Bridgnorth

Just a few miles down the River Severn from Ironbridge, is the lovely town of Bridgnorth. Perfect for an afternoon out from The Barn. The hilltop makes an ideal setting for a fortress and the first one was built here by Aethelflaed, daughter of King Alfred, to guard against the Danes in 917 AD.

We parked on the other side of the river, walked across the bridge from Low Town, and took the Castle Hill funicular railway - the only remaining such inland railway in England.

It takes you up the 111ft cliff for a return fair of only 90p.

Today there is little left of the later 12th Century Norman Castle apart from the ruins of the keep, which leans at a crazy angle of 15 degrees.

The roses in the garden around it looked and smelt wonderful.

But there's one thing that Bridgnorth has that got Little W really interested - it is the northern terminus for the famous Severn Valley Railway.

Unfortunately we didn't have time for a journey that day, but we did get to sneak aboard a GWR First Class carriage for a few minutes.

Returning through the old town, we walked down the hill. There's not much traffic, but we nearly got knocked down by this...

...the Bridgnorth version of the Cresta Run in operation!