Where's Bertie? He's at a C&CC Temporary Holiday Site next to the River Severn on the edge of Bridgnorth, where it costs £13 per night.
Weather: hot and sunny
Wednesday 9th
My original intention was to set out on this trip a few days earlier, but Amazon Prime Day was almost upon us and there were a couple of things I'd been putting off buying until the price came down. The prices duly did come down (in one case to the same price I'd failed to buy at earlier in the year, in the other case to the lowest price it has been this year), orders were placed then we had to wait at home until they arrived (because one item we wanted to take with us ... a new tablet in place of the Kindle Fire that I killed through my negligence a few weeks ago).
With the estimated delivery time window slipping repeatedly, I had my doubts as to whether we would get away on Wednesday, but get away we did ... just in time to hit rush hour. So, it was a slightly slow journey, but we got here by 6pm and booked in for two nights.
The site is busy! It's quite a size, and far busier than any Temp Holiday Site we've seen to date. Unsurprising, as it's a firm, cropped field right next to the river, within an easy walk of the town and with plenty of other walking routes nearby*.
View from Bertie's door, looking across the field
Thursday 10th
The last time I came to Bridgnorth must be around 30 years ago. It turns out that I remember almost nothing of the place. Mick had never been here.
What a nice place it is!
We're a 1km walk along the riverbank from the bridge that separates High Town from Low Town, from where, if you want to go to High Town, you've the choice of going up one of many sets of steps between buildings/sandstone escarpments, or taking the Cliff Railway. Two women with a pushchair and a small child were just entering the latter as we started up the steps. They came out at the top just as we walked past the exit.
We did a decent job of walking around all of the streets of High Town, discovering along the way that the library/Tourist Info desk doesn't open on a Thursday, and also discovering that there is a guided town tour on a Saturday afternoon.
The plan when we'd left home had been that we were heading down to S Wales on Friday for me to do a spot of Marilyn bagging, however, with the forecast now predicting 34 degrees for Friday & Saturday, and 32 for Sunday, Mick suggested that maybe we should just stay put here for a couple of extra days, as 34 degrees is a silly temperature to be scampering over hills. I couldn't fault his thinking, so the walking tour got pencilled in for Saturday.
Having seen enough of the High Town, we ventured into the Low Town, which I'd somehow expected to be much more modern. It's not! Our only aim there was to pick up comestibles from M&S Food for tea. (As an aside, I do intensely dislike X for £x deals; just give me a lower price for each item and don't force me into buying more than I need, potentially being wasteful, and don't prejudice single people who don't need, for example, three quiches. We came back with our bags overly full, including three quiches, when we only went in for one.)
.HEIC)
Riverside path into town
.HEIC)
High Town from the bridge
.HEIC)
From the castle walk
.HEIC)
Castle
.HEIC)
Pretty!
.HEIC)
The only bit of Bridgnorth I positively remember from previous visits: the old town hall.
Friday 11th
As we descended from the High Town yesterday we passed a cafe that caught Mick's eye. We'd not long had second breakfast up at the top of the hill, so weren't in the market for anything, but I said that we'd go back for tea and scones this morning.
Thus, after a sweaty run along the river and showers back at Bertie, off to said establishment we went.
The scones were good, the jam excellent, the building historic and the tea was Yorkshire. But goodness it was warm in there! It was only as we were leaving that I spotted the rear courtyard with nicely shaded tables and, undoubtedly, some air movement.
In protest at the X for £x pricing structure in M&S, today we made the effort to walk the extra distance to Aldi. Amongst our purchases there was a box of ice-pops, four of which were despatched over the next couple of hours as we sat in the shade outside of Bertie.
It was gone 3pm when we decided that the best thing we could do to keep cool was to walk back into town and find an air conditioned pub for a cold drink.
The walking back and forth to town today also made us think that maybe we're not so enthusiastic about a guided tour of the town tomorrow afternoon. Spending 1.5 hours walking around, with unknown amounts of shade, in 33 degrees may not be entirely fun.
.HEIC)
Elevenses.HEIC)
The last time I came to Bridgnorth must be around 30 years ago. It turns out that I remember almost nothing of the place. Mick had never been here.
What a nice place it is!
We're a 1km walk along the riverbank from the bridge that separates High Town from Low Town, from where, if you want to go to High Town, you've the choice of going up one of many sets of steps between buildings/sandstone escarpments, or taking the Cliff Railway. Two women with a pushchair and a small child were just entering the latter as we started up the steps. They came out at the top just as we walked past the exit.
We did a decent job of walking around all of the streets of High Town, discovering along the way that the library/Tourist Info desk doesn't open on a Thursday, and also discovering that there is a guided town tour on a Saturday afternoon.
The plan when we'd left home had been that we were heading down to S Wales on Friday for me to do a spot of Marilyn bagging, however, with the forecast now predicting 34 degrees for Friday & Saturday, and 32 for Sunday, Mick suggested that maybe we should just stay put here for a couple of extra days, as 34 degrees is a silly temperature to be scampering over hills. I couldn't fault his thinking, so the walking tour got pencilled in for Saturday.
Having seen enough of the High Town, we ventured into the Low Town, which I'd somehow expected to be much more modern. It's not! Our only aim there was to pick up comestibles from M&S Food for tea. (As an aside, I do intensely dislike X for £x deals; just give me a lower price for each item and don't force me into buying more than I need, potentially being wasteful, and don't prejudice single people who don't need, for example, three quiches. We came back with our bags overly full, including three quiches, when we only went in for one.)
.HEIC)
.HEIC)
.HEIC)
.HEIC)
.HEIC)
.HEIC)
As we descended from the High Town yesterday we passed a cafe that caught Mick's eye. We'd not long had second breakfast up at the top of the hill, so weren't in the market for anything, but I said that we'd go back for tea and scones this morning.
Thus, after a sweaty run along the river and showers back at Bertie, off to said establishment we went.
The scones were good, the jam excellent, the building historic and the tea was Yorkshire. But goodness it was warm in there! It was only as we were leaving that I spotted the rear courtyard with nicely shaded tables and, undoubtedly, some air movement.
In protest at the X for £x pricing structure in M&S, today we made the effort to walk the extra distance to Aldi. Amongst our purchases there was a box of ice-pops, four of which were despatched over the next couple of hours as we sat in the shade outside of Bertie.
It was gone 3pm when we decided that the best thing we could do to keep cool was to walk back into town and find an air conditioned pub for a cold drink.
The walking back and forth to town today also made us think that maybe we're not so enthusiastic about a guided tour of the town tomorrow afternoon. Spending 1.5 hours walking around, with unknown amounts of shade, in 33 degrees may not be entirely fun.
.HEIC)
.HEIC)
Afternoon 'tea'...
Saturday 12th
I've been comparing this portion of our trip with a summer tour in Germany. It's hot and sunny, we are by a river and the nearby town is historic with plenty of half-timbered houses. The key differences are that you can go out for cake here without being mobbed by every wasp in the area, and swimming in the river is prohibited.
Feeling like I'm in Germany, it seemed reasonable to start Saturday morning in the same way as we have on our German tours: with a parkrun.
StreetView didn't make access to the park's car park look promising, but I located a residential street where we were able to slot Bertie without an issue, and it was under a mile, entirely downhill, to the parkrun's start line.
After the 3-2-1-go! it was a continuation of the downhill theme. This didn't bode well for later! It turned out to be a lovely course, but far from easy. My recorded stats said 60m of ascent, but it felt like so much more, perhaps in part because it was also jolly warm. I'm not sure I've ever run a UK parkrun in 24 degrees before, although I remember some German ones that were that toasty. On the plus side, at least today I was only covering 5km rather than embarking on a 24-hour race!
The finish line lay (unsurprisingly!) uphill, following which it was an uphill walk back to Bertie, following which I was ready for a good sit down for the rest of the day. Instead, once back at the campsite and with Bertie's water tank topped back up to 50%, it was a quick shower then out into town.
We vaguely glanced at the market stalls on the way past, but I was more interested in finding somewhere for a cheese scone and even more interested in somewhere with air conditioning. Unable to fulfil both requirements, we compromised and had an early lunch in Wetherspoons, followed by buying cake from the bakery across the road.
Having finally opted against the town tour, it was back to Bertie for an afternoon of lazing - and in Mick's case wincing and ouching. He's done a mischief to his back and it's rather painful for him.
.HEIC)
View from near parkrun start line
.HEIC)
I've been comparing this portion of our trip with a summer tour in Germany. It's hot and sunny, we are by a river and the nearby town is historic with plenty of half-timbered houses. The key differences are that you can go out for cake here without being mobbed by every wasp in the area, and swimming in the river is prohibited.
Feeling like I'm in Germany, it seemed reasonable to start Saturday morning in the same way as we have on our German tours: with a parkrun.
StreetView didn't make access to the park's car park look promising, but I located a residential street where we were able to slot Bertie without an issue, and it was under a mile, entirely downhill, to the parkrun's start line.
After the 3-2-1-go! it was a continuation of the downhill theme. This didn't bode well for later! It turned out to be a lovely course, but far from easy. My recorded stats said 60m of ascent, but it felt like so much more, perhaps in part because it was also jolly warm. I'm not sure I've ever run a UK parkrun in 24 degrees before, although I remember some German ones that were that toasty. On the plus side, at least today I was only covering 5km rather than embarking on a 24-hour race!
The finish line lay (unsurprisingly!) uphill, following which it was an uphill walk back to Bertie, following which I was ready for a good sit down for the rest of the day. Instead, once back at the campsite and with Bertie's water tank topped back up to 50%, it was a quick shower then out into town.
We vaguely glanced at the market stalls on the way past, but I was more interested in finding somewhere for a cheese scone and even more interested in somewhere with air conditioning. Unable to fulfil both requirements, we compromised and had an early lunch in Wetherspoons, followed by buying cake from the bakery across the road.
Having finally opted against the town tour, it was back to Bertie for an afternoon of lazing - and in Mick's case wincing and ouching. He's done a mischief to his back and it's rather painful for him.
.HEIC)
.HEIC)
Where I paused to take a photo and nearly dropped my phone in the river!
Obvious attire for a hot, sunny day: all in black.
(*The Temp Holiday Site is on the rally field of a campsite. There are also motorhomes at the campsite. They are paying £25 mid-week and £30 on the weekend, vs our £13. The campsite has no toilet block, so the only things they're getting that we're not is electric hook-up, and a closer proximity to the river (some of the pitches here are riverside, but only 4 of the ?100.) )
(*The Temp Holiday Site is on the rally field of a campsite. There are also motorhomes at the campsite. They are paying £25 mid-week and £30 on the weekend, vs our £13. The campsite has no toilet block, so the only things they're getting that we're not is electric hook-up, and a closer proximity to the river (some of the pitches here are riverside, but only 4 of the ?100.) )
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