Wet Days in Shrewsbury

August 19-20, 2016: Getting from Worcester to Shrewsbury, my next stop, by train required at least one change. I chose to make the transfer at Birmingham New Street, and the change, facilitated by elevators, was easy. However, the ride to Birmingham was not. The train was made up of only two carriages, and both were packed. I had to stand until the first stop, where I was able to claim a jump seat previously occupied by a young woman buried in her newspaper. In contrast, the four carriages on the next leg, Birmingham to Holyhead on the eastern edge of the Isle of Anglesey, were largely empty. The back two were dropped at Shrewsbury, where for the first time this trip I opted to take a taxi to my hotel as it was raining. A local sharing the elevator with me advised avoiding the cabs in the station forecourt and crossing the street to Vincent’s Taxis.
After the lovely Crown in Worcester, I had high hopes for the Shrewsbury Hotel, also above a pub and also run by JD Weatherspoon. What a disappointment! I was so surprised I checked on line to see whether Weatherspoon was a franchise operation (it wasn’t). My full review is on Tripadvisor, but my first room was so miserable I complained. The second was only somewhat better and I was very glad to be staying only one night. I didn’t care much for the look of the bar either, and only ate breakfast there.

I had thought I might visit Ludlow and the iconic Feathers Inn while I was in Shrewsbury, or even take a hike in the Malvern Hills. I had had a good view of the Malverns from the train to Hereford, rising steeply from the plain. However, the weather did not cooperate, and I stayed in Shrewsbury. A pleasant enough town, I suppose, although with some pretty steep streets, but not much to do besides admire the Tudor buildings. I did fit in a stroll by the river during a break in the weather, and wondered what to make of a large arch commemorating Darwin’s birth in the town.

Ellis Peter’s Brother Cadfael mysteries had originally interested me in visiting, but little is left from the medieval period. The Benedictine Abbey suffered badly in the Reformation, and only the church is left. It was closed when I went by after visiting the castle. I’m afraid the regimental museum in the castle failed to hold my interest. St. Mary’s church had a very nice roof that had been rebuilt after a major storm in the late 1800s, but the City Museum was about as interesting as the regimental museum… I regretted not spending an extra night in Worcester.