Thrs 22nd July : Worcester - Ludlow

What a horrible day.

Cycle was quite arduous up until lunchtime. (Incredibly hard after). I stopped at a pub just before the heavens opened, so saved myself from a soaking.

Had breaded AfricanWhite Faced Owl for starters, followed by pan fried Harris Eagle.

I was aiming for a campsite called Monstay Farm, which looked so good on the website that I decided to make it a 2 day stop. To get to Monstay I had to go through 'The Goggin' which I found was the mother of all hill climbs. I managed it though. Knackered.

Then took me about 2 f'ing blumin' hours in the p'sing rain to find the campsite, which I can tell you now is NOT in Burrington as they claim. Nor is it in neighbouring Elton or Pipe Aston. After more hills and a half mile rocky farm track (again, up hill) I found the..err...field. Nobody had answered my phone calls to them I'd been making for the previous 2 hrs trying to find the place, and nobody was around when I got there. So I took off, thoroughly hacked off and exhausted.

Monstay Farm = Dontstay Farm (that pun almost makes the disappointment worthwhile)

Luckily, Ludlow was only a few miles away and all down hill. Fantastic view (click on pic).

I found a great hotel - the Charlton Arms, which was so nice I stayed there for 2 days. Luxury.

Well...if truth be told, I tried to find cheaper accommodation for the 2nd night but everywhere was booked out or even more expensive. I even walked back up the hill to find a campsite. I had to do this before 10am checkout. After a while I got tired trudging around town. Wasnt really the relaxing day off I had planned. So I stayed put in the hotel - to heck with the expense. They ended up undercharging me £30 for the 2nd day. Result.

In the hotel bar was a rather grungy looking young woman. She ordered, for herself, "A cup of tea, oh..and a gin & tonic. And you better get me an ambulance as well". I saw her the next day in town accosting some tourists; "I love jews. I think I may be a bit Jewish myself. Im certainly French"

Learnt today:
1) When a sign says 'Village Only' its lying
2) Dont be fooled by young boys making fancy websites
3) I really like 'Midsomer Murders'. How sad is that!? Never managed to stay awake through a whole episode yet (thats even sadder) but have sussed that its always the most amicable non-suspect who dunnit (and its usually a woman).

Dist = 45.6
Time = 4hrs 55mins
Av. speed = 9.2mph
Total = 189