Wigmore was one of many castles built close to the England–Wales border after the Norman Conquest. Founded in 1067 by William Fitz Osbern, it was a major centre of power for over 500 years, and played host to several kings and queens. It was held by the Mortimer family from about 1075 to 1425, when it passed to the Crown. Roger Mortimer is perhaps the family’s best-known figure. He became virtual ruler of England after he and his lover, Isabella, Edward II’s estranged queen, had engineered the king’s deposition and murder in 1327.

In 1329 Mortimer held a lavish tournament at Wigmore, attended by the young King Edward III and his mother. His influence was shortlived, however: in 1330 Edward III asserted his authority, arrested Mortimer and had him executed for treason.

The castle fell into ruin after the Civil War and remained an untouched ruin until the 1990s, when English Heritage conserved it in a way that ensured the castle’s natural environment was preserved.

We packed and loaded the car before breakfast so that there was no need for us to go back to our room; we could just check out and set off to our chosen destination, Wigmore Castle. You may note the continuing War of the Roses theme.

We parked in Wigmore village and walked past the Parish Church along the undulating path to the Castle. It was only on our way back from the castle that we noticed that the church had recently closed because it was no longer possible to afford cleaners to keep people safe.

The walk to the castle was lovely although as we approached it the pathway was muddy in places. The castle is mostly overgrown and being kept that way so that the wildlife habitat of the area is not destroyed.

Whilst we were exploring the castle, Mr C and I walked the paths in different ways. A robin visited Mr C on the path that he chose. When our paths converged I stopped to take a photograph of Mr C at the top of some steps. As I did so, I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye… the robin was sitting on the ground next to my foot. The robin then hopped up onto the steps in front of me, looking for tasty morsels to eat.

Photo taken by Mr C

Mr C and I continued exploring the castle. As we paused to take in the view of the castle keep and the wider view from that perspective, the robin returned. He sat on a low fence next to us and was so close I could have reached out and touched him. He stayed with us long enough for Mr C to try and photograph him. The initial noise of the camera made Mr Robin jump and puff his chest out (making himself look bigger) but he immediately settled down and stayed with us until we walked away. He followed us and settled on the pathway between Mr C and I before disappearing into the undergrowth.

After our brief walk we headed to Tenbury Wells with lunch in mind. We enjoyed our drive through the town but lunch opportunities were not forthcoming; everywhere was shut. We moved on to plan B, Cleobury Mortimer, where we found the delightful and cosy Cleobury Cafe. We both chose a toasted teacake which, when it arrived, was toasted to perfection.

On our way home, we picked up some ingredients for a roast pork chop dinner. Back in our home town we checked up on our family members who had had emergency health issues just prior to our weekend away. They were all doing as well as could be expected, allowing us to enjoy one last (home cooked) meal to complete our weekend adventure.