03/05/2012 17:03 03/05/2012 1 Waterways.indd & Wildlife - 30504 Designed by close to Greyfriars Bridge Greyfriars to close centre cafés, pubs and sandwich shops shops sandwich and pubs cafés, centre to eat in the Rea Brook Valley. Town Town Valley. Brook Rea the in eat to MA Creative Gardens and in Coleham: buy a picnic picnic a buy Coleham: in and Gardens Refreshments: Shops on Spring Spring on Shops walking if preferred. if walking Council,April2012 •©Shropshire •www.macreative.co.uk • www.macreative.co.uk • © Shropshire Council,April2012 •©Shropshire •www.macreative.co.uk busy road where there is the option of of option the is there where road busy muddy. There is one short stretch on a a on stretch short one is There muddy. www.sncanal.org.uk paths are unsurfaced so may be be may so unsurfaced are paths Shrewsbury and Newport Canal Trust Canal Newport and Shrewsbury can use any sort of bicycle but some some but bicycle of sort any use can www.naturalshropshire.org.uk quiet roads or traffi c-free paths. You You paths. c-free traffi or roads quiet Type of route and surface: and route of Type Mostly Mostly Natural Shropshire Natural Time: Allow 2-3 hours 2-3 Allow www.shropshire.gov.uk/countryside.nsf Tel: 01743 255957 255957 01743 Tel: short walk. short Distance: 11km / 7 miles plus optional optional plus miles 7 / 11km Shropshire Council Parks and Countryside team Countryside and Parks Council Shropshire What sort of ride is it? it? is is ride ride of of sort sort What What www.shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk Purple ramping fumitory ramping Purple Tel: 01743 284280 01743 Tel: to take your binoculars. your take to Shropshire Wildlife Trust Wildlife Shropshire of the shyer creatures. Remember Remember creatures. shyer the of www.discoverdarwin.co.uk have the best chance of seeing some some seeing of chance best the have Darwin Festival in February 2011. February in Festival Darwin keep still for a few minutes you will will you minutes few a for still keep fi rst published as part of the annual annual the of part as published rst fi stops on this ride and remember if you you if remember and ride this on stops on 12 February 1809. This leafl et was was et leafl This 1809. February 12 on them in the heart of town. Allow time for for time Allow town. of heart the in them plants and animals – and you can see see can you and – animals and plants Charles Darwin Charles was born in Shrewsbury Shrewsbury in born was for wildlife and is home to some unusual unusual some to home is and wildlife for Darwin Shrewsbury has some very special places places special very some has Shrewsbury the family friendly series. friendly family the Waterways Visit our website or call 01743 253008 for details of other leafl ets in in ets leafl other of details for 253008 01743 call or website our Visit There are loads of great places to cycle in and around Shrewsbury. around and in cycle to places great of loads are There Wildlife and Wildlife cycle in Shrewsbury. in cycle free cycle shop discount card; or for tips and advice on where to to where on advice and tips for or card; discount shop cycle free FREE about Cycle Shrewsbury; details of events; to get your your get to events; of details Shrewsbury; Cycle about www.cycleshrewsbury.co.uk to fi nd out more more out nd fi to Visit FAMILY FRIENDLY RIDES RIDES FRIENDLY FAMILY Cycle Shrewsbury Cycle Further information Further Wildlife and waterways – St Mary’s Water Lane things to see along the ride The nationally rare purple-ramping fumitory grows here. Sundorne newt pool* Water rail. Photo © John Harding English Bridge Goosander. Photo © John Harding Great crested newts are a protected species and Look out for goosanders, cormorants, little the population living in Sundorne is internationally grebe, mute swans and of course lots of important. The newts, along with other wildlife, mallard ducks and black headed gulls. benefi t from this pool which was created recently. Goosanders are one of only two birds in If you are lucky you may see the shy water rail. the UK to have a serrated bill to help hold on to fi sh. Growing in the cracks in the Old Shrewsbury Canal* wall by the river are some large showy You are cycling next to the Old Shrewsbury Canal. The canal was opened in plants like purple loosestrife, St John’s 1797 and offi cially closed in 1944. It brought barges all the way to town from the wort, and water fi gwort. Shropshire Union canal near Market Drayton. The canal was abandoned and is now Rea Brook meadow* a valuable area for wildlife. You can walk or cycle along most of the canal route in Shrewsbury, from the Canal Tavern near the station out to the village of Uffi ngton. Hay from an existing nature reserve was strewn over this part of the meadow next to the Rea Greenfi elds Community Woodland* Brook with the result that many wildfl owers can This area of woodland was planted by local people in 2001 and, along with the now be seen here behind the large clump of nearby pool is providing a valuable habitat for wildlife. trees. Look out for yellow rattle which is partly parasitic on grasses and reduces the height of D Old River Bed* grass where it grows. An oxbow of the River Severn cut off from the Riverside bench main river thousands of years ago and long since silted up. The area is now a mix of marsh and fen This is a great place to lunch and watch river wildlife like kingfi shers, trout and the and is the best site for wildlife in Shrewsbury. It banded demoiselle damselfl y. is the closest Site of Special Scientifi c Interest Mousefi eld* to Shrewsbury. At dusk you can see barn owls hunting over this wildlife rich wetland. The site is Here’s another meadow that has been seeded from a nature reserve. Barn owl. Photo © John Harding kept in good condition by using cattle to graze the Look out for yellow rattle, tufted vetch and a range of other interesting scrub. plants and a good variety of insects. Kingfi sher. Photo © John Harding Flaxmill area Weir The Ditherington Flax Mill is the fi rst iron-framed building In November this is a great place to watch in the world and is in the care of English Heritage. Plans to salmon jumping up the weir. Also look out save it and restore it for a variety of uses are awaiting funding for kingfi shers. (February 2011). When the restoration is complete it will offer a whole range of facilities including improved cycle routes in *Sites managed by Shropshire Council’s this part of Shrewsbury. Parks and Countryside Team. Tel: 01743 255957. To fi nd out more www.fl axmill-maltings.co.uk Purple loosestrife SCALE: ½ Kilometre Directions Start: Shrewsbury sports village, Sundorne Road, SY1 4RQ 1 From the sports village follow signs to Route 81, Town Centre. 2 Turn right when you reach Route 81 signed Town Centre and Ditherington. 3 Follow the old canal to Telford Way and cross by the toucan crossing. Keep straight on along the old canal Banded demoiselle © Nigel Jones signed to Ditherington. 4 Turn left when you reach Spring Gardens. Take care: this stretch has busy traffi c so you may prefer to walk. If on foot cross Spring Gardens at the pelican crossing by New Park Close (approx 300m). 5 Turn right on to Crewe St, and follow signs to Herongate and Harlescott, past Flaxmill and down track. 6 Go under the railway and keep Tufted vetch straight on signed Herongate and Harlescott. 7 Take the fi rst right signed Hubert Way. On your right is the Old River Bed nature reserve/SSSI (for the best views cycle up to the top Take care of Hubert Way – 750m). Retrace steps back to the Flax Mill (signed Toucan crossing Castlefi elds and Ditherington). Pedestrian crossing 8 Cross Spring Gardens at Factory Children’s play area Bridge (plaque on wall) and join the old canal path, signed Town Centre. Steps 9 Continue to end of path and join New Shops Park Road. Turn left then immediately right into Beacalls Lane (signed to HM Underpass Prison and station car park). One way traffi c. Take fi rst left into Severn Street (two way traffi c, take care). 10 At the bottom go straight ahead, cross Victoria Street, and down to the riverside path. Take care. Rejoin Route 81 and turn right signed Town Centre along riverside. © Crown copyright and database rights 2012 Ordnance Survey 100049049 You are not permitted to copy, sub-licence, distribute or sell any of this data to third parties in any form 11 Pass under railway and under English Bridge. 22 Cross the river on the footbridge and bear left, then 12 Take the ramp up to Greyfriars footbridge and cross turn left down to the riverside path, signed Town the river. Brook Valley. Collect your bikes for the return Centre and Harlescott (you should recognise this journey and retrace your route back up Rocke St. 13 Turn right on to Longden Coleham and then bit!). Turn left along the riverside path. From here you will be following signs for Route 81 to Sundorne immediately left into Greyfriars Road. At the T Cross Old Potts Way at the pedestrian refuge and 17 for the rest of the ride.