- All aboard the 10A -
Thursday 26th February and we're underway with a train ride to Walsall, hoping the heavy morning rain will relent in time for our walk. The forecast is an improving one though and conditions do gradually get drier as we catch the 10A to Brownhills West, alighting at the Rising Sun roundabout where the landmark pub remains sadly derelict. Wilkin Road offers a glimpse of the Waterside before we cross the M6 Toll motorway to reach Chasewater Country Park.
- Brownhills West Platform -
A signal box and sidings with mounds of sleepers herald our arrival at Brownhills West Station, the administrative base of the Chasewater Light Railway. Even though our visit was out of season we could still enjoy the station's heritage appeal with vintage luggage, old adverts and even a Hudson's Soap doggy bowl to admire. The tea room is being spruced up ready for the opening gala of 2015, due to take place on Saturday 28th February with events then scheduled to be held throughout the rest of the year.
- Norton Lakeside -
The rain has now completely stopped as we set off on our circuit through to Chasetown. The reservoir looks rather bleak at this time of year, framed by leafless branches with a backdrop of heathland in various shades of brown. We enjoy the walk all the same despite having to contend with the type of muddy puddles that a certain Peppa Pig would wholeheartedly approve of (according to Stephen who seems to be an authority on such cartoon matters). Crossing the Causeway we reach Norton Lakeside, a desolate halt on a grey day perched between the main reservoir and an offshoot lake known as Jeffrey's Pool or The Swag,
- End of the Line -
Chasewater Heaths is a more substantial station where the cafe seems to be attracting good trade even in February. There are adverts here for Nordic walking although we proceed in more conventional fashion, squelching our way past rugby pitches to reach the railway terminus at Church Street Halt. The single platform here is largely unheralded but does provide useful access into Chasetown itself.
- Chasetown Chips -
We're heading that way ourselves, primed for lunch and our first pub of the day. Food comes first as we collect some chips and procure a bench at the local park - luckily I managed to get the requisite photograph before a squally shower sent us scampering to a nearby shelter. We can then dry off in the Uxbridge Arms where Netherwood from Barnsley's Acorn Brewery accompanies reflections on England's recent Cricket World Cup progress.
- The Dam Delegation -
We complete our Chasewater walk by covering the section flanking Pool Road, spotting a small herd of deer before crossing the historic reservoir dam and seeing Anglesey Basin on the Wyrley & Essington Canal laid out below. The weather is now bright and blustery as we call into the Chasewater Innovation Centre, the building which partly replaced the old amusements block I remember from childhood. There is something of an art exhibition taking place here but Nick is soon distracted by the furry friends on sale in the gift shop. Before we know it, he's bought himself a little hedgehog and we now have the rest of the afternoon to think up appropriate names for the latest addition to HRH's cuddly menagerie.
- Prickly Pal in the Prince of Wales -
Horace and Horatio appear to be the leading contenders as we move on into Brownhills and the Prince of Wales pub on Watling Street. Some Doom Bar goes down well here as our new companion does some impromptu taste-testing. A short hop back on the 10A then takes us via Ogley Hay corner to Brownhills centre where the miner statue towers over the roundabout by the old town hall.
- Moonshine and Hedgehog -
A steady stroll down Pelsall Road brings us to the Swan, Walsall CAMRA's Pub of the Year no less where there's just time for a swift half of Abbeydale Moonshine and some daytime TV quiz shows. A trio of pubs then await us in Bloxwich, so the Arriva 23 bus connects us door to door from the Swan to the Wheatsheaf (via Mallory Crescent) so that we can inspect a teapot collection.
- Sign of the Showman -
Our primary Bloxwich target though was the new Wetherspoon's which has recently opened in the town's former cinema. Named the Bloxwich Showman in honour of the renowned funfair entrepreneur Pat Collins, I have to say this is a high-quality conversion of an important local building. Our hedgehog chum sniffs out the Thursday 'Curry Club' deals and then we can draw proceedings to a close with some Whitstable Renaissance Ruby Mild in the Turf Tavern, a place that remains as timeless as ever. Cheers!
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