A Walk Around Ludlow Shropshire, UK

in #travel2 years ago

One of my favorite places in England

Every year or two we visit the UK and end up either near Cambridge or London, depending on which family member we are staying with during our visit. No matter where we stay, we often end up driving over to Ludlow to see @afturner's best friend from childhood. It is a relatively rural area, and a very relaxing place to visit - especially coming from Los Angeles.

A view of Ludlow castle from a sidewalk

I love these types of towns where you could really go without a car if you wanted to. Well, at least if you live near town. I've noticed this phenomenon all over England, though. Compared to the US, most towns are set up with easy access to footpaths leading all over the place. Most people have access to food and shops on foot. Where I live you could technically go without a car if you want to do all of your shopping in the hood and a crappy grocery store. And I really don't feel great walking at night through some of the neighborhoods around here.

I always feel safe walking around the UK in general, but Ludlow is one of those small friendly towns where you don't expect anything too crazy to happen.

Basket weaver set up on the side of the road

This guy was set up weaving baskets on the side of the road and was quite friendly. @afturner stopped and chatted with him for a bit, then filmed him a little. There were lots of different people selling various items around town. Everyone is pretty chill around here and I didn't get any negative vibes like I sometimes get for being an American.

I'll never forget the time I went to Italy about 15 years ago and got chased out of a store by a guy yelling Italian profanities at me while shouting "Go back to your Bush!"

If I hadn't been laughing so hard I might have possibly been.. Offended? Not sure. I kind of have fond memories of that visit. I digress...

These benches are around the castle along the path.

In the middle of downtown Ludlow the castle sits. There is a nice wooded area with a path going all the way around the castle. Being cheap, I never paid to actually go in the castle, but to be honest I have been in so many of these things at this point I don't generally feel like I see anything new anymore. I get my fill just walking around the outside, which is fine for me.

One of the narrow roads through town

Ludlow is absolutely riddled with really narrow roads and alleyways. In fact, this last time we went, we ended up going down an alley that was so narrow that @afturner misjudged the width. We ended up sliding the left side of the car against a brick wall and completely trashing her dad's Jaguar. He was not a happy camper! That is a whole other story.

Personally, I think she just has a long adjustment period when it comes to driving in England. Switching sides of the road along with narrow streets and driving a large car all contribute to scrambling your brain cells when trying to navigate an unknown area at the same time.

Very old buildings downtown

I can't remember why, but a local friend who is originally Welch (Ludlow is on the border of Wales) told us that these buildings are a nightmare for maintenance. I can't remember exactly why he said it was, but he basically made the statement "Never buy a black and white house". I guess I'll take his word for it.

Another view of a castle wall

After a long walk around town and checking out the castle our friends took us to a field to watch his kids play rugby. I don't know what it is, but every single time I am in the presence of live rugby playing, it starts to rain. It's almost as if rugby is some sort of British version of a rain dance.

IMG_4951.jpg

The kids really love their rugby around here. I'd say it's more popular in this area than football (soccer). Cricket is pretty popular as well. Sometimes I am a bit sad that I never really got into sports as a kid. I ended up getting fascinated with computers and got really sucked into that world. Unfortunately for me, computers were not cool in the early 80s and didn't exactly attract girls and friends.

Cannon near the castle entrance

Usually we go to England for Christmas, but we're not sure if it's happening this year. Especially since we already went for a couple of weeks earlier in the year. We've been talking about potentially buy a house somewhere over there, especially with how expensive it has gotten here. I would love to have a home somewhere out in the country near Ludlow. We probably wouldn't be able to afford to live there full time, but it would be awesome to be able to get away for long periods of time.

Maybe one day if I can make enough money to live comfortably on fewer hours. It's looking less and less likely that I'll make any money off crypto as the years go by, but who knows? One can dream!

Sort:  

That place is giving real relaxing Vibes. We have way different culture in Asia and really Glad to see how Things are there in UK.

small friendly towns where you don't expect anything too crazy to happen.

This is the thing I noticed in most small town it's safe and more peace, positive vibes, have some skills or hardworking attitude etc.

That sounds like a Mind refreshing experience of yours and virtually my mind is more fresh after reading this.

Dreams doesn't cost money and one-day everyone who deserves or is dedicated to achieve their dreams I wish all will achieve it.

Yes, sometimes I miss living in the country. Everything is so fast paced in the city! I just can't see myself being willing to give up the conveniences of everything being nearby.

And I'm missing that small town life. Indeed, so fast passed.

I just can't see myself being willing to give up the conveniences of everything being nearby.

That makes sense. Have a Good day and time!


The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.

@tipu curate

This is a very beautiful city I wish I could come for a tour someday, and I pray your dreams becomes a reality.

Maybe one day if I can make enough money to live comfortably on fewer hours. It's looking less and less likely that I'll make any money off crypto as the years go by, but who knows? One can dream!

I hope you believe anything can happen at any time, keep your hopes high and do your best.
Best Wishes.

I definitely believe that anything can happen. Who knows what the future holds!

It's nice to discover a more chill part of England other than the famous ones which are usually full of tourists no matter what the season is :) Thank you for sharing this!

I love all the little towns and villages around England. Cornwall is another place I really like. There are definitely touristy places, but I like finding the more hidden gems. Thanks for reading!

England is really pretty 😍 i would love to visit that country one day, i always see it on pictures or movies and definitely is on my wish list!

The architecture you capture on those photos is really pretty, i think you got the ecency of it

As an American, it never ceases to amaze me when I go to Europe. All of the castles sitting right in the middle of modern towns is quite surreal to me. Thanks for stopping by!

Manually curated by ackhoo from the @qurator Team. Keep up the good work!

😂🤣 what was the guy on? and what BUSH are u from?? :P

yea, that area looks so nice and quaint.. like the provincial town in Beauty and the Beast. :)

Haha, I believe he was referring to George W Bush. It was hard to travel through Europe in those days because everyone abroad hated Bush so much. I got kicked out of more than one shop for being American in those days.

oh my 😮😣

What a beautiful England. I so love to see a breathtaking place my friend with the happy faces of the kids. I wonder how it feels to be there all time of your life. This is one of the beautiful places to live in the world. Have a nice time.

Thanks for your comments. It is certainly a beautiful country.

I got carried away in your post this time... after I finished reading what you wrote... I was very impressed your last words, as time goes by but who knows, someone can dream,, because dreams come true...

I try to keep a healthy balance of dreams and action. But you know, it isn't always easy.

Unfortunately for me, computers were not cool in the early 80s and didn't exactly attract girls and friends.

Haha, ain't tha the truth! I can totally relate to what you are saying here. This does look like a really cool area. I like the idea of being able to walk wherever you want to go. Outside the big cities, there is just so much open space here in the US. It isn't that practical. Our inlaws live outside Columbus in an area that is pretty walk-able. In the past couple of years they have really built up the businesses around their house, so even more so now. If it wasn't so far away from the rest of our family I could see us living there.

I think I saw a TV show one time talking about how the US made laws a long time ago which made it super hard to do any kind of commercial business near residential areas. I don't remember the specifics. But I have noticed that when I go to pretty much any other country, I see little mini shops, corner stores and all types of small businesses scattered throughout residential neighborhoods.

I don't know if it is better or worse, but it sure is convenient. Even in rural areas of Mexico, for instance, you can often walk a block or so to get to a shop.

I think it would be cool if you could do this more in America. It might help keep small businesses up and running as it would be convenient enough to not use Amazon or chain stores for everything.

That area in Columbus is definitely like that. It likely is a local thing where zoning varies based on the council and other factors. It can be a fine balance between having businesses that bring people in and those that make them want to find housing elsewhere. I honestly feel like community has a larger focus in other countries and that might be part of it too.

Oh, interesting! It's good to know that there are places like that here. This is really the biggest thing that I think a lot of Americans miss out on. I really get that sense of being part of something when I travel around to other places.

Of course I know that I've chosen to live in probably one of the loneliest, yet crowded places in the world, though. So anywhere probably feels more community based than LA.

I am hoping to get out of the country at some point and experience some of what you are mentioning. At this point the only other country I have visited is Canada.

Your walks look very pleasant, and make me curious about the places you visit, but it seems difficult for me to visit them, apart from the remote location of course it will cost a lot of money, he he lol.

sometimes when I want to take a trip to an urban area or city center, the first thing that comes to my mind is traffic jams and air pollution.

That's why I often choose to travel to remote villages and enjoy nature there without pollution and traffic jams.

Thank you so much for showing us something beautiful.

Well, judging by your posts I don't think you need to travel very far to see beautiful and interesting things. It looks amazing where you live!

Yes, the traffic and air pollution are definitely the worst parts of living in the city. I often wonder what kind of damage is being done to my poor lungs..