September 2026: a few selected highlights from a weekend away with Bookworm Bygrave and her family, plus a full throng of canine companions...
- Clun Bridge -
The journey to the Welsh borders takes us through South Shropshire, stopping off at the ever so enchanting Clun. The medieval river bridge dates from about 1450 and would historically have carried packhorses as opposed to the strains of modern traffic - it remains a photogenic crossing point. The White Horse Hotel is home to the Clun Brewery, purveyors of superb ales such as Clun Pale, Loophole and the mighty Citadel (a mere 5.9% abv), while the Sun Inn has its own significant charms centred upon cruck frames and an inglenook fireplace. Both pubs are recommended by CAMRA, and Emily even gets to learn some basic rules of dominoes.
- Montgomery Castle -
We're staying in the Whitehall Dairy a couple of miles outside Montgomery - the property has connections to the Doctor Zhivago actress Julie Christie. It's a peaceful spot where chickens roam freely, some of which might be rare breeds with one seemingly having a Liberace-style quiff. Montgomery itself is our Saturday destination, and although the town is by no means big, it packs in a lot of history. The local castle was involved in the biggest Civil War battle to be fought on Welsh soil when the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalists here in 1644.
- Windswept by the War Memorial -
The castle was subsequently slighted by the victorious Roundheads to ensure it could not be used as a fortress again, effectively creating the ruins you can still see today. It nevertheless occupies a commanding position overlooking the surrounding fields, and the same can also be said of the Montgomeryshire War Memorial as erected on Town Hill. It gets extremely breezy indeed at the summit (the Walker hair never stood a chance) but we enjoyed the climb to find it, Mabel the border terrier trotting along merrily between bouts of rolling around in the grass.
- Bunners -
Closer explorations of Montgomery town centre result in a family visit to the Dragon Hotel, a famous old coaching inn across from the Town Hall. They serve locally produced Old Monty ciders so I partake of their Perry (rather potent) and the even stronger Oakey Cokey, matured in rum casks. It takes a lot to upstage a pub in my affections but Bunners Ironmongers is up to the task, stocking a mindboggling array of stuff in a labyrinthine series of rooms that seem to go on forever. If you need hardware, electrical appliances, giftware or petrol this is clearly the place to come - it feels like the Welsh version of Arkwright's from 'Open All Hours'.
- Kerry Ridgeway Scenery -
Sunday is mostly a leisurely day with the Bygrave clan, relaxing at the dairy with the doggies. We do head out for an afternoon walk whereby the Kerry Ridgeway at Block Wood sounds a perfect location for stretching our legs while giving Mabel, Hank, Peggy and Jessie their daily exercise. On a bright afternoon the views are extensive, looking out across Wales towards Newtown in one direction and England towards Bishops Castle in the other. My phone signal is intermittent so Emily kindly keeps me up to date with important matters at Molineux, Wolves thankfully defeating the dreaded West Bromwich Albion in the Black Country Derby.
- Bishops Castle (Church Street) -
That brief mention of Bishops Castle brings me lastly onto Monday for a day dedicated to this wonderful town tucked away at the extremities of South West Shropshire. I'd never ever been before, despite receiving several recommendations over the years regarding its pub pedigree. We park up by the Livestock Market from where it is but a very short stroll to see the combined charms of Church Street blending into High Street. The houses are painted different colours - making for an attractive visual spectacle - with some of them having added themed detailing, whether this be stars, zips or even jigsaw pieces. St John the Baptist Church stands at the bottom end of the main street with the Town Hall towards the top, the latter hosting an exhibition of book cover artworks from 1970s science fiction literature.
- The Six Bells -
Looking closely at some of the properties, there are diamond-shaped little plaques at regular intervals recording the Lost Pubs of Bishops Castle - it seems that every other house must have sold beer at some point in its lifetime. Of the current contingent there are two I'm really eager to see, but irritatingly the Three Tuns has closed for refurbishment; the brewery of the same name is next door, I have been known to be partial to a drop of XXX or Cleric's Cure where available. The Six Bells itself used to be a brewpub but nowdays concentrates on serving good beer from other regional breweries. A pint of Clun's Loophole is on point while considering the building's bright orange appearance just across the road from the church.
- Poetry Pharmacy -
A walk around the churchyard proves rewarding in the Shropshire sunshine, noting a red line across the stonework that was used when playing the olden game of ‘fives’ (which sounds like a precursor to what we now call squash). The church's clockface only has one hand because locals say life slows down to such an extent here that the minute hand is deemed superfluous. A treat for the Bookworm completes our getaway, whereby the Poetry Pharmacy is something that little bit different. The concept is simple: literature - especially poetry - can act as medicine for the soul so an apothecarial approach is taken, stuffed full with old drawers and shelving. Emily is in her element browsing the curated range of nature and wellbeing books here, even picking up some poetry 'tablets' and being served with a handwritten prescription. Cheers!
