Ludlow, another world: 19/20 Aug 08

Ludlow’s generally reckoned on being a bit of a gourmet centre but that’s not why I went there nor why I regard it as another world. Admittedly the breakfast at the Clive was first class (more on the hotel later) but dinner was at an Indian and not at one of the Michelin starred restaurants of which the town boasts. I went to visit best friendsColin and Lorraine Onions and they really do live at the end of the world.

Living in Cambridge and having easy access to, if not easy travel on the A14 means that I get to most places along a motorway and a little local travel. And it’s all pretty flat and uninspiring. Going to Ludlow involved heading off the M5 and a good hour along roads the like of which I haven’t experienced in a long time. There were hills, there were bends and there were hedges and this meant that progress was slow. And in the fields there were cows. A far cry from Cambridgeshire and the fens.

The Clive is a pleasant and comfortable hotel. The rooms are new and stylish and quite the largest I’ve experienced in some time. The sort of rooms which you hope for if you find yourself staying a few nights in a hotel and you need space to work and relax and generally swing a cat. We did not unfortunately dine at the hotel but the evidence of the breakfast was good. In hindsight eating at an Indian, although good, was a waste of a visit to Ludlow.

The town itself is well known and was featured in the Observer last weekend. Evidently it has over 500 listed buildings, mainly Georgian, and a ‘bewildering array of delis, specialist food shops, bistros and restaurants’ We were there on Tuesday evening and it was very very quiet.