Hereford Cathedral a gem amongst wide sightseeing options

I hadn't set foot in Hereford since my first trip to England at the impressionable age of 16 (so impressed, indeed, that I set off on a life-long ambition to move here and fall in love with an Englishman...), so returning decades later provided a bit of time travel.

We stood in front of the main doors to the Cathedral and I could feel the chill of that March morning so long ago, see the school mates who accompanied me, remember the keen excitement of foreign places. Down the street we spied the Green Dragon. I couldn't have pulled that name out of my head had I tried, but seeing it there I suddenly remembered breaking our journey to Scotland here, and celebrating my mother's birthday at breakfast in its dark, traditional restaurant. Particularly poignant to realise that the birthday we marked then is the age I am now.

Time flies. And even Hereford, constant in its red stone cathedral for 1200 years, changes a bit. There's a new library here beside the church to hold its greatest treasures (we were torn on its architecture, with me rather liking the modern take on Gothic and my partner thinking it was a hideous addition), and a modern riverside bistro from which to eat and take in the view.

The Cathedral itself is not one of the English greats, but is certainly worth a wander and is interesting in its demonstration of the evolution from Romanesque (round arches on the ground floor) to Gothic (pointed arches above). There's a reconstruction of the tomb of St. Ethelbert, for whom the church is named and whose cult once drew pilgrimages here. The biggest sights aren't in the church, however, but through the cloister, where you'll find the chained library and the Mappa Mundi.

This famous world map dates from the 13th century and provides a fascinating insight into the Medieval mind. Jerusalem is at the centre, the rest of the world radiates outwards, Africa is filled with mythological beasts and monsters circle the waters at the edge of the world. This is one of the oldest and most complete maps of the Western World, and Hereford quite rightly builds a whole little museum around it. Beyond the map itself you see the chained library, now in that debatable modern Gothic building, but with Medieval shelves, benches and books intact.

Chained libraries were a feature of a world in which information was so rare, and so prized, it had to be locked up. In each row you see a pew facing a desk, and rising above it four shelves loaded with books, each with a chain through its spine and locked onto a bar that ran along the bottom of the shelf. At the end of each row was an index card indicating what lay on the shelf; an expected mixture of classical history, science and philosophy, complemented by some big names from the Christian era. Rather humbling to think that today, all these books could probably be downloaded onto my iPhone in a few hours and carried away with me. Now there's a revolution.

Leaving the cathedral we stopped for lunch at the Left Bank Restaurant, a modern place with multiple balconies hanging over the Wye river just beside the Medieval bridge. A basic bistro menu, competent food, average service, magnificent view. (For the real dining stars of the holiday, stay tuned for tomorrow's review.) On a fine day, as this was, stopping here for a couple of hours to watch the river drift past and the cathedral rise from the cluster of venerable buildings behind you is a worthy occupation.

We'd languished too much of the day to get in much more sightseeing, though we did stop for a quick look at the outside of Eastnor Castle, a fine example of the 19th century Gothic revival now used regularly for films and special events. (I've toured it in the past; it's worth a few hours if you have the time.) We also didn't have time for more than a glance in the direction of Tewksbury Abbey, another major sight on our way back to the B&B in Cheltenham. But the drive back was almost as beautiful as the drive out, needing no official sightseeing to crown the beauty of the day.

The bank holiday Monday dawned with variable weather, spots of sunshine between drifts of brooding rain clouds. Thus we had no motivation to make a quick exit from the lovely Hanover House, lingering over our full English breakfast and relaxing in the lounge before finally taking off around noon.

We took a meandering route home through the Cotswolds, where we could have started at Sudeley Castle (delightful Tudor manor house with mostly Victorian interiors, still privately owned and, like Eastnor, much used for private events) but figured we didn't have the time. I wanted to get closer to home before we stopped, given typical bank holiday traffic. Thus I headed for Chastleton House, a Jacobean jewel near Oxford now owned by the National Trust. I had forgotten, however, that they limit the number of visitors here, using a timed ticket entry system, and by the time we arrived in the early afternoon they were sold out for the day.

Beaten on the cultural front, we opted for a bit of shopping instead. Nearby was Daylesford Organic Farm Shop, a place I'd read about in food magazines but never visited. I have to admit, they've worked wonders with this collection of old farm buildings, turning them into a complex dripping with good taste, elegance and refinement. There's a spa, a restaurant, one building selling clothing and spa goods, another selling gardening items and finally the farm shop itself. Here there's beautiful produce, a glass cheese room selling the best local varieties, a high-end butcher, tempting bakery goods, a wine shop and selections of all the luxury condiments, jams and specialty food items you usually find at places like this.

It's differentiating factor? I've never seen prices like this in my life. I live near the Queen's farm shop and drop in there regularly for a treat. It's expensive, but value for money. This place has moved the pricing into pure extortion. A simple sundress in the clothing shop was 530 pounds. Leather gardening gloves of the precise make I'd purchased on special at the Hampton Court Flower Show for 20 pounds were 70 here. Spa prices were the same, if not higher, than the poshest hotels in London. And the food? Prices made Waitrose look like Asda. I don't mind paying extra for good quality. I don't even mind paying an appropriate premium for nice surroundings (as will be obvious to readers of this blog!). But I don't like getting ripped off. And this place defined highway robbery. I find it difficult to believe they can sell enough at these prices to keep the place going.

We certainly left empty-handed, and reverted to the simpler pleasures of a picturesque drive home, arriving early enough to forage in the freezer for the elements of a home-cooked dinner. Not organic, not posh pricing ... but a delightful end to the day.