Haughmond Hill and Haughmond Abbey

View when we emerged from the trees

Uffington Village with Shrewsbury and Welsh hills behind

The morning was bright with some cloud cover. After breakfast we drove to Haughmond Abbey. As the car park for Haughmond Hill was full we went into the Abbey car park, and found a deep slot. We set out for Haughmond Hill at 10.20. The path was narrow, surrounded by bracken and followed the fence of a quarry. The views were limited due to the trees.

The River Severn and Shrewsbury

The industrial area

I had lived in Shrewsbury until I was ten years old and had often biked over to the hill, so I expected to recognise this walk but it was unfamiliar. I remembered wide paths and expected to have the side of the hill rising beside me instead of the quarry. I thought tree growth could have changed it over fifty years and that the quarry had eaten most of the hill away. It was very disappointing.

Close up on Shrewsbury

Bridge over the river

We left the quarry fence behind and found a path leading to a clearing with splendid views over Shrewsbury. This was more familiar and I could work out where my old home had been as it was near the meandering River Severn.

We went back to the main track and carried on going away from the van. Suddenly the trees thinned out and we reached the main view point on top of Haughmond Hill.

Beautiful Window frames

Impressive Arched window

“This is it!” I exclaimed. “But I can’t remember the path up to here.” There were quite a few people standing around. Where had they all come from?

I spoke to one person who was a local that I used to come here from Sundorne Road when I was a child.

Lottie inspects the ruins

The round turret

“Oh yes there is a cycle track from there through to the hill,” she replied. She pointed out the track which approached the hill from this

The Abbot's Hall

The kitchens and refectory

end. No wonder the walk had been unfamiliar as I had never walked to the hill from the abbey. Another person told Van Man that there was a big car park with a cafe this end of the hill which explained where everyone had come from.

Beautiful stone coping

Chapter House

split level site

Meanwhile Lottie made friends with a family and their cute sausage dog.

We admired the views for a while and then returned the way we had come as the wider tracks I remembered all led the other way.

Back at Sally Van we had a relaxed lunch looking out over Haughmond Abbey. Lottie lay outside by our back door as she usually did during lunch.

Then we had a good look around Haughmond Abbey which was an Augustan ruin. It was spread out over a large site. Surprisingly the main Nave of the Church had steps in the middle of it instead of a large flat floor. A lot of the high arched windows had intact frames giving character to the ruins. 

Lottie exploring the Abbey

Romantic ruins

A roof had been added to the Chapter house and a lot of stonework was displayed in there, safe from the elements. Various figures carved into the pillars also had survived the years.

Thick stone work.

At last we got into Sally Van and set out to find my childhood home. We found it easily a small bungalow next to a row of houses. The front had been added to and the thick hedge around the property had disappeared but the road was fairly unchanged.
Van Man decided to try driving through the town even though I remembered narrow streets. However the centre of Shrewsbury had a one way system in place making the drive through easier. It was a lovely day. I enjoyed seeing places that I had not been to since my primary school days.
The evening at the campsite was relaxing after our busy day

Carved pillars from the cloister