be our home for the next two nights and, whilst the exterior clearly showed it's 400 years age, accomodation was luxurious and only recently refurbished.
The evening meal was served in our private dining room after which most of our party settled for an early night.
The following morning after a hearty breakfast we set off to Wales, particularly to the 13th century Powis Castle. On a TV program the previous week several of us had seen the castle bathed in sunlight and drove in eager anticipation of seeing it in reality. Unfortunately we drove the whole journey in heavy rain which continued throughout the day and on arrival at the castle we immediately made for the internal castle attractions. The Herbert family transformed the castle from a fortress into an aristocratic country house in the 1570’s and now delights its visitors with decorative fabrics, world class paintings, furniture, tapestries and collections East and South Asian artefacts.
On our way back to the carpark a few hardy souls paid a quick visit to the sixth level of the gardens where we looked down on the lower five levels of splendour through the rain and mist.
Another pleasant evening of dinner and social intercourse and a good nights sleep saw us through to the final day of our break when we explored the beautiful town of Ludlow.
On our way to the castle we passed through quaint shop lined narrow passageways and a bustling market with stalls offering a vast selection of goods.
The castle was built in the 11th century as a border stronghold and it has been involved in some of the most significant events in British history, but nowhere could we find evidence of it’s decline to the ruins we see today.
We also visited the parish church which must rank as one of the most impressive for a small town anywhere in the country. The carved stone alter screen, the most wonderful stained-glass windows and the carved choir seats were all wonders to behold.
One other thing that will remain in my memory is the friendliness of the natives. On my early morning walks around the town virtually everybody I passed wished me a 'Good morning'.
So did it all live up to the hype of Betjeman and Paxman? Well possibly if one discounts our own wonderful Bristol!!