Ledbury, Ludlow, Wigmore - Herefordshire

I think of Oxfordshire as being countrified, but at an hour from London and with flights (almost) direct to New York, it's positively cosmopolitan. 90 miles west, through the Cotswolds, over the Malvern Hills, and pressed against the border with Wales, the county of Herefordshire is the true definition of 'country'. Here, road are caked in thick red mud and towns and villages float as islands in a sea of pasture, furrows and orchards. 

Driving as the crow flies, we passed along A-roads, weaving between the town of Cheltenham and the city of Gloucester. Ledbury was our first stop, with The Prince of Wales marked in the pub guide. A tiny entrance along a quintessentially English cobbled alleyway opens in to a large pub with two rooms around a central bar, a kitchen serving homemade pies, and a knolwedgable barman offering help with the drinks selection. And it was needed. A number of local ales on tap, ciders, and a changing list of imported lagers are on offer. I settled for Butcombe Bitter (4.0%), mellow and light alongside the steak and ale pie.

North from Ledbury, we spent two nights in Wigmore at Pear Tree Farm. A delightfully rustic farm house, with large fires and a nod to the local Wigmore Castle in the flagstone floored dining room. Homemade bread, cake, tea at four, three course dinner (worth every pound), and a full english the next morning to match. A great retreat.

The Saturday was spent in Ludlow, just across the county border in Shropshire. The very stereotype of a town that every tourist expects to see in England. Perched a-top a hill, with rolling countryside and forests in every direction, Ludlow sports a high walled castle, a river, narrow streets and shops selling tweed a-plenty. After a 6-mile hike to the top of the nearest hill, and back down again, we settled in for crisps and cider (the local delicacies) at The Church Inn. A bustling pub on a Saturday, again local ales and ciders on tap. I resisted the £3.50 three half-pint ale taster option and went for Robinson's Flagon Cider (4.5%). Crisp and zingy.

The journey home was made via The Jolly Frog - a French restaurant specialising in seafood, perched on the side of a wind-swept hill overlooking the village of Leintwardine. We also took a short stop at The Golden Heart Inn at the brilliantly named Nettleton Bottom, just south of Gloucester. Otter Bitter (3.6%) alongside a lamb shank.

All-in-all, a perfect escape for the palette.

Radnor Arms - Coleshill, Oxfordshire

Walking is a good recession friendly activity, and apparently good for the back. In November it can be cold though, and particularly tough work after a 6-months break. The sun also has an annoying habit of disappearing at around 4.00pm, making the last mile or so a relative sprint.

With chilled hands, but a hot face, the furnace level heat from the Radnor Arms was very welcome. A small pub in the tiny village of Coleshill some 20-miles west of Oxford, and surrounded on all sides by National Trust farmland, the Radnor has won numerous awards, including CAMRA Central Southern Pub of the Year 2011. Ads from ales and cigarettes of yesteryear adorn the walls, the special board sounds inviting (although not available at lunchtimes), and the beer on tap is from a brewery so local it sits in the pub garden. 

The three solitary locals present informed informed us that it does get busy in the evenings - which I can well imagine - but we only stayed long enough to sample half an Anvil Ale (3.8%) and half a Sledgehammer (5.0%) from The Old Forge Brewery. The latter lived up to it's name - flavourful, bitter, and definitely carried the hints of coffee and chocolate I think mentioned in the notes.

It's a shame that many tourists (and residents) rarely leave the Oxford ring-road for anything other than Blenheim Palace. If they do Coleshill and the Radnor Arms should definitely make the list.