Ledbury Poetry Festival 2015

Ledbury Poetry Festival 2015

My mum and I arrived at Ledbury train station not knowing there was no taxi rank. I called the B&B owner who told me taxies were private hire and I had to book them in advance. Only four gentlemen served the market town. I called each of them to discover they were fully booked during the poetry festival.

The owner of the B&B rescued us from the train station. We were dismayed when we realised he was taking us deep into the countryside.  The website had claimed the property was a short walking distance to the centre of town. It was in fact 7 miles away.

The owner of the B&B said there was a reliable bus service. The bus stop was an hour walk away and the bus came four times a day.  This meant we would miss out on the morning and evening performances, including my performance at the Ledbury Poetry Slam! Nightmare!

The bus time table

My mum waiting on the grassy knoll for the bus.

I managed to get the number of a gentlemen called Phillip who served Birmingham Airport. He travelled over to us every day to drive us into town and back. It cost us £40 a day but we didn’t care. We were desperate.

The B&B owner advised us to book a table for every meal during the festival or we might get turned away. Great. My mum and I constantly checked our schedule to see when we were available for lunch or dinner, then walked up and down the high street checking with each restaurant if they were free.

On the plus side the B&B was beautiful; a converted barn in the middle of a working farm.  The beds were comfortable, the bathroom was light and stylish. The place and had a real home sweet home feel.

The food was delicious at every restaurant we went to. I would recommend the Feather’s Hotel for dinner if you are heading into Ledbury. Such exquisite ingredients, gorgeously presented and bursting with flavour.