Hay Castle

“There are no strangers here; only friends you haven't yet met.”
William Butler Yeats
K1 decided on a visit to ‘cousin’ E in Shrewsbury so we threw some things in the car and headed off for a couple of days, weather forecast good so perfect timing. First stop on the journey at Hay on Wye, something of a spiritual home for book lovers like me. Had a bit of a battle with the pay and display at the old cattle market (and lost) so headed on to the main park in town. Those lost minutes cost me a breakfast at the castle (they’d finished serving breakfast) and we were told author Barbara Erskine had been in too (bet she had a breakfast!). So we headed into town and found Angie’s where we struck gold. Good breakfast roll and entertaining company, very much a place for the locals who were happy to chat with us passing strangers. Before we left we made a quick detour back to the Castle to get a (signed) copy of Barbara Erskine's latest book for K1's birthday. It’s a gorgeous drive through the hills with the Black Mountains hugging the horizon.and just past Leominster it was time for a walk around the lake at Berrington Hall, and another encounter with a rare visitor, a Brummie who was happy to remember and share stories of his childhood in the Black Country. We arrived in Shrewsbury in time to collect the key and settle in for a quiet evening, including a visit to say hello to E and plan the following day together.