Bike Route: our lodge to the Ledbury train station 2.5 miles
Train Route: Ledbury to Moreton-in-Marsh 1.5 hours
Bike Route: Moreton-in-Marsh train station to Todenham 3.5 miles
Accommodation: Wheelwrights Mews (Airbnb); host Alison. Apartment with one bedroom, sitting room, fully equipped kitchen, ensuite, garden access.
Lunch: ASK Italian. A chain restaurant, not very good.
Our luck with the weather threatened to take a break, with rain forecast and the skies cloudy. We decided to treat ourselves to a train ride--trading 8 to 10 hours of biking on regional hills for an easy 1.5 hours of riding on a regional train.
That meant we could sleep late and drink an extra cup of coffee.
We arrived in Moreton about 14:00, just as it started to rain. We quickly found an Italian restaurant with empty tables, and sat out the downpour while eating lunch.
Our apartment for the next two nights was in Todenham, a hamlet a few miles north of Moreton. On the way out of Moreton, we passed a big, new Co-op and made a stop for groceries.
Our hosts were away when we arrived, so we let ourselves in with the key left for us. When they returned, we met up in the driveway to share stories. Bruce spent most of his career working on cargo ships all over the world, and had been up the Saint Lawrence Seaway to Duluth and Thunderbay several times, and Alison had met him a few times. They were from Moreton and had raised two sons there. They bought the Wheelwright's Mews in Todenham 12 years ago. One son lives in Wales, which is where they had been for the weekend, caring for their six-year-old grandson. The other son and his two small children live just 20 minutes away. Delightful people; we talked way too long while their luggage sat in their car and their dog waited patiently in the garden.
Father's Day. Thinking about my brother and son on this special day. Oh, and Ken too, of course.
