Since it opened in December we have been meaning to visit the Welldeck café at the newly restored Wappenshall Wharf. We finally got round to visiting in July. We enjoyed it so much that we have been back a couple of times since our first visit.

After the canals were abandoned by an Act of Parliament in 1944, they were left to fall into disrepair. In 1968, the wharf was sold by British Waterways to a coal merchant, who used the site for a decade before selling it to a truck repair business.

Telford & Wrekin Council bought it in 2008 and later leased it to our Trust on a 125-year peppercorn rent. Since then, our volunteers have worked tirelessly to bring the East Basin back into water, restore the smaller warehouse, and transform it into a café and meeting place.

Not many miles today but whilst we were out and about we had lunch in Ironbridge.

I ordered a croissant with scrambled egg and smoked salmon. When it arrived it turned out to be a mini meal.

Today we had lunch at The Granary, Weston Park. Lunch was ‘Gift Experience’ from Christmas 2024 and we had intended to use it on one of our holiday adventures last year. That didn’t quite work out so we chose somewhere local where we hadn’t dined before.

We waited until Mr C retired so that we could enjoy a leisurely lunch. As you can see the sun put its hat on to celebrate the occasion.

The dining experience was well worth the wait.

Hodnet Hall has recently re-opened for the 2026 season so we took advantage of a sunny day for lunch and a walk around the gardens. We were tempted, as usual by the smoked mackerel Pate served in a dainty cup.

Lunch and an afternoon stroll with friends. What more could a girl ask for

We spent the morning looking at temporary residential care options for my mum who has still not fully recovered from her recent bout of delirium. We have a winner but will check out a few other options before making a decision.

After our visits to care homes it was time for lunch. We hesitated only briefly before deciding to return to Hodnet Hall, one of our favourite places to have lunch. This time I chose humous wraps. After lunch I couldn’t resist the short walk to see the Magnolias again, they are magnificent and the sunshine was showing them off to perfection.

Later we visited mum to find that she was not accepting visitors. She had once again refused to have her hair cut after looking forward to the pampering session for days and was giving the care workers a hard time.

We left…

The sun had got its hat on so it would have been rude not to go out for lunch.

Hodnet Hall provides lovely lunches and cakes, a perfect choice. The gardens are lovely at this time of year with colourful blooms in flower and bluebells along the pathway.

Lunch and a sunny garden walk what more could I ask for…

We walked around the walls at Ludlow Castle before purchasing some sandwiches which we enjoyed sitting on a bench next to the castle walls. Afterwards we went for a further walk before visiting the excellent bookshop.

We made our home via the Ludlow Food Centre where we hoped to find a slice of cake but that was not to be. Taking the scenic route home we stopped in Much Wenlock  still with cake in mind. We were unsuccessful on our quest so we settled for an ice cream instead.