Bridgnorth came as a complete serendipity. What a lovely town. Split between High and Low Towns, with a cliff railway connecting the two, I only had time to do the High Town justice.
Beautiful old buildings, some dating back to Tudor times, a fine Guildhall, some splendid pubs, welcoming old cast iron street signs,
stunning views whichever way you turn and a wonderful street market selling fruit that hasn't had all the flavour bred out of it in the pursuit of long shelf life, what more could you ask for? Well, there is one problem: traffic.
Cars and lorries are everywhere, crawling through the town and choking the atmosphere with exhaust fumes. Except on the by-pass, that is, which was virtually traffic free.
There are some quiet areas, for instance in the cathedral close-like green around St Leonard's Church or in East Castle Street which leads up to the one remaining fragment of the Norman castle and the municipal park in the old castle grounds.
At least crossing the road is not too much of a problem as most of the traffic is at a virtual stand-still.
Lavington's Hole
There are a number of caves in the sandstone cliffs that separate the High and Low Towns. One of these near the base of the Cliff Railway, has an interesting history explained on a nearby plaque.
For it was from here that, during the English Civil War, engineers under the command of one Colonel Lavington built a 21m (70ft) long tunnel under the castle in an attempt to blow up the explosives kept in the castle church.
In the end the garrison gave up before this plan could be put into effect, as the local citizens feared the whole town would be destroyed.
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