Thursday, November 2

Reflections on Rog Week

Between October 9th and 15th Rog and I completed five hectic days of classic exploration. Here are some of my personal highlights:

The buses:

  • the 241 and a first glimpse of Rowley village.
  • the return of the 18 - one of my absolute favourite routes - and a ride from Bartley Green to Cotteridge.
  • Lynx haulage at Hawkesley and the 84 shuttle into Cotteridge (including Shannon Road photos)
  • the 598 and a friendly driver who tried to give the bus away to us free of charge, Rog was tempted
  • the 261, waiting at Wombourne Church and then the ride up through Swindon and Pensnett
  • the 312 back to Stourbridge on Tuesday listening to Rog's MP3 (although whether I enjoyed Chesney Hawkes' 'I am the one and only' is debatable)
  • the 32 - a new addition to the favourite routes, explored from Acocks Green to Bills Lane via Gospel Oak
  • Taking photos of the 197 at Solihull, then catching the route to Balsall Common - not to mention a first look at Knowle
  • Visiting Tamworth on the 765, providing a look at Whittington and celebrations when Mom informed me that Wolves had beaten Colchester, excellent!
  • Stourbridge in the dark and the 290 through Wollaston Farm and back to Rog's
  • A first look at Balsall Heath and Moseley as we caught the 50 down to Maypole in readiness for BaMMoT on Sunday. Gave Woody a chance to point out the exact scene of Rog's infamous dogmess incident!

Trains and Railway Stations:

  • Tyseley - another all too brief visit before catching the 36, it would be nice to stop for more than five minutes next time
  • A first visit to Berkswell, although I wasn't that impressed. Station house all boarded up, and a modern footbridge has replaced the much more charming level crossing

The walks:

  • A walk around Woodgate and Bartley Green for a few local photos and a look at the 23 terminus
  • Searching for Ben in Kings Norton Park
  • Exploring Rednal then heading into Cofton Hackett to track down the 47
  • Going local in Wolverhampton: Bushbury Hill And Northwood Park in the fog, followed by Warstones and Spring Hill and soggy shoes on the green
  • Exploring Kings Road in Tyseley, finding the 36 bus stop and then pitching up at Acocks Green for a quick look in the library
  • The Balsall Common Walk: Berkswell station was not as far as I thought, we discovered a nice pub and got drenched heading back up to the bus stop. Oh, and we found out where the Co-op was

The pubs:

  • The Bulls Head overlooking Kings Norton Green
  • The Oak Tree at Rednal after a ride on the 62, nice beer patio
  • Wombourne pubs - the Vine first, then the New Inn for my first proper pint of Banks's
  • The Village Hotel in Dudley - watching cricket and battling the quiz machine
  • The Rock Station at Stourbridge - an old favourite, nice weeknight atmosphere with Blade on the prowl
  • The Brickmakers Arms, near Berkswell Station - nice building, dodgy music
  • The Forest in Dorridge - a Rog outing favourite, and its in the Good Food Guide
  • The pub in Burton where I sampled Pedigree. Beer was nice but I can't remember what the pub was called. Stood at the bar on a busy Saturday afternoon, a proper pub experience at the town that is renowned as the home of brewing.

The food:

  • My first taste of a donner burger in the bus shelter at Pool Farm
  • Scollop and pie at Wombourne, sitting on a bench outside Barclays
  • Visiting Woolworths at Wednesbury for extra supplies of chocolate and crisps
  • Chips at Knowle, waiting for to photograph the 40A & 40C
  • Beer and a burger at Lichfield, the cider went to my head
  • A quick takeaway at Sedgley after the Monty's Bar incident

A week full of great memories there, and hopefully we'll add a few more with any trips we might do in the future. I think its safe to say the week was a success!

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous8:41 am

    Strange Music at Berkeswell, I diont think so. And the pub at Dorridge - A first - actually returning to a pub we have already visited.

    Still cant find ben!!

    ReplyDelete