Can I cheat?

I want to recreate the blog post that a Twitter friend wrote after he had tested our new Ludlow Trail...... here it is in its entirety. And if you want to read his other musings, then go find him on http://shropsdan.wordpress.com/

He said.....


Recently a chum of mine Birgit and I answered a call from Treasure Trails via twitter to trial a new treasure trail in Ludlow.

Having never really looked at a treasure trail or really heard of them before I was intrigued and curious about what it was that we had undertaken. Amanda at Treasure Trails emailed us our clue sheets and we were ready for our afternoon out. Our particular treasure trail was based around a murder and we were given a list of suspects and murder weapons and each clue helped eliminate either a suspect or weapon.

So Monday afternoon arrived and Birgit and I along with Watson her Labradoodle arranged to meet in front of the castle and off we set. We both are fairly local to Ludlow and some of the clues came easy to us, but there were some rather lateral clues that took some time to figure out. Upon solving each clue we would cheer each other and set off following out directions to the next clue location. We got to see some amazing places and buildings that usually you would never stop and look at nor take note of.

We also learnt about the history of the town and I will be boring my chums about the facts that I learnt whilst on my trail for some time. I would defiantly do another trail again and certainly buy the Ludlowtrail when it becomes live as presents for people.

Thank you Treasure Trails, for a wonderful afternoon, and for showing us around a town I thought I knew so well.

Walking for Health

I thought I'd try a different topic today - walking for health. What caught my eye was an article in the Western Telegraph. The article reminded people that they needed to wear the right footwear when walking on coastal paths.... and of course, it is true that you do need to wear the right shoes whenever you are out walking as tottering along in high heels on rough paths could end in disaster!

Although mainly town based, Treasure Trails have some more countrified walks and our Symonds Yat walk in particular would not be suitable for any old shoes and especially not with heels. The walk is on pavements, rough paths through woods, the suspension bridge, the hand ferry and back to pavements!

My favourite walking shoes are old now and I can't quite bring myself to replace them as they are so worn in they feel like slippers and I am sure that no new shoe would feel as good! But I am going to have to bite the bullet and get some more soon.

Treasure Trails visits the Hay Festival

We went to the Hay Festival as consumers/customers rather than exhibitors! The atmosphere was brilliant and we wandered around all the stands of which there aren't that many - I remember we enquired about having a stall in our first year of trading and were frightened off by the price. But I don't think the Hay Festival is right for us as individual Treasure Trails licensees to have a stall as so many people there are likely to be from far afield and wanting Trails for their home locations rather than Hay itself or the surrounding towns.

We had a local Shepherds icecream (toffee and vanilla for me, coffee and vanilla for David) and it was a luscious as ever. We visited the Oxfam shop and bought a map of the region - love maps - and when we walked some of Offa's Dyke last weekend, we had talked about buying one of those really detailed ones and there it was at Hay!

We had been invited to the Wiggly Wiggler's Garden Party for 6.30 where we were greeted warmly and offered cider, perry or apple juice and a sumptuous selection of canapes. We renewed acquaintance with Clare from Trumpers Teas and Sharon from Kinder Pocock and hobnobbed with Anne Robinson who'd come to plant some wild flowers in the Wiggly garden. The time flew by and we were then queueing up with 1,498 others to watch and listen to Anne interviewing Chris Evans. He was brilliant, he talked and talked and we most definitely got our money's worth. I was surprised that he is now 45 - no wonder he has matured!

Leaving Hay we picked up a very sweet hitchhiker and dropped her off in Leominster. Something we haven't done for years and years, but it was that kind of day! Never missing a chance to talk about Treasure Trails, she was very interested and we managed to divest ourselves of yet another leaflet!!