Day Trips from Manchester

In Brief. Shewsbury is a sprawling market town, with a compact historic centre almost enclosed within a loop of the River Severn, the longest river in England. There is more than a day's worth of things to see and do in Shrewsbury; I took a boat trip on the Severn, made a rather brief visit to the museum, and took a tour of the prison.  However, there is also a historic town centre to explore, an abbey and a castle.  What's Here? Having parked near the Abbey, I started by walking along the riverside path towards the Quarry Park, a large open area between the town centre and the river.  This includes the Dingle, an immaculately maintained garden area, with characterful water features and colourful borders.  The Dingle in Quarry Park. My destination was a Sabrina Boat Trip , which as it turns out visited the same part of the river as I had just walked. However, with at-seat refreshments and a commentary providing historical context and humorous asides, this was both a...

In Brief. The Museum of Making  is a modern museum, opened in 2021, beside the River Derwent and near the centre of Derby across a small park from the cathedral. The museum entrance is into a grand civic hall that includes a suspended Rolls Royce jet engine and a disassembled Toyota car. The museum has a variety of exhibitions on making and manufacturing, often themed by the material used, though perhaps "making" is rather a broad remit, leading to a somewhat fragmented narrative. The Museum of Making What's Here? The Museum of Making is an ambitious modern museum in a historic silk mill. This is a museum based around objects rather than a central activity such as a particular industry, though there is a small exhibition on silk making and on the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site, which was supported by a friendly volunteer on my visit. The entrance opens into the airy Civic Hall, which features a Rolls Royce jet engine and a Toyota car, both suspended from the cei...