Adventures around Shrewsburywith PlusBus
Shropshire’s river-circled county town has lots of options for all-weather sightseeing including a market, abbey and museum. With black and white Tudor houses and picturesque cobbled alleys, Shrewsbury is a lovely place to explore. And you could opt for a riverside hike along the Severn Way or a visit to the National Trust estate at Attingham Park. Whatever you choose, a PlusBus ticket gives you unlimited bus travel across the town all day.
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1. Shrewsbury Abbey
Founded in the eleventh century as a Benedictine monastery, Shrewsbury Abbey now has beautiful Gothic and Romanesque architecture. Inside, you can also discover a thousand years of history plus a programme of concerts, gigs, flower festivals, poetry readings and more. And the short bus ride to the abbey from Shrewsbury bus station will take you past some of the town’s iconic sights on a whistle-stop tour.
- A PlusBus ticket will help you get around the town. You can buy it as an add-on to your train ticket or from the ticket office when you arrive by train.
- So how do I get to Shrewsbury Abbey by bus? Stroll a couple of minutes from the railway station to the bus station and hop on bus 1, which sets off every 20 minutes. It takes just five minutes for the bus to get to the abbey and there’s lots to see from the window on the way.
- What will I see from the bus? Some of Shrewsbury’s old buildings are ranged along Castlegate and the former St Nicholas church stands on the corner. Next up is the brick base and tall stone spire of St Mary’s, a medieval church with stunning stained glass, on the left-hand side. Look out for more half-timbered houses as the bus turns left over the River Severn. Get off at the next stop (called Abbey Church) and you can’t miss the imposing red sandstone abbey.
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2. Museum and Art Gallery
Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery (free) is housed in a neoclassical former concert hall and counts engineer Thomas Telford’s measuring wheel among its treasures. You can see bones from the mammoths that once roamed through Shropshire, silver Roman mirrors, Tudor four-poster beds, fine Caughley porcelain and lots more.
- How do I get to Shrewsbury Museum by bus? Cross the road outside the abbey and hop back on good old bus 1. You could also catch bus 23 and, if you’re going straight from the bus station, there are other buses you could catch too. The frequent Blue and Pink buses go direct from the railway station. The buses all stop on the High Street close to The Square. Just walk through the pedestrianised Square, past the Old Market Hall and the museum is ahead of you.
- And where do I have lunch afterwards? The area is packed with great coffee shops. Back on the High Street, little vegan café Okra is particularly good. It does salads and noodle bowls and fresh flatbreads full of tasty veg.
- And after lunch? Walk a few minutes down St John’s Hill to the Dingle, a bench-lined garden in a former quarry. Stroll through the avenue of lime trees and over the disconcertingly bouncy Port Hill suspension footbridge to find the Boathouse pub on the far side of the Severn.
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3. The Severn Way
The well-signed, waterside Severn Way goes right past the door of the Boathouse. It’s a 224-mile long-distance route from the river’s source in the Welsh hills all the way to Bristol. You can sample a short section of this interesting walk by following the river back to the station. Or you could tackle a meandering nine-mile stretch by walking to all the way to Atcham for a pint in the riverside Mytton and Mermaid. Your PlusBus ticket is still valid out here and you can get bus 96 back to the station.
- If that all sounds a bit tiring and you’d rather visit a Regency mansion and its elegant cattle-gazed grounds, simply get bus 96 straight to Atcham and head for Attingham Park. Scroll to the end for more info.
- How do I walk from Shrewsbury to Atcham on the Severn Way? From the Boathouse, walk back over the pedestrian suspension bridge into the Quarry Gardens and turn right along the river with the water on your right. After 2½ miles, climb the steps up onto Telford Way, cross the bridge (without crossing the road) and then climb down, head under the bridge, and continue with the River Severn now on your left.
- How do I get back from Atcham at the end? Bus 96 leaves every 2 hours from right outside the Mytton and Mermaid and takes just 25 minutes to get back to the bus station (via a more direct route than the Severn!)
- What do I do if I need to wait for a bus? Apart from treating yourself at the Mytton and Mermaid, you could take a look at St Eata’s church, just a few steps away and also beside the river.
- The stone gateway to the huge National Trust estate and mansion at Attingham Park is just over the road from the bus stop. From the gates it’s a half-mile stroll through the grounds, beside the main drive, to the Visitor Reception. There’s enough here for a whole day trip so you’ll want to get the bus straight here rather than walk along the river.
- Other National Trust attractions you can visit car-free in this area include Powis Castle and Carding Mill Valley.
- And you might like to check out our car-free guides to Welshpool, Kidderminster and Stourbridge and our guide to the West Midlands for more adventures by bus. Whatever you decide to do, have fun!
