Bike Route: our lodge to Ledbury town center and back 4mi
Accommodation: The Lodge at Heathfield House
Dinner: lamb steaks, couscous, and vegetables in our lodge
A day of rest. In the morning, we reviewed the rest of our itinerary and made a few changes to eliminate some miles and climbing. Instead of going to Bath, Stroud, and Oxford, we will head to Chippenham, Pewsey, and Whitley Wood, near Reading. We will miss some of the lovely parts of the Cotswolds, but I have already been there and Ken is not feeling the need to go, and the long distances and hills during the day would mean we wouldn't have a lot of energy or time to enjoy those historic places. There is always more to see and do than we can fit in. That is actually a good thing. At least, it is what keeps us coming back for more.
About noon, we cycled down to Ledbury to explore. A flower stand and two vegetable stalls were just packing up in the Market Hall; we bought fresh local veggies for dinner. The butcher shop across the street had lamb steaks. The health food store provided Moroccan couscous.
We wandered down a side street and discovered historic buildings with volunteer guides, where we learned a little about the history of the town and the civic pride that keeps it alive.
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| Fresco-style paintings on the upper floor of a 16th-century building on Church Street. The paintings are in the style of an Elizabethan knot garden. They are rough representations meant to mimic the warm tapestries found in the elegant manor houses of the wealthy. The building is thought to have been Booth Hall, the home of the town constable, and the painted room may have been used as a courtroom. |
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| Market Hall. Our bikes are chained to the post in front. |
