I meant to write this post on Valentines Day, the week after Graeme and I got back from our romantic weekend in Shrewsbury for our two year anniversary. I was going to include a soppy paragraph about what a wonderful two years it has been and how lucky I feel to be able to share such adventures with such a special person ect…ect. But it’s nearing the end of February now and we’ve all had enough of that!
Why we picked Shrewsbury as our destination of choice neither of us can remember. We had ever been before and all I’d heard was that it had some nice buildings! However I am glad we chose there. We stayed at Porterhouse SY1 on St. Mary’s Street, a bed and breakfast/restaurant right in the town centre. We had lunch in the conservatory before being shown up to our room and I decided I liked the place straight away.
I hate to use the word ‘vibe’ but it had a very nice vibe. I loved the exposed brick walls and the mismatch of metal chairs at the tables. I’d read a review on Trip Advisor that said “nothing in the place is straight” but I liked that about it. We stayed in a standard room which was lovely too with a slightly more traditional decor than the restaurant downstairs. I particularly liked the oak beams and the rooms low ceiling which just instantly made it feel cosy. We were excited to get the weekend started!
That first day we had a wonder around Shrewsbury’s main shopping areas and picked up a few bits. Off the main high street on Butcher Row and Wyle Cop were lots of lovely independent and boutique shops perfect for one-off buys and unique gifts. I could have spent all weekend just there! One of our main goals while we were out was to scout out somewhere we could go for dinner in the evening. There were plenty of old pubs and restaurants along the towns medieval streets but in the end we chose to eat at the popular Indian restaurant, Shalimar near the English Bridge. After dinner we enjoyed some live music and a few drinks at a nice little Cuban bar nearby before calling it a night.
On the Saturday, our second day, we visited Ironbridge, a small village on the River Severn and about 30 minutes drive from Shrewsbury. On a nice day it would have been a lovely place for a wander. We had a walk over the bridge but it was too cold and rainy to venture much further. Instead we took refuge in a nice little tea room to warm up and enjoyed a cream tea. From Ironbridge we drove to Telford, a relatively new town and quite modern in contrast to everywhere else we’d visited. After a bit more shopping we headed back to our room for a rest.
On Saturday evening we didn’t venture very far. We’d booked a table for dinner at Porterhouse so all we had to do was toddle downstairs. We came down early in time for happy hour at the bar and indulged in a few cocktails before our meal. I had a blogger fail moment and forgot to take a photo of our food before we demolished it but let me tell you, it was delicous!
Of course the day we were leaving to go home the weather was glorious. As we were bundling our bags into the boot of the Mercedes hire car Graeme had organised for the weekend we remembered we hadn’t visited Shrewsbury Castle! I do love a good castle. We were able to park alongside the castle as we were heading out of the town to catch a quick glimpse. And by glimpse I mean peering through the large wooden gates in-front of the castle as it turned out it was closed for Winter. Ah well, another time maybe…
