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Ridgeway – Day 1 (Green Dragon)

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]

Our choice for our evening dine, the Green Dragon in Marlborough.

Well, how lovely!

Pre-meal drinks.

A plan of old Marlborough.

Wadworth Corvus – a very impressive stout.

Ready for our meal!

The beer selection, with 6X and Corvus there was enough to keep me going for the evening 🙂

I’m very picky about fish and chips, but this was excellent. Everyone ordered it, which wasn’t original of us, but I think everyone was pleased with it. Even Bev.

So we were all pleased with our mains, so Bev had a dessert. And complained about it.

I liked the Green Dragon, lots of different areas, and all rather comfortable. Overall, this was excellent, as the staff were particularly friendly and engaging and the service was attentive. The pub was clean and comfortable, the meals were of a good quality and they tolerated the noise that some of our party made.

April 1, 2025
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 3 and Ron’s Chips

And here we are in week three of my second time working around all of the food stalls at Norwich Market, with my friend James nobly assisting. Here’s my post from when we visited in 2023 when I enjoyed my sausage and chips.

It’s their stall and they can put up what they like, but personally I’m not entirely sure Norwich market is really the place for political statements about the Government introducing a digital currency to control the British population. I’m not sure they could competently do that even if they wanted to, but I digress. However, I respected that the stall preferred to be paid in cash and I did that, although they do also take cards for those who want to.

The stall was established in 1953 and is run by the third generation of the same family, so there’s some considerable heritage here. It’s not a fancy set-up, but it’s not designed to be, instead it’s a traditional British chip stand offering value and quality to refuel the workers of Norwich.

The prices are low and some of the cheapest on the market. It was £2.90 for two battered sausages and chips in 2023 and it’s now £3.40, so it’s a relatively small increase. I did try and order cod and medium chips to have something different, but they didn’t have any immediately available and I didn’t want to wait whilst James saw his chips going cold. Which meant I had a battered sausage and small chips, deliberately not wanting anything too filling otherwise I’d need a nap in the afternoon. The cold drinks are evidently reasonably priced and the cost of the cod is very much towards the lower end of the scale (there’s a pun there that I won’t labour).

The battered sausage and small chips. The amount of the batter was generous and the sausage would have felt well protected if it needed to go into battle, although I think it had been left in the hot hold for a while as it was going a little hard, but there was a depth of taste to it (the sausage, not the hot hold). It isn’t a butcher’s sausage, but it tasted fine and it was all at the appropriate hot temperature. The chips are thinner than those at Lucy’s (I like how there’s evidently a whole philosophy going on about potato cutting sizes) and they tasted as expected, with the portion size being generous for small chips.

James was busy capturing beauty with his framing of the photo, whilst I was engaged in trying to fend off a squadron of seagulls who clearly hadn’t eaten since breakfast five minutes ago and viewed his chips as their birthright. I think he was pleased and how I protected his food (and I had nearly finished mine). On the matter of the food, James was suitably impressed and he said something along the lines of:

“This seemingly pedestrian offering, comprising a sausage enrobed in crisp batter accompanied by fried potato parallelepipeds, ascended, quite astonishingly, to a veritable apotheosis of savoury delight.”

Fine praise indeed. The value offered here is excellent, it’s an affordable lunchtime snack although I will definitely have to have the fish when we do this for a third time in future years. So, all in all, it’s was all rather lovely.

March 27, 2025
Wrocław – National Museum in Wrocław (St. Mary Magdalene’s Church by Adelbert Woelfl)

This painting is in the collections of the National Museum in Wrocław and was painted by Adelbert Woelfl (1823-1896) in 1867. Woelfl was the best known artist of landscapes in Breslau, the German name for the city, and he was himself German having been born in Münsterberg (now known as Ziębice and part of Poland since 1945). It depicts St. Mary Magdalene’s Church which had been where the first Lutheran services had been held in the city in the early sixteenth century and it remained a Protestant church until the end of the Second World War, when it was restored to the Catholic tradition. I rather like the painting, it’s realistic and there’s a sense of reality about the individuals going about their business.

Here’s what the same view looks like now. The church was badly damaged during the Second World War and was substantially rebuilt, but they’ve been faithful (if you excuse the pun) to the original design, although the towers have been changed somewhat.

This is what fascinates me though, we have a German painter painting a German church in what was Germany. Everything is still there today, but everything has changed.

March 27, 2025
Ridgeway – Day 1 (Walking)

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but I’ve reposted it to fix some broken image links]

Some photos from our day of walking!

The official start of the Ridgeway, although we had started at Avebury as it’s an important historic site that we wanted to see.

The former railway line from Ogbourne St. George to Marlborough. Marlborough used to have two railway stations, but it now doesn’t have any and 11 miles from the nearest one. There are plans to try and reconnect it to the network, but they haven’t made any recent progress.

Dave in the woods along the former railway line, which is a now a walking and cycle trail.

Views over the countryside.

Jumping for joy at Barbury Castle.

Bev, excited about her lunch.

Bev, after her lunch.

Looking out over Swindon from the bank of Barbury Castle.

Vicious and very frightening cows.

A house.

We only saw one these signs in this format, which I thought was really nicely done.

Some sort of thing for horses.

The Ridgeway map.

The railway line to Marlborough again.

Planning the route.

A lot of the route looked like this.

In case anyone wondered why the descriptions of these photos are really short, it’s because I have to leave for the second day of walking now. So, feel free to make up your own captions if mine aren’t descriptive enough 🙂

March 27, 2025
Ridgeway – Day 1 (Avebury)

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]

Waiting excitedly at Swindon bus station for the bus to take us to Avebury.

I was able to watch myself on CCTV, which gave me minutes of exciting entertainment as we hurtled through the Wiltshire countryside.

Here we all are, in the centre of the Avebury ring.

I’m still concerned that Bev is quite clearly two inches shorter than she was last year.

We walked around the ditches of Avebury. Or at least we did until we realised that a chunk has been closed off by the National Trust. And to ensure that people obey their notices, they’ve put a herd of slightly aggressive sheep into the field to attack anyone who strays.

Avebury is a henge monument dating back to around 3,000BC and is one of the important prehistoric sites in the country. Although my hope of learning lots more about the site from useful informational boards was dashed, as there weren’t any informational boards to help me interpret the site. But, unperturbed by this, I found useful information from Google.

I posed for a few photos, but I don’t like to take the limelight.

Tree roots.

The sun is shining over Avebury.

Bev wanted to tie a ribbon up on the tree. However, we didn’t have one, so she used toilet paper. I’m sure the Gods will really appreciate that little token of respect.

Bev ready to hang up her toilet paper.

Group photo of everyone. Other than me, I’m taking the photo.

A stone.

March 27, 2025
Ridgeway – Day 1 (Summary)

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix a broken image link]

DISTANCE WALKED: 18.1 miles

BRAVEST PERSON: Julian (for exceptional bravery in the heat)

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “By the time she’s worked her way down to my leg she’s had enough of a treat” – Steve B “Bev saw it when she was in my room” – Dave “I’m not worried about drawers or bed bugs” – Dave “You like a bit of speed do you?” – Dave “I can slap until the cows come home” – Dave “I went there the other day for a little prick” – Dave “I was asked if I wanted another one, I said I’m not used to two pricks in one day” – Dave “This might put just a little extra distance on the walk” – Julian

There will be lots more photos to come, many tens of them. But this is the initial summary of the day, and it’s been a long one. We all met up in Avebury to begin the walk and we had a look around the stones. I then decided I’d walk everyone along the main road to the official start of the Ridgeway walk, which Bev complained about on numerous occasions.

It was a hot day, and my bravery was noted on several occasions. We weren’t covering a huge distance today, so we made good progress along the route. Unfortunately the Ridgeway isn’t known for its sheltered terrain, so it was quite an exposed day out there in the Wiltshire countryside.

I mentioned it would be nearly impossible to go off route on the Ridgeway as it’s a clear path and it’s well signed. Anyway, in the afternoon we went wrong on the Ridgeway. Well, I didn’t, I was at the back of the group talking about Andrew’s balls with Bev, the others went wrong. It added on a few miles to the walk, but no-one really complained. Other than Bev.

We then played the Akinator where the on-line game tries to guess who you’re thinking of by asking questions. Much hilarity ensued at this clever piece of magic, although Bev’s choice of characters was, er, interesting…. Only Steve M was able to beat it, with someone I’d never heard of.

One of my favourite parts of the walk today wasn’t actually even on the Ridgeway route, it was the walk along the former railway line from Ogbourne St. George to Marlborough. I explained that it was around 3 miles and it would go into the heart of Marlborough. Anyway, the path was lovely and had some shade, although it was still hot. 3.9 miles later we arrived into an area not in the centre of Marlborough, but no-one complained. Other than Bev.

We got into our lovely hotel, and they put Bev, Susanna and Dave in the stables. To be honest, they judged that well. I’m dreading breakfast in the morning, with Bev and her eggs. It’ll probably get its own blog post.

After a long debate between Dave and myself, we decided on our evening meal. We picked the Green Dragon, a Wadworth pub that was excellent. I ordered fish and chips and everyone copied me, but I made clear on four occasions that if they were short on fish then the others could go without. Fortunately, they didn’t, and the fish was most lovely.

Afterwards I decided to take the group on a 45-minute history walk of Marlborough that I had found on-line. Nearly two hours later, when it got dark, we decided to rush the last part of the tour, but everyone agreed that it was a most interesting and exciting walk. Other than Bev.

So, overall, it was a really lovely first day of walking. Other than I’m sun burnt and grumpy about the hot weather. I’ll post tens of photos in smaller posts when I can of the day, we did cover rather a lot of terrain, as well as lots of topics of conversation.

It’s an early start in the morning. Bev and Susanna are rather middle class and are going to Waitrose, whilst Dave and me are common so we’re going to Greggs.

March 26, 2025
Wrocław – Ibis budget Wrocław Południe

For my final night in Wrocław, I switched to the Ibis budget Wrocław Południe which was £30 including breakfast. Fortunately, I had enough points to pay all but 0.8zl (about 15p) which it was noted was the cheapest room they’d charged at the hotel for a while. On which matter, the receptionist was friendly, engaging and spoke beautiful English (as in, she spoke it beautifully rather than me making some general comment about how great English is as a language….).

I forgot to take a photo of the room as I was distracted by the welcome gift, which the hotel doesn’t really need to offer but I always appreciate it. Especially when it’s food. I have stayed at this hotel before, but it was around eight years ago and all I remember is the three mile walk to the city centre. I made sure to leave a five-star review because they gave me a doughnut and that is why hotels should give doughnuts…..

From my extensive collection of photos that I keep….. This is the room in 2017 when I last visited and it hasn’t changed much to be honest.

To quote the great philosopher Frank Spencer, a trouble shared is a trouble doubled, so there are other things…

The view from the window and it’s a peaceful location. The building in front is the Novotel, but it’s quite a bit more expensive than the Ibis Budget and I’m not as decadent as Richard.

The breakfast buffet arrangement, albeit at a slight angle.

Very hearty. Bread, butter, gherkins, salami, a hot dog sausage, tomato, cucumber, cheese, coffee and apple juice.

This is a photo I took in 2017 of the breakfast room, which also hasn’t really changed much. The on-line reviews of the hotel are generally positive, although I suspect that some people have some perhaps excessive expectations for a budget hotel. Such as….

“No brush or toothpaste. No water bottle or drinking water.”

I mean, there is drinking water out of the bloody tap. And there’s a Lidl a short walk away, but I’m not sure many hotels supply toothbrushes in rooms.

“No shelf under the sink”

I really don’t know how some people cope.

“The distance of the hotel from the most important points of the city of Wrocław. Everything is far away. For people who do not have a car at their disposal, it will be incredibly inconvenient.”

I’m annoyed on behalf of the hotel (I’m like that) about reviews like this. Why on earth book a hotel which is three miles out then? It’s a 45 minute walk into the city centre and there’s a bus stop which is a two minute walk away for those who want to use public transport.

“Breakfasts are a big disappointment, a few concise vegetables and cold cuts. I do not recommend buying!”

I like the hotel’s response which was “We would like to remind you that we are an economical one-star hotel that offers basic products for breakfast. However, this does not mean that there is nothing to choose from. In addition to cold meats and vegetables, we also serve yellow and white cheese, pâté, two types of salads, fruit, three hot dishes, breakfast cereals, yogurts and jams. However, if you are looking for more variety, we encourage you to check out the breakfast offer at our partner hotel Novotel Wrocław City, which is a three-star hotel. We believe that the breakfast offer of this hotel will meet your expectations regarding the variety of dishes”.

Anyway, I really like this hotel which is in a peaceful area of the city, it’s keenly priced, the staff are friendly and there were no noise issues. All really rather lovely and I managed admirably without a shelf under the sink.

March 26, 2025
Ridgeway – Day 1 (It’s All About the Greggs)

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]

We left the Travelodge all refreshed and reinvigorated for the first day of walking. But all walking adventures need to start with some fine dining, so off to the artisan bakers we went…

Here it is, Swindon’s finest baker. Second to none.

The door situation was confusing, so I let Steve work it out. I also didn’t want to look too desperate by running into Greggs, although that was how I felt…

Here he is at the counter, busy adding things to his order and holding up mine. But my time came, and I got a delicious chicken bake and latte, enough to suffice me for a few hours. We also brought dinner here, as there’s unlikely to be anything as good later on.

So the morning has started off in a lovely manner, it’s now off to the bus station ready to get the bus to Avebury.

March 26, 2025
Ridgeway – Day 0 (Sir Daniel Arms)

[I originally posted this in June 2018, but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]

Our final pub visit of the day was to the Sir Daniel Arms and it was hard to contain Bev’s excitement. When we arrived at the pub Bev was a short distance behind complaining, so it felt that we were back on the Hadrian’s Wall week…..

I used the app as I didn’t want to wait for the others to faff about ordering. My food arrived before the drink, but I’m very patient and didn’t complain to the others in the group that they were holding up my drinks order. Although my rather lazy approach to ordering meant that I never did see what real ales were available at the bar.

Perfectly acceptable burger at a very reasonable price. My food arrived before everyone else’s, so that was perfect as well, win-win.

Here we all are as a group, team Ridgerats or whatever it was Susanna called us. We still haven’t thought of a group name, I was thinking more along the lines of something involving the word Greggs.

Two photos of the pub interior, it was fortunately quite quiet when we were there.

March 26, 2025
Wrocław – National Museum in Wrocław (St. Martin from St. Martin’s Church)

This wooden polychrome sculpture is in the collections of the National Museum in Wrocław and depicts St. Martin of Tours (336AD – 397AD) who was known for cutting his cloak in two to give warmth to a beggar. Very benevolent, although I wonder why he didn’t give him the whole thing, but there we go. As with all these things, some of the cloak that Martin kept survived and became relics likely dotted around numerous locations. The most important one was originally at Marmoutier Abbey and there were priests put in charge of looking after the holy cloak relic and the head priest of this operation became known as the cappellanu. Eventually, all priests who went to serve the military became known as cappellani, which in English became the word chaplain and that was all named after this relic.

Anyway, I digress. This sculpture was likely made in a workshop in Wrocław and it has been dated to around 1490. It was located at St. Martin’s Church, the only survived building from the former Piast’s castle in Wrocław. Before the Second World War, this was where the Polish people in the German city would have gone for services, but the building was damaged during the conflict. The sculpture is in relatively very good condition and a fair chunk of the paint has remained. And the moral of the story is that if you give half of your coat to a beggar, then you too could maybe have your own church named after you in the future and perhaps a word named after you as well.

March 26, 2025