Thanks...and 4-day itinerary to include Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is very pleasant. Tewkesbury is in the neighbourhood, a very pleasant town with an interesting cathedral. We were poking around in the cathedral one day and the priest discovered we were from America and gave us a grand tour (along with a small group of local schoolkids) including behind the scenes. Very friendly people. We also visited Ludlow and Ledbury on that trip, very nice with Black and White buildings. All of these are convenient to returning via the Cotswolds. i would allow at least one night in Cotswolds. (Cotswolds will be crowded from Friday night through Saturday afternoon in July if the weather is good). So you can stay in Shrewsbury, Tewkesbury church service, Ludlow, Ledbury on way back and Monday night in Cotswolds. (Coventry cathedral is modern, with the WWII ruins of the old one next to it- a little out of your way).

Lois, some big, broad questions there. I take it you're driving? Train travel from London to Shrewsbury will take some time. Are you aware that the Wrexham and Shropshire Railway has ceased trading? All the years I worked trains to Shrewsbury past one of the tallest and biggest signal boxes left, and I never knew there was still an active Abbey there. Learn something every day! BTW my lady wife tells me (she knew) that the cloisters have gone and its not as nice as Tewksbury Abbey. Also the Cadfael tours finished a couple of years ago. The Sunday service at a cathedral is more difficult if you're not in a car. The trains, particularly in Shropshire, don't start until late on a Sunday. Car would be easier. Which cathedral is even tougher. They all are somewhat different, with Coventry exceedingly different. What do you want from your cathedral? Windows? Music? Bells? Dead knights? Shrines? Close to a particular route? Near a train station? Big or small? I know all the places you mentioned but as I don't know what you're after I will defer recommending. How did Ludlow get in the mix? In a 2 day mini-excursion? Please elaborate....

For clarification.... We will be traveling by car. As far as what we are looking for in a cathedral......good liturgy and music. The information regarding Shrewsbury vs. Tewkesbury was interesting and I will certainly look into information for the latter. We'll also stay clear of the Cotswolds over the weekend. That information was just what I was looking for. Thanks.

I can't speak for liturgy - I would assume that they are all basically similar. What I can speak about is the fabric and the bell peals. Worcester has one of the best peals in the country. Parking is possible on a Sunday, easiest around Royal Worcester. The Cathedral Close is a wonderful place, and a great place to listen to the bells ringing changes the half hour before the service begins (also in Cathedral Close is the toilet block and information centre. You can also walk down the stairs to the path along the Severn River and check out the swans and scullers. The interior of Worcester Cathedral is beautiful, well balanced and the acoustics are good. They have 4 different choirs. Have a dig around the website. Tons of information. You didn't mention Tewkesbury Abbey . My wife, she who knows, as she is a dyed in the wool Cadfael fan, says it is likely a better place to experience an Abbey. Easy to get to, beautiful, surrounded by water when the water is up, in perfect nick, visible for miles around. She wanted me to say that the Abbey in Shrewsbury is the actual Abbey that Ellis Peters set the stories in, but is not where it was filmed so would not look familiar. The setting of Tewkesbury is unique. There is a ringers page with a nice photo of the Abbey and 10 seconds of the pealing bells. They have a ring of 12 bells. They follow the Benedictine tradition of the Abbey and follow an Anglo-Catholic liturgy, very high church. I've run out of space and will continue anon.

Should probably say that there is very little left of Shrewsbury Abbey - just the Abbey church and a garden with some visible foundations and noticeboards indicating where stuff used to be.

Nigel is making Tewkesbury sound very interesting. One year I was out in the country and followed the sound of bells practicing- found Fairford church in Cotswolds that way. Great little church with famous pre-reformation (as i recall) stained glass. We visit it regularly when we are in the Cotswolds.

The plan is to write about Christ Church Oxford - I assume that's the one meant - and Coventry's new and old tomorrow, with others bringing up the rear....

To hear about Christ Church Oxford would be great....and any one's personal opinion about CC Oxford vs. Tewkesbury or Worcester for our cathedral experience. I think I have crossed off Coventry from our list based input already. For all that has been I very much appreciate everyone's willingness to share their knowledge and/or opinions.

I'd hoped that somebody else would have jumped in here to give personal experience of Christ Church Oxford - the Cathedral, but no. They have a decent website at http://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/cathedral My wife and I were having a bit of a chin-wag about it and we came up with the fact that neither of us have attended either a concert or service there. We agree that it is a beautiful building but we want to caution you on a couple of things. Oxford is at the southern edge of the area you want to visit. The Christ Church Oxford is the chapel for Christ Church College of Oxford University. You will be there between terms so the University and everything associated with it will have geared way back for the summer. There are lovely things in and around the colleges but much less to see. I remember you are driving. The local government in the city of Oxford hates, with a passion, automobiles. Really, they do. Oxford has a bicycle and pedestrian mentality. They have done everything in their power to make driving in Oxford expensive and difficult. Parking is extremely difficult, even on Sundays. Unless you are really switched on you may easily find either no parking or after you have parked in what you are sure is a legal place you will come back to a ticket from one of the virtual army of parking operatives. I drive into Oxford every couple of weeks on business. Its no fun. We don't know exactly what you and your party are looking for, but if it were us leading new folks around we would definitely take them to Worcester Cathedral. Great location in town, easy parking, incredible interior, fantastic bells, organ, acoustics, views; approachable, and practically in the Cotswolds. Over to you, Lois.

You or your companion might enjoy the Brother Cadfeal series by Ellis Peters; "cozy" murder mysteries set in 12th century Shrewsbury Abbey and solved by the herbalist monk Brother C.