wem/Shrewsbury whats to do

[TheHumanCatapult]

We are camping for a week at Wem and wondering what there is to do around the area

have ds1 (17) ds(14) ds3(5) dd(8) they are pretty easy going

Now here is the tricky part needs to be wheelcahir accessible ( for me) also public transport to as will not have car .

Thank you

Hi,

You will be able to catch a bus to Shrewsbury which has both a shopping centre and some lovely little shops and a castle / black and white buildings / Abbey etc. - most of it is wheel chair accessible but very hilly - the main shopping street is on a steep hill (Pride Hill). As is the more boutique area called Wyle Cop / Dogpole. you will come in at the bus stop and be able to get in a lift up to the top of the shopping centre and then work your way down through the streets form there. It also has a 'Theatre Severn' which tend to have some quite big names on. Some good pubs and eateries too and the park by the river Severn is wheel chair accessible and has a nice path by the river and 'the dingle' which is basically a pretty area with grottos etc..

I'm not sure how the buses run but Ellesmere is very pretty - lots of wildlife, nice cafe and a flat walk along half of the mere (big lake). Would deffo recommend.

Wem itself is a small market town - there is a folklore library called Mythstories and erm.... .....you will be able to get your basics there.

HTH - if you have any more question feel free to ask...i will think of more stuff if i can and get back to you...

I used to live in Wem so I shall give you the benefit of my years of carefully accrued knowledge!

Wem itself is a fairly small market town but Wem Town Hall has regular live music, theatre, flicks in the sticks etc and it's worth a look on their website. There's a swimming pool and a reasonable choice of little high street shops plus a decent Co-op supermarket. The walk from the campsite (I assume you are staying at Lower Lacon Caravan Park) is a proper footpath into town and wouldn't take more than 10 minutes at most. The Old Rectory is really nice for meals as well.

There are trains about every two hours (much quicker and more reliable than the buses) into Shrewsbury, it's a 15min train ride. Shrewsbury itself is probably my favourite place and well worth a visit, although it is fairly hilly it is not unmanageable. There are lots of lovely little individual shops as well as your big high street names and the architecture is gorgeous.

Theatre Severn has a lot on and is worth a visit to the coffee shop for the lovely views over the river. Visit Shrewsbury is useful website too. I highly recommend going down to the park (also know as the Quarry or the Dingle) because it is lovely to mooch along the river banks - there are proper wide tarmaced paths - and the flowers in the central garden are stunning. There are also a lot of nice places for eating/coffee, my personal favourites are The Old Market Hall, The Armourey, The Bellstone and The Lion and pheasant.

Depending on when you go the Shrewsbury Flower Show is worth a days visit and they have fantastic fireworks in the evening (which are free to watch if you stand on the opposite river bank!) Or there's Shrewsbury Castle to visit.

Another really lovely town is Ludlow. It's about 40 mins by train from Wem through the most beautiful countryside, lots of beautiful old buildings again, fab little shops, cafes and restuarants and a 'proper' market on Fridays and Saturdays. Ludlow Castle is worth a wander round too, and in September is the Ludlow Food Festival which is held in the castle grounds and throughout the town and is thoroughly brilliant.

Just looked back and seen how much I've written but hopefully will be of some use. Everything I've mentioned is wheel chair accessible, one thing to bear in mind though is that the public transport from Wem isn't as often as one would like so make sure you don't miss the train/bus as it's normally a while to the next one! Feel free to PM me if there's anything else you want to know

OohThatsMyTractor - are you still local? Glad you could fill in more about Wem ... DH & DSs have been to the swimming pool there and he says it's very nice - and easier to get to than the one in town.

Thank you

We are going to be there the 3rd to 10th of September and yes we are staying at Lower Lacon .Large group of us camping but doing own things as well .

That sounds ideal and gives me some ideas to work on .If the weathers nice i suspect .Ds1 and ds2 will live in the outside pool .Just leaving me with ds3 and dd.

Can I ask do you know if the buses are the sort that have ramps for wheelchairs or just low floors .As if is hilly will take my powerchair instead as I am a lazy mare to save my arms.But downside is that i need ramps where the manual one i can pop a wheelie or ask someone to assist with it .But do not want to wear self out before got there

P0rtBlacksandResident yes I am still local, what did you want to know about Wem?

TheHumanCatapult I'm not sure I can help you much with the ramps question, I know the buses have low floors but whether they have ramps too I'm not sure. This is the bus timetable from Wem to Shrewsbury, but I would recommend the train over the bus anyday, much quicker (15min by train as opposed to 45 mins by bus) and I know the trains have wheelchair ramps.

Btw Shrewsbury also has a big swimming pool with a flume, and an outdoor pool for under 12's, this is all next to the park.

Hth

The outdoor pool was closed for maintenance last week, with no sign as to when it would be opening.

THankyou and thats handy about pool at shresbury as anyone want to take bets on raining

opps and sorry thats the 3-10 August not September .