Saturday in Shrewsbury

The orange walls and bright blue pillars of the coffee bar seemed cool and inviting as we entered. Sipping our coffee and admiring the pictures on the walls we planned our day. As we didn’t particularly want to look around the shops we decided to wander down to the riverside and walk along the pathway leading to the park. We meandered up past the castle, down St Mary’s Street and into Dogpole, pausing occasionally to gaze in shop windows, and along Wyle Cop to the English Bridge. We turned right before the bridge on to Marine Terrace and down onto the riverside path.


There were quite a few others either walking or cycling, the pit- pat of tennis balls could be heard from the tennis courts and members of the rowing club were getting ready to row along the river. The sound of their excited, nervous chatter drifting over from the opposite bank. Once in the park we wandered up to the Dingle and then across to St Chad’s Church, which by this time was looking cool, classical and inviting.



As we approached the entrance I could hear music. We poked our heads around the door and the ladies on duty beckoned us to enter. We tiptoed into the circular nave and slipped into pews at the back in order to watch the orchestra rehearsing for that night’s performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. All the instruments being used were of the period so there was much stopping and starting for the woodwind to ‘empty’ their instruments. The conductor was fascinating to watch as he chatted, shouted, cajoled and praised the ensemble into a wonderful performance. I guess the singers were to rehearse later in the day. Whoever had tickets for that evening was in for a treat.


Back in the town we picked up sandwiches and drinks from M&S and headed out to have a picnic and a wander around the cool, quiet ruins of Haughmond Abbey.