More Exploring

Yesterday we took a trip north of Hereford to Weobley and Ludlow.  Weobley (pronounced web-lee) is a beautiful little village.  It is one of the 'black and white' villages and is so pretty.  The Delacy's had a castle here in the 13th Century but they upset good old King John I and he confiscated all their land.  All that is left of the castle are the earthworks.  Brewing and glove making were the Saxon industries, although there is no evidence of this today.  We had brunch in a really sweet little cafe that allowed Alfie in and served an excellent cup of tea.  As you can see from the photo, I think summer has departed as we have not had any sunshine, just cloud for days.

We then moved on to Ludlow, which is a medieval town with another castle.  The town had many really beautiful medieval houses and was bustling with activity.  There was a small market selling local produce and 'antiques' and Alfie got to taste his first Liver Cake - how revolting does that sound! 

We didn't actually pay to go in the castle, as we are getting a bit tight in our old age, however we did walk round the perimeter which certainly gave us an sense of just how big it actually was.  Set on the hill it was quite imposing. It is another of the DeLacy's castles; just how rich were these people! It is a mixture of Norman, Medieval and Tudor architecture and has a long association with royalty, becoming a royal palace in the fourteenth century.  The two boy princes lived here before they were taken to the Tower of London and mysteriously disappeared (their bodies being found under a staircase a couple of hundred years later), Mary Tudor, Queen of England, spent her winters here and Catherine of Aragon spent her first honeymoon here with Prince Arthur before she then married her brother-in-law Henry VIII and we all know how well that marriage worked out!

Ludlow was a typical medieval town with lots of little streets and courtyards and looking down into the little passages gave you a glimpse into bygone days.  This passage was such beautiful colours, but the phone camera is not so good at showing that.

Today we are off to explore the Brecon Beacons and its Neolithic history, more later xxxx