I started out very early (7am) following a route that went north and wound along the Wye river on country lanes. Here is a typical view up the lane.

As you can see in this picture, it was misty early in the morning but the sky was only lightly clouded (from the reflection in the river).

This is a little up the lane look toward the bend in the river that I followed.

I just couldn't get enough of these "reflection off the still river water" shots.

Eventually, my route took me away from the river to rolling hills. Here, the country lanes were enclosed in high hedges that I couldn't see directly over. It made for monotonous riding.

This church appeared at one of the breaks in the hedge. Note the same yellowed grain in the fields.

Ludlow is a lovely town with a historic castle and church, as well as, a town centre full of shops in old buildings. Here is the tower of the church that I saw on my way into town.

I arrived in Ludlow, the days destination, at about 12:30 and managed to get the last room available at the Tourist Information Center. Here is the hotel I stayed in for the night.

The view from my hotel room was of Ludlow Castle from the other side of the river. Ludlow Castle is where Prince Arthur, Henry VIII's older brother brought his new wife, Catherine of Aragon, to honeymoon in 1501. The following year, Arthur died (and his entrails were buried in the local church). This was the start of Henry VIII's problem as he decided to marry his brother's wife. It is hard to imagine trying to attack such a stronghold (without artillery!).

Here is the view right below the castle looking up.

Here the view looking inside the castle.

One of the strategic strengths of the castle is that it is situated on a bluff above the Teme River. Here is both an upstream and downstream view.

Here is the bridge between these two views.

St. Laurence's Church dates to before the 12th century. Here is a view of it from one of its corners.

The town is full of picturesque older buildings. Here is one that shows why Ludlow is in the "black" country.

Around dusk, just as I was done with my tour of the town and it started to rain, I took this ominous looking picture of Ludlow Castle.

Sunday, August 4: Ludlow to Newport
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