DUKE WILLIAM: A favourite for starters. Stephen and I time our arrival off the 256 just perfectly to meet Nick from the Parry's People Mover at Stourbridge Town Station, then a little walk down Stourbridge High Street brings us to the welcoming warmth of the Duke William. Having been voted local CAMRA Pub of the Year in 2011, the place is really going from strength to strength, and the same could also be said of the Craddock's Brewery based at the pub - Nick and I sample a selection of the home brews including Capra, Troll and Crest, whilst a Sadler's Hippo also made an appearance. The lounge is very cosy festooned with hops as we try not to talk about England's capitulation to Pakistan in the latest test match.
- Dutiful poses in the Duke William -MAVERICK: After that excellent opener, we proceed to Amblecote courtesy of the 257, alighting by the Old Dial and crossing over to the Maverick. Here we have a distinctly different pub experience as the place has its own Wild West theme, complete with pictures of Native Americans and signs for wolf-shooting bounty hunters. Walking in is more akin to entering a saloon bar as opposed to a Black Country boozer, but there's no doubting its considerable popularity. Stephen tops himself up with blackcurrant and lemonade whilst Nick and I take flight with some Sopwith Camel from the Cottage Brewery in Somerset - yee-haw!
ROBIN HOOD: We weren't quite sure how Nickolenko's Lithuanian tendencies would react from exposure to Country & Western music so we hot-footed it up Collis Street, collecting some tasty chips from the Amblecote Fish Bar on the way. The Robin Hood would be our next port of call, perched on the slope and bedecked with pretty white fairy lights. Inside the pub is very homely and comes with the added bonus of some Enville Old Porter, nicely dark just the way Nick likes it.
- The Starving Rascal -STARVING RASCAL: The pubs around Amblecote are packed closely together so we only had to walk to the top of the road to reach our next target. The Starving Rascal takes its name from a local legend where a former licensee of the then Dudley Arms turned away a starving beggar. No such problems for us this evening as we are warmly greeted and provided with appropriate refreshments - Castle Rock Harvest Pale for me and Malvern Hills Black Pear for Nick. There is a much-appreciated real fire on the go to help us stave off the chills, and we admire more hop decorations as well as ceramic jugs and a whiskey menu board.
SWAN: I said the pubs were close, well the next one is literally nine doors (I counted them personally!) further down Brettell Lane. In a first for Stephen, we actually find ourselves waiting outside for the pub to open, then at 7pm the landlord pulls the door ajar and in we troop. Rog and I have enjoyed a few drinks in the lounge here so it seemed appropriate to continue that tradition, settling in with a half of Abbeydale's Transformation all the way from Sheffield. The display of pumpclips catches my eye, and whilst we can't see anything cricket-related for Stephen, the landlord invites us to have a look at a further array adorning the canopy in the bar - the Swan always scores highly for Black Country hospitality.
BIRD IN HAND: Having ambled our way around Amblecote it was time to weave a trail into Wordsley. The Red House Glass Cone was lit up on the skyline, acting as a guiding angel pulling us towards our next inn. The Bird in Hand is a backstreet corner local on John Street situated right in the shadow of the cone, and the lounge here provides a most relaxed setting where a half of Bumblehole is accompanied by soft lighting and candles.
- A Motley Bunch in the New Inn -NEW INN: We have one final stop in order to complete matters, so we set off into the cold once more and haul ourselves up Wordsley Hill. At the top end of the High Street the New Inn awaits us, a no-nonsense place where the Bitter is the main attraction - it's hard to beat a bit of Bathams! Stephen gamely takes care of another lemonade and blackcurrant, and we time our exit just right to catch the 20:29 256 directly back to Wolverhampton.
What a gem of an outing that turned out to be! I've always had a high regard for the pubs we visited, and my thanks go to Rog for acquainting me with them in the first place. Beer wise we did a proper tour of local breweries with Craddocks, Sadlers, Enville, Olde Swan and Bathams all represented, and each of the pubs had their own individuality to make for an evening full of interest. Add in the chips and the chat, and all in all it was top notch stuff.
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