An early Christmas celebration and rather wet adventures in and around Hereford

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We spent three great days in Hereford with Emily, Andy and Charlotte. After arriving late afternoon,the following day we were treated to an early Christmas dinner, expertly prepared for us by Emily. The lucky recipients were Andy, Andy's mum Eileen, Charlotte, Kev and myself plus Nick, Holley and Hadley who arrived from Loughborough late afternoon to join us. It was a lovely family affair which we enjoyed tremendously. Thanks to Eileen for the Christmas presents she gave Kev and I which were most unexpected but greatly appreciated. After a delicious meal, with lots of Christmas cheer, it was good that Nick, Holley and Hadley were able to stay the night which gave us an opportunity the next day to hear more of their news before they headed back to the Midlands.

During our stay Charlotte also took us to see her recently purchased abode - The Piggery - which is almost ready to move into. Not far from Emily and Andy's place it has a lovely outlook over Herefordshire countryside. We were very impressed; it's a lovely little cottage.

The day before we had to say our goodbyes, Emily - who had a day off work - drove us to Cardiff, the port city on the south coast of Wales and its capital city. Our first stop was Cardiff Castle which began life as a Roman Fort, then after the Norman conquest it became a Keep with further medieval fortifications and dwellings following over the years. The Castle then passed through the hands of many noble families and in the 19th century the Castle lodgings were transformed with the additions of opulent interiors, rich with murals, stained glass and elaborate wood carvings. So there was a lot to see. We did intend to then explore the nearby markets but by that time it was raining heavily which put a stop to those plans so we headed back to Hereford which also has an interesting history.

First settled between CE 676 & 688 it lies on the River Wye and is about 26 km east of the border with Wales. Indeed, an early town charter from 1189 granted by Richard 1 of England describes the town as being in Wales. The present Hereford cathedral - which lords over the city - dates from the early 12th century as does the first bridge across the river. Over the years the town was been the site of many battles including those fought during the Civil War when it changed hands many times. So there was lots of historically interesting places to see in Hereford however since there was so much rain during our visit it put a stop to getting out and about much.

It didn't however stop the enjoyment of the visit since the main objective was to spend some time with Emily, Andy and Charlotte. Thank you all for your wonderful hospitality with the added bonus of spending time with Eileen, Nick, Holley and Hadley. When our short stay was over Charlotte drove us to Hereford station where we caught the train to Reading.

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Photos

Charlotte, Holley Hadley and Nick
Enjoying an early Christmas dinner

Comments

[Home and Away]

You didn't post a picture of Hereford Castle...
was it demolished in one of the many civil wars? It turns out that the de Bohuns, the Earls of Hereford were among my ancestors, coincidentally through both my mothers and father side of the family, and hence my interest in Hereford.

[michelleandkev]

Cardiff Castle
They weren't the only photos that I took but I didn't buy the book about the area because towards the end of our visit it began to pour down with rain. I suggest that you do some online research about the castle. Certainly when I did there was plenty of info about the people who'd lived in the Cardiff Castle Apartments which you might find of interest. Merry Christmas!!