July 26 Sel-see you later?

Head for Shropshire.  After Worcester go to Brockhampton Estate.  Note that we will NOT be following the Google maps route: after Worcester their instructions got rather like like pace notes for a car rally in a dense pine forest.  An alternate route using A-roads looked far more appealing (this judgement was confirmed by our host at Tugford).  

Last evening I went out to the garbage bin beside the front gate and found it empty!  We knew the truck had been by but were surprised to find they had grabbed it.  Perhaps this is because there is no pavement at the Cottage?  While thinking domestically I will comment on the cistern design in the downstairs dunny here.  It is set up with a basin on top and when you flush the water runs into the basin: thus the water with which you wash your hands becomes the next flush!  A great water saving idea.

Review of dog poo signs.

There have been various approaches to fishing noted around the area.  The beach/recreational folk all seem to use this tripod approach to cope with the shingle.  

The boat fisherman was lifting his crab pots.

 At Nutbourne (see below)  it was more like hunting – possibly worms?

A quick walk around the Bill produced Mediterranean Gulls – as soon as spotted one, quickly picked about 6 together with 20+ turnstones.

Pack up and nick off.  I tried to buy fuel at Selsey, as I knew service stations were scarce on the A/M27.  Half of the pumps not working and the folk at others all seem to be in shop, possibly buying stuff, possibly just yacking.  Pass, as I was sure we had enough to get somewhere willing to sell us petrol in less time than a glacial epoch.  Head off on A259 to a birding spot marked in our road atlas.  This was the  local Reserve of Nutborne Marsh.  There was much exposed mud!

If we had had more time and didn't mind getting mucky quite a few waders were visible in the distance.  However they stayed unidentifiable, but I did tick a Linnet beside the seawall.

Back to A27/M27 wherethe traffic was rather heavy.  Get to M3 and very very busy: I began to regret not getting somewhat more expensive fuel along the A259.  Turn off at Eastleigh and find fuel – very good price at a Tesco station.  The trouble is the place is also a mini-Tesco so punters buying stuff block pumps and then chat with check-out chicks.  Grr!  However, it was a long way to the next on-highway servo so I was glad we'd filled up when we did.

Back to the M3.  This was stop-start all the way (about 3 miles)  to the junction with the A34 which was completely clagged.  It appears this was due to an unnecessary cut down to one lane for a turn off to Basingstoke.  

However it then cleared up and it was flat as a maggot up towards the M4.  That lasted until more chaos due to a guy with tractor converting it to 1 lane by filling the kerbside lane at 30mph.  According to our host at Tugford the law is to pull over if have 10 behind you, which is fair enough: however this dude was mucking up 2-300 cars at least.  I presume if he'd driven out of the way on the shoulder Mr Plod would have been unhappy: just one more example of the country being beyond its design capacity.

M4 to Swindon was fine. The  A419 was also fine for many miles then suddenly it was cut down to 1 lane at Cowley and chaos resulted for the next 6 miles at 20mph.  We discussed who was to blame for these innane capacity changes and concluded that the problem is no-one is responsible: it is a worst case situation of mismanagement by committee.  Then onto to M5 which was very busy but OK to Worcester.  

This City began with briliant directions into the Cathedral and nearby parking.  Whoever is in charge of traffic planning in Worcester should run courses for just about every other city in the country.  

They also have a fabulous cathedral. 

It was holding a festival of young singers who were rehearsing when we arrived.  There were at least 300 of them being directed unto doing bell imitations.  Unlike many other places they still let punters in and the kids were doing a great job.

The stained glass was great.  

Here are a few other views of elements of the cathedral.

There were many war memorials (see thematic page for images of those I found more interesting).  Having taken many photos and forming a view that this was just about the best cathedral I've been in, I decided I should get a photo permit.  This cost £3 – as good a value as the Selsey bakery!  I also donated another £2 – they are doing a brilliant job.  

Their (quite restrained compared to many religious places) signs requesting donations said that it cost £3500 a day to maintain the place.  (They also said £5 a visitor, so on average they get 700 visitors a day – I need to think about whether this is a bigger number than I would have expected or not.)  I started to take note of the per capita costs listed in other churches etc: they are wildly variable!

They also had a memorial to Edward Elgar in the Cathedral but I took this photo of his statue in the square outside instead.  He is a big item around Worcester.

We found our way on to A49 (getting out of the city was not as easy as getting in but still much better signposted than many places: Lewes, East Sussex, I am looking at you!).  Hmm not exactly big road, but a lot bigger than the country lanes Google Maps suggested.  We didn't call in at Elgar's house Museum as we still had a way to go and some planned stops. 

We did call in to Brockhampton Estate (NT place). 

Very pleasant in a low key way.  1700 acres of tenanted land including lots of woodland

which we didn't have, nor feel like finding, the time to walk round.. 

On to Ludlow. A quick swing into Tescos  where the biggest surprise was all the vouchers we were given for future visits.  I managed to use these later in the trip saving (from memory) about £6.50. We then headed off into the lanes to the farm.  The most surprising aspect of this was the start of the B3465 which appears to go across the Ludlow race track: by this I mean that when a race was on the horses go across the road, which is presumably shut for the duration of the event!)

We met our hosts who seem most excellent people.  We also met their small dogs who are also excellent, despite being Jack Russells rather than Tenterfields.

Tonights Beer:  Malvern Hills Brewery Black Pear Premium Bitter.  Yep, that covers it rather well.  The hops end up sitting very nicely on the palate.  Another good beer!

I thought I would finish with some reflections on how Australian roads would be classified in the UK:

• The Hume Highway: definitely a Motorway when no at grade intersections.  Otherwise a 70 mph limited A road.
• The Kings Highway (Queanbeyan to Batemans Bay): definitely an A road.
• Captains Flat Rd:: well up to the standard of many A roads we found on this trip and with 1% of the traffic.
• Widgiewa and Whiskers Creek Rds: Both good B roads (higher capacity and better condition than the only road linking Selsey to the A27 or the one from Craven Arms to Bridgnorth.).
• I cannot think of an Australian road equivalent to the lanes around Tugford.  Some forest fire trails are as narrow but they are dirt surfaced.

Bird of the Day: Mediterranean Gull

Building of the day:  Worcester cathedral

Garden of the Day:  The avenue in Brockhampton Estate

Bad taste of the Day: Design of the intersection of the A34 and the M3

View of the Day: Nutborne Marsh. Tidal mud at its most magnificent

Back to the Index page