Shrewsbury, Shropshire

From the railway station turn left up Castle Gates to the library on your right. (A) The library – fronted by a statue of Darwin looking suitably distinguished – was once Shrewsbury school, where Darwin was a boarder although accounts suggest he held no love for the place. Have a peak at the wooden beams in the first floor music library.

Turn left and left again down Meadow Place. Cross the road and keep ahead with the bus station on your left. Climb the steps and cross the footbridge, then turn right along the riverside trail. The path skirts the edge of the cricket ground and tracks a tranquil and sylvan loop of the River Severn. Pass a succession of interpretation boards and keep to the path up steps, through terraced gardens and down steps again to a delightful area of unimproved meadows. (B) At the fifth interpretation board, look behind you for a glimpse through trees of the house where Darwin was born on 12 February 1809. Take the footpath away from the river and up a slope and steps between houses onto The Mount.

Turn left, passing Darwin’s former home and follow the pavement path, dropping down steps to reach Franklin roundabout. At the traffic lights, turn right over Welsh Bridge. Cross the road and keep ahead to the timbered Shrewsbury Museum, which repays an inspection of its collection of Darwin, Victorian natural history and Roman artefacts.

Head uphill along Barker Street into Bellstone and cross the road to enter Morris Hall Yard through the iron gates. (C) Here you’ll find the Bellstone, a modestly-sized granite boulder transported to Shropshire by glaciers during the Ice Age. Darwin cited it as helping to spark his interest in geology.

From the Yard turn left and left again up Claremont Hill, (D) Look for number 13, where Darwin was first educated by a Unitarian minister; he was christened at St Chad’s at the top of the lane. The church is a delight, featuring several classical Greek elements and, unusually, a circular nave. Cross into Quarry Park for a walk down to the Dingle, a landscaped garden where the infant Darwin fished for newts. Retrace your steps to St Chad’s terrace, turn right and walk along St Chad’s terrace into Murivance and the city walls.

At the major road junction, turn left up Wyle Cop to reach the Lion Hotel. (E) The Hotel is from where Darwin made a desperate dash by stagecoach to London, having changed his mind and decided to accept an invitation to travel on The Beagle. Cross the road onto Dogpole to reach a Church. (F) This is St Mary’s Church, which Darwin attended as a child. In 1894 the church spire collapsed, prompting a vicar to suggest a divine observation on Darwin’s theories and the decision to honour him with a statue. Continue up the street and turn right into Castle Street to return to the station, or left to spend more time exploring the centre of town.