His perfect cousins

Cousins are cool, aren't they? They are ready made mates who you have complete licence to play with whilst not being an irritating sibling (with apologies to my sister, but not too many, as when we were kids we did completely annoy one another). This week it's half term and my son and I are on a road trip. The first call was to Shrewsbury to stay with my cousin: which meant my son got to hang out with his third cousins who are not just boys, but his age. We arrived at 4.20 in the afternoon and by 4.25 they'd disappeared off together - only to be glimpsed when food was offered.
Today we all went to Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire. It's one of those places I've always wanted to go and it was lovely to go with my cousin. The bridge after which the town is named is the oldest iron bridge in existence and was basically built as an elaborate advertising tool to show the prowess of the town's forges. It is also stunningly beautiful. The irony is that the Ironbridge gorge area is a World Heritage site to protects its unique role in the industrial revolution, yet now is peaceful and utterly beautiful.




Afterwards we went to Blists Hill museum which is part of the World Heritage site and full of reconstructed Victorian era shops, factories and industrial heritage. A lovely element of the site is that they change your modern money into shillings, tanners and sixpences and give you a chart to help you calculate costs.








All of the shops are lovingly recreated: highlights were sniffing carbolic soap in the pharmacy and learning how candles were made.


















My son particularly loved eating real chips out of paper and getting to go on the steam powered fairground rides.










Afterwards we had to bid a sad farewell to our family, secure in the knowledge that the boys are determined to meet up again soon. Then we had the exciting drive through night time Shropshire and Herefordshire to Ross-on-Wye where we are staying overnight.
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