- Snow Hill Station Sign -
Birmingham Snow Hill is our chosen meeting point with Stephen also joining us for the initial towpath trek. First of all we investigate the station's Livery Street exit, which emerges among the arches close to Nick's favourite Lithuanian sausage shop. The access at this end of the station will in due course become the location for a new Midland Metro stop so that direct tram and train interchange will once more be possible at Snow Hill.
- Aston Locks -
Steps from Livery Street lead us down to the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal where the BT Tower gradually recedes on the skyline as we leave the city centre behind. Barker Bridge (resplendent in engine green with 1842 date letters) and Newtown Row both feature before we approach Aston Junction where there's a distinct whiff of smoke in the air. Aston Locks stretch out in front of us for a steady descent into Heartlands - the scenery is industrial without being overwhelmingly grim while the Dollond & Aitchison offices by Rocky Lane have their own landscaped lock inlet.
- Britannia once ruled the Lichfield Road -
We leave the canal at Holborn Hill within spitting distance of Aston railway station. Before catching our next connection there are a couple of pub landmarks for me to photograph - the Swan & Mitre (strangely branding itself under the umbrella of 'Countryside Inns') and the Britannia (a heritage building now used as an Eritrean cafe). The 11:35 train dutifully gets us to Walsall just in time for lunch and some Highgate Old Ale in the Imperial Wetherspoons. Stephen then bids us farewell, but not before he's loaded up with sweeties courtesy of the Chocolate Box's traditional confectionery delights.
- Getting Stuck in the Mud? -
To our first festival of the day whereby Walsall Town Hall is hosting the local CAMRA ale extravaganza. With tokens and glass in hand we can pick out our preferred tipples from the enticing array on offer. Praetorian Porter, Milky Milky, Great Newsome Jem's Stout and Morton's Essington Old Ale all make appearances, while Nick at one point becomes dangerously Stuck In The Mud (AJ's Brewery stout) until successfully managing to extract himself. Along the way we get chatting to Mac and Jane from Birmingham who provide entertaining insights from their attempts to complete the Black Country Brewery's ale trail.
- Queen's Head, Wednesbury -
Two of the beers at Walsall are however worthy of special mention: Backyard's Coaltown is something akin to liquid charcoal with an intensely scorched fragrance to match, while Fownes Cnebba proves itself an absolute beast of a 7% baltic porter. Just after 4pm we reluctantly prise ourselves away from Walsall and make tracks into Wednesbury, pit-stopping at the Queens Head on Brunswick Park Road for an altogether more restrained half of Wye Valley's Hereford Pale Ale.
- Cob Chemistry with Test Tube Turpin -
Our second festival involves an early evening engagement at Cafe Metro in Bilston, finding our way down an alley to a back unit somewhere above the tram tracks. Grey peas and Northern Soul songs are the order of the day here along with some excellent beer in contrasting colours. Enville Old Porter and Holden's Woodsetton provide the gold and black hues respectively, but once we add the lurid green of Stonehenge Sign of Spring into the mix it looks like we've embarked upon a mad lab experiment! 'Test Tube Turpin' is thereby duly christened to bring to an end a day of much magnificence. Cheers!
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