Another Sunday adventure. Me and Seb (I know, it should be Seb and I, but I can't bring myself to type that while sounding like myself) decided to drive a bit further afield than usual and visit Ludlow. I love these day trips, places I have a vague recollection of but no real idea what to expect.

First things first, the car park Google Maps directed us to didn't exactly give off the quaint vibe I had in mind. But once we'd parked and walked up the hill towards the centre, it started to look more like it. Streets lined with independent cafés, quirky shops, and a bustling market. Exactly my kind of place.

It's always a bit odd exploring somewhere new on the weekend because I'm so used to heading into North Wales, having grown up on the Wirral. Every adventure I go on with Seb inevitably gets compared to my favourite spots: Conway, Betws-y-Coed, Llandudno, Beaumaris. So when we visit somewhere that feels different from Wales, it catches me off guard.

Ludlow gave me a curious blend of French countryside and English charm. Different, but good different.

Initially, we wandered around town looking for points of interest. The only things I knew about Ludlow were the castle and CSons, a place that's very highly spoken of in Shrewsbury and also has a location here. Of course, we'd chosen the weekend when the castle was closed for a music festival, Anne Marie being the act of the day. So instead, we headed down to the river. It was so peaceful; even on a sunny, busy day, there were no crowds down there. After a bit of a laze near the water, chatting about how nice it would be to bring Seb's mum and his best friend Stephi here when they visit from Germany, we had an ice cream. Well, I did. Seb was being "good" (no idea what that's like). Afterwards, we headed back up and around the outside of the castle to explore the market. By this point, I was completely knackered. Definitely need to get fitter this year.

Today's market had a mix of everything, but the stall that caught my eye was the artwork of Sue Leavett. I loved her linocut prints, stopped for a chat, and picked up a couple of little cards. Her Insta is @sueleavett if you fancy a look.

After wandering through a few little side streets, we stumbled across St Laurence’s, a beautiful historic church right in the heart of Ludlow. We asked if we could climb to the roof, which apparently has amazing views over the town (spoiler, it definitely does). We were shown to the staircase by a lovely patron of the church, and that's when flashbacks of climbing all those stairs in Cologne Cathedral hit me. Honestly, I felt like I was going to die before reaching the top. A neverending climb with no end in sight. It's hard to believe I once climbed Snowdon, in bloody skinny jeans and all! Eventually, though, we made it, and what a sight it was. It was totally worth the donation to the church and the shortness of breath. As well as the views, we even got treated to Anne Marie’s soundcheck, practically a bird’s eye view right into the castle grounds.

The day was lovely, and it was great to try a new place, but overall I left with the slight feeling of not needing to rush back to Ludlow. It was laid back and exactly what we needed that weekend, but does it have enough draw to get me back there? I'm not sure just yet. But maybe that's just me being cynical.