Bike Route: Ludlow to Ledbury 42mi 3100ft of climb
Accommodation: The Lodge at Heathfield House. Ground-floor one-bedroom apartment with wifi, kitchen, garden access.
Dinner: The Horseshoe Inn, woodfire pizza
Deborah served toast with avocado, fresh local sausages from the butcher across the street, roasted tomatoes, and sauteed mushrooms--with yogurt, fruit, cereal, orange juice, coffee, and croissants. We could hardly stand up afterward, let alone haul our gear down the stairs and climb onto our bikes.
But we did, and we headed on out for another day of hills and views. We just can't believe how lucky we have been with the weather, the people, the bikes, the routes. The biking has been challenging, but every day has been unique and doable and special. Our hosts and the people we meet during the day are interesting and kind. The sun keeps shining.
As we cycled through Ledbury on the way to our annex just outside of town (up a hill), we planned a trip back to the shops for dinner and groceries. We were happy to find that our "lodge" was roomy and clean and well-equipped with a nice little kitchen. After showering and washing a few things out in the sink, we put on backpacks, hopped back on the bikes, and headed to town.
At the Horseshoe Inn, the owner locked our bikes in his storeroom and we found a picnic table in the back garden and ordered soda water and pizzas. The garden filled with people and dogs, the light began to fade, the pizzas took a long time to make, we didn't care.
After rescuing our bikes from the storeroom in the alley, we cycled to the local Co-op grocery store, where we met another guy locking up his bike at the racks outside. The three of us made our way through the store, picking up breakfast and lunch supplies.
On the way back up the long hill to the lodge, we passed a sign for a strawberry farm with a 24-hour vending machine, and cycled a mile and a half up another hill to buy fresh berries. It was getting dark by the time we made our way to our bed.
