Haughmond Abbey

“We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.”
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Must be one of those visits, E changed her mind about a visit into town – too hot and challenging for her reduced mobility. Fortunately I had a plan B, Haughmond Abbey. Not having been there before I was a bit unsure how it would pan out, from the website there looked to be parking close by so worth a try. Struck gold again, E loved it and it ticked the history box – and the Blipfoto box. Reminded me of the Narnia books with the kids arriving at a ruined city, the stonework here is a wonder to behold and the arches and detailing is just exquisite. Wandered off on my own to get photos and fell into conversation with some cyclists who were visiting for the first time in many years. They gave me a couple of suggestions for walks for a later visit and said Cadfael, the detective monk played by Derek Jacobi, would have been here. They also pointed me to a forestry café nearby, perfect for a short diversion; we even bumped into them again at the café and E met an old friend she hadn’t seen for years so a good way of passing the time before lunch. We’d been to The Corbet Arms at nearby Uffington with E on previous occasions and she was keen to go there again to wrap up our morning out. When we’d finished she was ready to return for a quiet afternoon watching the tennis, we sat in the garden reading until the sun went down.