Shrewsbury Town

It was head down now for the 35 miles to Shrewsbury. The wind and rain were quite a problem so I just tried to think of anything but the miles to cover. I am starting to look forward to getting back home now and dreamed of driving a car rather than be exposed to the elements and have to pedal. I stopped near Ellesmere by the lakeside and had a warm coffee. I shared a mince pie with a little robin who had taken up residence in the cafe.

Shrewsbury gave me the traditional sloppy welcome with all the rain. I had arranged to meet my friend and host for the night Charles Crosland at the ground. He is Shrewsbury fan, cricketer and minister but I'm not sure if I've listed that in the right order of priority! The phone reception was bad and the message got through late, so I made my way to the reception. My shirt was signed by a coach and when they realised who I was, I was presented with a signed football. I was taken into the ground for photos and expected to see the pitch flooded as the Severn had burst its banks but it was still green. Rather than get cold and wait for Charles to come down from church I decided to go up to him in town. I asked a passing lady if she knew where Claremont Baptist church was and she said she wasn't sure but knew where the Claremont area was so we walked up together into town. My phone rang; it was the Non League / League Paper wanting an interview. I then ended up in the surreal situation of this strange lady pushing my bike for me as I conducted the interview as we continued to the church. Eventually Charles and I met up and after a chat we drove over to the site of the new stadium.