Chester and Shrewsbury

It was a day full of old timber framed buildings. In other words, lovely.

I had a glance at Chester the evening before, as I searched for a hostel, which no longer existed, and ended up in a bed and breakfast.

In the morning I had a better chance to take in Chester by walking the old walls around it. One of the more notable points is the clock at the Eastgate, dating from 1897's Diamond Jubilee for Queen Victoria.

The city is also full of Tudor and Victorian wood-framed beauties.

My next stop along my southward trajectory was Shrewsbury -- birthplace of Charles Darwin -- which also had its share of gorgeous houses.

The Council House Gatehouse (above) was my favorite. 

A sign in an alley through these buildings read: 

"Notice: This wall is very old. DO NOT prop bicycles or prams against it."

Just across the river was the abbey. 

Extensions of the edifice were ruined, leaving odd bits across the street. 

The day was hardly done. I took a fairly fruitless detour to Much Wenlock, where I arrived just in time to see the priory grounds being locked. I then proceeded to wait for the bus for an hour so that I could head onward to Ludlow.