Around Shrewsbury via Rea Brook on circuit from Pulley

An aim for today was to get to the official start and end of the Shropshire Way, at the Kingsland Bridge to the south of the Shrewsbury town centre. However, we also wanted to explore the town centre a little. We'd spent a restful night at the Shrewsbury Bayston Hill Travelodge and we'd realised after reaching the Travelodge yesterday that there is a path across the scrubland to the west of the Travelodge that leads the short distance to Pulley, emerging just where we'd had our lunch on yesterday's walk. The convenience of being able to leave our car parked where it had been parked overnight outweighed the slight frustration of repeating the short section we'd already walked from Pulley to Rea Brook.

It was 8.15 am (a few minutes before official sunrise, but plenty light enough) when we set off. We quickly reached yesterday's lunch spot, opposite Pulley Hall Barns (SJ485095), then we passed the point where we'd left (and now rejoined) the Shropshire Way (SJ482096), then the point where the Shropshire Way crosses Rea Brook (SJ484102). Now on new ground, we continued into the area known as Meole Brace. This is now a quiet residential area, with a local nature reserve running alongside the Rea Brook. However, the name "Meole Brace" immediately reminded me of the Cadfael novels by Ellis Peters. Cadfael was a monk at Shrewsbury Abbey in the 12th Century who solved a series of medieval murders.  In "The Rose Rent", a man called Niall sets off from his sister's house in Pulley to return to Shrewsbury, and near the hamlet of Brace Meole he rescues a woman called Judith. The name "Meole" was probably also familiar to me because Rea Brook, which loops around past the Abbey before joining the River Severn, used to be called Meole Brook - and it features in almost all of the stories.

We meandered our way around attractive residential streets, turning left at the large Holy Trinity Church and  then right by the vicarage, and passing the house where the novelist Mary Webb grew up. A ginnel led to a railway-line, which we crossed, emerging onto school playing fields. We walked towards and then (after turning left) alongside a road which we'd driven along several times in the summer, when travelling between our holiday cottage and Shrewsbury; that route had also taken us past the schools whose playing field we were now walking around. We emerged onto the road and crossed it, but we didn't take the footpath by the cemetery  because it wasn't signposted (and looking at the guidebook later, it appears that the official route does indeed stay on the road to a roundabout, and then turn right). However, soon after the footpath by the cemetery emerged, another path on the opposite side of the road led to a delightful wooded area, with views across to the chapel of the cemetery we'd walked past.  There was a notable descent then climb as we crossed the Rad Brook.

We were now in Kingsland, the home of Shrewsbury School  since 1882 and another quiet residential area. We were heading for the Kingsland Bridge across the River Severn, and to get to it we descended again. Just before the bridge, we passed the marker which indicated we were passing the start/end of the Shropshire Way.  Since it is a circuit, this is no big deal. If you want to drive across the river, you have to pay a 20p toll, but we didn't actually see any cars crossing on either our outward or return walk. From the bridge, there were good views to the river, Shrewsbury School, and the skyline of the town centre, and  we could see and hear young runners being encouraged towards the end of  a park run.  The onward/return route of the Shropshire Way, and the link to/from the end of the southern loop at Haughmond Abbey, both head along the northern bank of the river (the former to the west; the latter to the east) but we kept straight on, heading for the town centre. 

The Cicerone guide to "Walking the Shropshire Way" describes a route from Shrewsbury Railway Station to the Kingsland Bridge, passing some of the town's tourist attractions. We weren't sure it would be possible to track the route in reverse, but we did quite well, passing the Town Walls Tower and Old St Chad's on our way to the Old Market Hall . From here we cut along Grope Lane (yes, we were in what was once a red light district) to the attractive Fish Street, which has St Julian's Church at the end of it. A climb up Bear Steps led us close to St Alkmund's Church and so to St Mary's Church. There really are a lot of attractive churches in Shrewsbury, and some delightful Tudor buildings.

If we'd continued on the reverse of the route from the guidebook, we'd have headed up Castle Street to the library, castle and the station. However, we'd made good progress and, with  my enthusiasm for all things Cadfael,  I was keen to visit Shrewsbury Abbey.  So instead we headed downhill through the town, passing lots more Tudor buildings, and across the so-called English Bridge to the Abbey Foregate. The Abbey itself was something of a disappointment; the Abbey Church is still there, but there is a busy road and a car park  where once the cloisters and the rest of the Abbey would have been. The Sun came out which made it all look more attractive, and we realised that the pretty buildings of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust were once part of the Abbey. I'm pleased we'd had at least a fleeting visit to see it all.

We still had time to walk back through the town to the Library (the former sight of Shrewsbury School, now with a statue of Charles Darwin, a former pupil, outside) and the Castle. There is an attractive Tudor building by the entrance to the Castle, and on  our return home we discovered that although it is a late 16th Century building, it was moved to its current location in 1702 - and it is currently for sale (for £2.75M). We stopped for a cup of coffee in the Marks & Spencer cafe, and then returned through the town by a more direct route. Near the distinctive round St Chad's Church (not to be confused with Old St Chads, though the "new" St Chad's has been open since 1792!) we were followed across a road crossing by a woman with two dachshunds dressed up in Father Christmas outfits in a pram...I think she told us that she was heading to a dachshund walk in Quarry Park, and that it would be great fun!