England – Bridgnorth (En)
Bridgnorth is a historic market town in Shropshire, split by the River Severn into two areas: High Town, situated atop a hill, and Low Town, located along the riverbank. We parked in Low Town. We went there on John’s recommendation—Ben’s stepfather—and loved it. It has a charming bridge and a Cliff Railway—the oldest and steepest in England. We just had to ride the funicular because it’s really cool, as you’ll see; we took it up to the upper town and the ruins of a 12th-century castle.
Where to stay
We stayed at Severn Street, Car, Coach and HGV Park (coordinates 52.533279, -2.412842), where parking was allowed day and night. It costs £3.20, but it’s free from 6 PM until 8 AM. We arrived around 12:15 PM and paid £2. There are no facilities. We parked in the only spaces long enough for us—right next to a van and another motorhome. We went to explore the town, and when we got back, we—and the other motorhome—had been fined! It was £85, or £35 if paid within 15 days. The ticket stated we hadn’t parked in the proper spot. Where were we supposed to park? The other spaces were for cars and were full. We decided to leave rather than spend the night. We called our friends Helen and Rob—whom we were planning to visit the next day—and headed to their place. I do not recommend visiting this town in a motorhome. We left absolutely furious.
What to see
We walked to the bridge, from which you can admire beautiful views of the city.
Right across from the bridge is the cliff railway, and we decided to take it up to see the castle ruins. It is the oldest and steepest funicular in England, and it is tiny. A round-trip ticket cost us £2.50 each, even though we told the woman we only wanted a one-way ticket.
We made our way along the wall until we reached the Church of Mary Magdalene, located just before the castle ruins. It was closed.
We arrived at the castle ruins—12th-century ruins featuring a famous leaning tower that tilts at a wider angle than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It doesn’t show up well in the pictures, but it looks like it’s about to fall at any moment.
We walked through the beautiful castle gardens. The gardens have several statues: one dedicated to those who fell in World War II and another to the first passenger locomotive.
We went to the city centre. We arrived at the main square, and we bought four boxes of strawberries for five pounds at the street market. In the square, you can also see a clock tower and beautiful buildings.
Then we visited St Leonard’s Close. This cathedral-like close has some of the town’s most notable buildings and has witnessed some of the most significant events and personalities of the town’s history.
We continued exploring the city with Ben, taking the opportunity to buy some sweets, and we returned to the bridge.
As I said, when we got back, we found the fine, so we went to Helen and Rob’s house; the next day, they took us to see Much Wenlock—a stunningly beautiful medieval town that you can see in the next blog post.
