Adventures around Worcesterwith PlusBus
Centuries of history have left a rich legacy of things to see in this city on the banks of the River Severn: stunning Worcester Cathedral, storied Tudor buildings and elegant porcelain in the Museum of Royal Worcester. You can find plenty of culture here too, places to eat and drinks, shopping, relaxing and green spaces to walk through. PlusBus is a bargain addition to your train ticket and gives you unlimited bus travel across the area all day. Here are just three things you could do in Worcester with a PlusBus ticket.
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1. Worcester Cathedral
Towering over the swan-gliding River Severn, Worcester Cathedral is one of England’s finest. It includes all kinds of historically-significant monuments and chapels: King John’s tomb, Prince Arthur’s Chantry, a Norman Crypt, medieval cloisters… There are jewel-bright (mostly Victorian) stained glass windows and features from all stages of early English architecture from eleventh to the late-fourteenth centuries. It’s a short walk or bus ride from Worcester Foregate Street railway station.
- How do I get to Worcester Cathedral by bus? Before you leave Worcester Foregate Street station, make sure you have a PlusBus ticket for bus travel right across the city. Turn left into shop-lined Foregate Street and second right along Angel Street. Keep straight beyond the Horn and Trumpet pub to find Worcester Crowngate bus station and head for Stand F. Hop on bus X50 or bus 28. Lots of other buses go there too – just ask the driver.
- Get off at the next stop outside the cathedral. On the way, look out for the spire and flowerbeds in St Andrews Garden of Remembrance. Getting off at the Cathedral bus stop, head right across the road to the cathedral.
- Are there any other sights in the area? The Museum of Royal Worcester is a short walk from the cathedral. The famous porcelain factory was founded in 1751 to meet a growing demand from tea drinkers. The museum celebrates 250 years of varied ceramic design and includes Nelson’s teapot, Worcester’s painted fruit and more. You can even paint your own pottery here.
- What about lunch? Just inside the museum, you’ll find Good Roots coffee shop, serving sweet or savoury pancakes, great brunches for veggies or carnivores and all kinds of yummy things on toast.
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2. Severn Way
Worcester sits on the 220-mile walking route along the River Severn, which follows the meandering journey of Britain’s longest river from the Cambrian Mountains to the Bristol Channel.
- For a short, but delightful taster of this iconic long-distance path, catch bus 32 from opposite the cathedral (or from stand N in the Bus Station – see 1 above) to the stop called Norton Road. From here, you can walk back a couple of miles along the Severn Way into the city. Bus 32 runs every half an hour (hourly on Saturdays and none on Sundays) and it’s a pleasant ten-minute stroll from the bus stop, through a nature reserve, to reach the river.
- How do I get from Norton Road to the Severn Way? Walk back a few steps from the bus stop towards the city centre, crossing Norton Road and cross at the lights to reach little Barneshall Avenue in the far side. Just before house number 4, turn right into a tarmac footpath, soon leading to St Marks Close. Fork right along the road to reach Cherry Orchard nature reserve.
- Follow any path left through this nature reserve to reach the Severn Way and then turn right along the river with the water on your left. Reaching the Diglis Bridge, an impressive suspension bridge for walkers and cyclists, keep on along the tarmac path and road with the River Severn on your left. Continue over the white-railed Oil Basin Bridge between the river and Diglis Dock.
- Keep going, through a small park, with the cathedral tower visible ahead. When the path splits near another footbridge and a swan sculpture, you can keep left to continue along the Severn Way back towards the cathedral and railway station or turn right, following a path beside a brick building, to explore Diglis Waterside (see 3 below).
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3. Diglis Waterside
The Diglis Basin is the place where the River Severn meets the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. It was once an important dock for Cadburys, who imported cocoa beans via the River Severn.Today, It’s a pleasant area for strolling or sitting, crisscrossed by historic waterways, and has some interesting places to eat, drink and discover.
- Café Afloat is a café on a boat, serving inventive wraps, smoothies and quayside tapas.
- Nearby, the Piston Distillery has gin-making experiences and hosts regular events including Gin & Jazz Sundays.
- Another great place for a drink is the Anchor Pub and Kitchen, serving pub classics with a canalside beer garden and meal deals Monday to Thursday.
- How do I get to Diglis Waterside by bus? Bus 32 from Worcester Bus Station (Stand N) runs every half an hour on weekdays and hourly on Saturdays to the Albion bus stop. From here, it’s a very short stroll down Mill Street, then down the steps on the right and back under the bridge to walk beside the canal to Diglis Marina with the water on your right. You’ll soon find the distillery on your right.
- To get back from Diglis Waterside to Worcester Foregate Street station, keep the water on your left, climb the steps to Mill Street, walk away from the canal, cross over at the junction and turn right along the A38 to find the Albion bus stop outside house number 58. Get off the bus at the stop called MacDonalds, just before Foregate Street and turn right towards the railway bridge. It’s three minutes’ walk back to the station.
- To reach the Museum of Royal Worcester, you can turn left over the bridge at Mill Street near Diglis Waterside and soon right, opposite Portland Street, to walk through a pedestrianised area and historic brick buildings on Princes Drive. Follow the road left to find the museum.
- When you’ve finished exploring, lots of buses run back towards the station from the bus stop called Sidbury, five minutes’ walk away on the main road.
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For more car-free adventures in the area…
See Good Journey’s directions for reaching The Wyre Forest or Packwood House (where you can get a free hot drink!) and our guides to Kidderminster or Cheltenham.
You might also like to look at Go Cotswolds Tours, who are also offering car-free travellers a free drink. They can meet you from the station and show you hidden gems across the area.
You can find all this and more at Good Journey along with tips on how to use your PlusBus ticket in seventy different towns and cities across the UK!
