Monday 11th July 2022

Today we made the long hot journey from Shropshire back to our house in Devon stopping for a cup of tea, seen here, along the way.

Today we travelled 205 miles (330 kilometres).

Our trip up north lasted 6 days and we travelled 596 miles (960 kilometres).

That's all for now, Roger.

Sunday 10th July 2022

Colin came round for breakfast in our van this morning and later on I helped him attack a couple of wasp's nests in the roof of his house. We said goodbye and travelled south stopping briefly at a rest area where we saw these military vehicles.

It was very hot and Ann wasn't feeling too well so we stopped for the day sooner than we expected. We are at the Station Inn just south of Church Stretton in Shropshire.

The pub has a very large car park and is a member of Britstops

They also do bike hire.

And they have camping pods.

Altogether a very enterprising pub in a beautiful location in the Shropshire Hills.

Ann wasn't feeling well enough to go in the pub for a meal so I cooked in the van which should have been a rare treat for me but even with lots of windows and the sliding door open it was too hot to be an enjoyable experience! I felt a bit bad about not buying anything in the pub.

Today we travelled 69 miles (111 kilometres). We are at N52.5034 W2.8252

The Station Inn    Street View

Saturday 9th July 2022

We had a good chat with Sraddabha and Andy before leaving their house today. We travelled north to Manley Village Hall in my home village of Manley to attend an event on the history of the now defunct Manley Morris Dancers which was originally set up by my adopted  mother in the 1930s. 

Soon after we had arrived my cousin Giles turned up on his folding bike having travelled by train from his home in Manchester and cycled from Mouldsworth station which is a mile or so away from the village hall. Here he is chatting to my cousin Colin's step grand daughter Jay.

The event started with Colin, seen here on the right, and another former member of the team playing some of the tunes the Manley Morris danced to on  their concertinas. 

The main man in all this was Derek Schofield who has not only produced a book on the history of the Manley Morris but also put together a film along the same lines. Incidentally the film was funded by a legacy of my mother's to the English Folk Dance and Song Society!  

The film included lots of archive footage of the Morris Team performing.

Over the road opposite the village hall is the Hilary Haworth playing field donated to the village by my grand parents in memory of my aunt who took her own life at a young age.

Ann and Jay and I walked round the playing field where the ashes of several of my ancestors, including my mother, are scattered. I picked up the few bits of litter I could find on the field and put them in a bin.

We stopped for the day at Colin and his wife Monica's house at nearby Kelsall. We invited them into the van for a cup of tea.

Later on Monica and Colin took us out for a very nice meal at a local pub, Here we see Monica writing down the food and drinks order supervised by her friend Jean.

Today we travelled 52 miles (84 kilometres).

Friday 8th July 2022

Today after having a good chat with Martin and Carol we travelled north west to Shrewsbury to meet up with our friends Andy and Sraddhabha.

We went for a really nice walk at nearby Lyth Hill from where there are marvellous views of the surrounding country side.

However probably not a brilliant spot for wild camping.

Tonight we are staying at Sraddhabha and Andy's house. Andy cooked us a very nice vegetarian indian meal and we spent a really enjoyable evening celebrating the Tories' current state of meltdown!

Today we travelled 66 miles (106 kilometres).

Thursday 7th July 2022

Today we travelled north to visit my old friends Martin and Carol Cumella. They have a very nice and very large house at Tanworth in Arden in Warwickshire.

They have an indoor swimming pool.

Martin and Carol took Ann and me out for a really nice meal at a very upmarket pub.

It was great to catch up with Martin and Carol after so many years.

Today we travelled 79 miles (127 kilometres).

Wednesday 6th July 2022

Today we travelled from our home in Devon to the outskirts of Bristol to deliver our two folding bikes to to someone who has agreed to buy them from us. Here they are packed up in our van on their final journey with us. I'm sorry to see them go but Ann has completely lost the confidence to ride a bike and as we've always done things together I have no wish to carry on riding a bike on my own.

We stopped for the day at The Plough Inn at Pilning near Bristol. They are members of the Britstops scheme and have a very large parking area for stopovers,

We had a nice meal in the pub.

Back in the van we watched England beat Austria 1-0 in the opening match of the European Championship.

Today we travelled 125 miles (201 kilometres). We are at: N51.5582 W2.6250

The Plough Inn      Street View