There are lots of interesting places to visit near my daughter's home in Worcestershire, but with the weather rather changeable and the possibility of rain, we decided to visit the town of Ludlow where if the weather turned bad, we could at least easily seek shelter. Happily, despite the grey clouds and cold wind, the rain held off and it turned out that Ludlow was a great place to spend most of the day. I'd been before, but many years ago, and since then it's become known as a major foodie destination with a big food festival in September.
It was about a 45-minute drive and by the time we arrived, just before 11am, it was definitely time for my morning coffee fix! We took pot luck, going into the first cafe that took our fancy. And liked it so much, we went back for lunch!
Kin Kitchen was welcoming inside and made an excellent flat white which I enjoyed with some toasted cinnamon fruit loaf.
Then we made our way out and just wandered. We'd had a quick look at what there was to see in Ludlow on the internet before leaving, saw that it was unfortunately the wrong Thursday for the farmers' market and we weren't sure how far out the castle was ... but none of this mattered in the end. Sometimes it's good to take pot luck not just with a cafe that takes your fancy, but by just wandering round an unfamiliar town. And Ludlow is a beautiful town with some of the finest examples of medieval, Tudor and Georgian buildings you'll find anywhere. The great English poet John Betjeman said of Ludlow that it is 'probably the loveliest town in England'.
As we exited one of the narrow streets it opened into a market area. It wasn't the farmer's market but good to look through, offering crafts and plants more than food. And, just beyond it we caught sight of the castle. No need to wonder how far away it was - it was right on the edge of the centre of town and its entrance only a couple of minutes' walk away. The market may not have had much food - though there was a pizza stall and a Turkish one selling dried fruit, baklava and olives - but all around there were good food shops and places to eat.
It was wonderful to see all the medieval and Tudor buildings. The house below had a blue plaque telling us that the original house was burnt down in the Civil War and rebuilt in 1656.
Then we decided to go into the castle (entrance fee £9; children £4.50).
Ludlow Castle was built in the 11th century and has been involved in some of the most significant moments in British history. Enlarged in the 14th century, it was involved in the War of the Roses and home to Richard, Duke of York. The castle became Crown property in 1461 when Richard's son, Henry IV, seized the crown and it effectively became the capital of Wales - the border is close by - for a time. Later, Henry VII's eldest son, Prince Arthur, Prince of Wales, was born there and brought his bride, Catherine of Aragon, to the castle in 1501. Unfortunately, they both caught an illness just six months after their marriage and Arthur died on 2 April 1502 at the age of just 15. It is thought the illness was the 'sweating sickness', a contagious disease that was prevalent in England at the time and also hit Continental Europe in a series of epidemics. Catherine survived and, famously, went on to marry Arthur's brother Henry - Henry VIII - becoming the first of his six wives.
The castle stands on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. It is said to be one of the finest medieval ruins in the country. It is indeed in ruins but there is still plenty to look round and see. And within the castle walls, Castle House has self-catering apartments to rent; weddings are held there and there's a restaurant-cafe.
We crossed the bridge which must once have gone over a moat and through the castle entrance into an open area in which the Round Chapel stood. This is described as a 'gem of Norman architecture and one of the very few circular naves to survive in Britain' on an information board.
We climbed a very steep, dark circular stairway to go onto the roof of the Solar Block. This was built in the late 13th century and contains the ruins of Prince Arthur's chamber. There were glorious views from the 'windows' and we could see the remains of a large fireplace.
The only building that had a roof was the round chapel, though it looked too new to be original, but there were enough walls still standing to get a real sense of the castle back in the days when it was used and lived in.
We loved walking round Ludlow Castle and 5-year-old Rufus was especially excited.
We came back out into the market area and discussed where we'd go for lunch. We walked a bit and then decided to go back to Kin Kitchen. We'd liked it so much for morning coffee, we were sure it would be great for lunch too. And it was!
It's very attractive inside in a simple way, which we liked. It's a family run cafe - hence its name as 'kin' means family - with a garden and 4 self-catering holiday apartments to rent. The family bought the 16th century listed building in 2020 and restored the building and planted a kitchen garden at the back where they grow ingredients which are used in the kitchen: herbs, vegetables and fruit. The cafe is open Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm and 9am to 9.30pm on Saturdays. It's closed on Sundays and Mondays. On the first Thursday of each month they stay open until 10pm with live music and it's best to book.
I ordered Halloumi Burger (£13) which came with a sweet corn fritter, tomatoes, chipotle mayo, brioche bun, dressed leaves and Kin coleslaw. It was fabulous; really good. Nicola had a special of the day, an open sandwich with crab. They were really helpful about putting together a plate of food for Rufus with some home-made hummus, pan-fried halloumi, bread, tomatoes and cucumber. At the end Nicola and I shared a slice of Torta di Santiago (basically because once I'd seen it I just had to have some), which was an incredibly light and delicious almond cake. Rufus had a slice of Millionaire's Shortbread.
Kin Kitchen is a great cafe with fabulous food and excellent, friendly service. Click here for their website.
When we'd finished eating, we decided to set off for home. Nicola suggested we stop at the Ludlow Farmshop, just outside the town, on the way. This is a lot more than a farm shop with various buildings and events, but we just went into the main food shop.
There were great displays of food and of course we found a few things to buy.
As we set off again, Nicola said she'd drive home via Clee Hill. Situated in South Shropshire, the three 'clees' - Titterstone, Brown and Clee - have a great archaeological heritage with Iron Age and part Bronze Age hill forts and settlements. As we drove through Clee Hill Village we stopped at a viewing lay-by and admired the wonderful view. It really is stunning - even on a not quite clear day. There are significant areas of common land and sheep were roaming, often across the road, so we had to drive carefully.
It was a beautiful drive home and once back at Nicola's house, the weather was just about good enough to settle in an area that catches the evening sun and enjoy some nibbles and the gorgeous sparkling Bacchus wine we'd bought at Astley Vineyard the day before. It was a perfect end to a lovely day.
No comments:
Post a Comment