It's summertime, summertime, sum-sum-summertime and the Hub Marketing Board will be in session once more, lapping up the lovely July sunshine. If all goes to plan, long term targets could be sampled (of both a pub and breakfasting persuasion) plus there's a strong chance of a beer festival too...
- A Well Lane Cuppa -
Trip Log: Friday 3rd July 2026 sees Hub members converge upon Wolverhampton Bus Station for a delayed 10:30 rendezvous, the Chairman having been counting Wollaston grannies while Secretary WME waited in vain for a Perton bus to show up. Once reunited, our immediate task is to obtain a greasy spoon breakfast with Wednesfield's Well Lane Cafe top of the D9 wishlist as regards bacon, egg and sausage. Situated close to the local library and community centre, this place has been serving fry-ups since 1965 and has drivers queuing out the door awaiting sandwich orders. We find a spare table and settle in for a quality cuppa, noting a display shelf showcasing tributes to dearly departed customers. 'Bryan' must have been well known for his love of Torpedo sandwiches sliced in half and smothered in brown sauce it seems!
- Spotted at the Uxbridge Arms -
Happily fed, we feel ready to take on the rest of the day, the centrepiece of which should be a visit to the Chasewater Rail & Ale Festival at Brownhills West Station. We'll go the long way round to get there, including popping to Pelsall to satisfy some D9 curiosities en route. These mostly relate to the Fingerpost (for St Austell's Tribute ale and an inspection of the replaced Yorks Bridge on the Wyrley & Essington Canal) and the Old House at Home (a fairly average Marston's effort closer to the village centre). We've earmarked the number 8 bus to convey us through Clayhanger into Brownhills but the route is on diversion due to High Street roadworks. Instead we pitch up at Chasetown Clock where the Uxbridge Arms attracts bald spot glances.
- Chasewater Heaths Signal Box -
It would have been rude not to have availed ourselves of Black Country Ales refreshment at this juncture and the Uxbridge Arms is more than up to the task. Lymestone's Stone Cold is a strong bitter which keeps us lubricated during a titanic darting tussle. Somehow or other, WME Whirlwind manages to find the finishing prowess to win all three legs played, despite an initial inability to throw straight - the Secretary's 74 checkout in the second leg proved particularly decisive, leaving poor D9 Destroyer dumbfounded. A Church Street wander then has us in position to investigate some of the Chasewater Railway's halts and stations, following tracks skirting the edge of the reservoir. These effectively are a throwback to the former colliery line, reminders of Cannock Chase's proud mining heritage. Chasewater Heaths has a signal box beside a level crossing, plus part of the buildings here have been converted into a cafe.
- The Victoria Club -
The stops at Chasetown (Church Street) and Norton Lakeside currently both look a little drab in all honesty, shorn of any signage and probably in need of some TLC, but the railway runs on a charitable basis and we all know times are hard at the moment. Our Chasewater roam is accompanied by silly songs extolling the virtues of Stockport (courtesy of Frankie Vaughan) and Central Milton Keynes, not to mention Frankie Yankovic's polka polemic 'In Heaven There Is No Beer'. Luckily for us there is still some beer in this corner of Staffordshire, most notably at the Victoria Club on Norton East Road. Chairman D9 loves this place, getting all nostalgic about crusty pitmen frequenting the social club in years gone by. These days it serves up an appreciated WME £3.40 Carling discount and a variety of World Cup opinions.
- Prepared for Action? -
After that very enjoyable brush with Norton Canes, we are clear to proceed to Brownhills West Station which serves as the Chasewater Railway's flagship location. The Sidings Tearoom and railway shop can be found here, serving up cakes and stocking a range of model locomotives respectively, while there is also a bric-a-brac selection inside an old carriage for those seeking to unearth bargain curios. Secretary WME eyes up the engines which work the two mile track (including the notable section crossing The Causeway near Norton Lakeside) with both steam and diesel enthusiasts catered for, subject to the timetable. Mr D9 meanwhile considers if he ought to sign up for a triathlon group, eventually deciding he prefers less energetic pursuits!
- Beowulf Feortig -
And now to the day's main event, Chasewater Rail & Ale as held in conjunction with Walsall CAMRA. 37 real ales are poised inside the Engine Shed hence we check in with the volunteer hosts and procure an £11 token card each, covering us for three pints or six halves. These are put to excellent use straight away in exchange for Beowulf's Feortig, a Saxon-sounding tipple billed as a sessionable offering laden with hints of grapefruit and mango. The Chairman finds something exceedingly hoppy very much to his liking and similarly approves of Green Duck's Shoreline even though it counts as a tarmac in D9 terminology. My second pick thereafter is Kynn Brewery’s Scottish Meadowsweet Ale which has a curious mellow herbal flavour
- Brownhills West Traction -
The beer is great but there's no denying a big part of the attraction is the railway setting, being able to admire heavy duty rolling stock with our plastic glasses in hand. Retaining hints of its Northern Rail livery, carriage 55570 is part of a Class 142 set complete with Warrington blinds, whereas a former Burton-based shunting locomotive carries a 1929 plate for the Worthingtons Brewery. My tokens are then spent out on Lemon Greg and Bees Knees, contrasting blonde beers. The former hails from Fixed Wheel with all the zesty citrus the name implies, whereas the latter is a Revolution Brewery creation described as ‘buzzing with flavour. In between times, Mr D9 has an encounter with a Forest Elk, said to be Norwegian Red in style. Nice!
- Cheers to England! -
The Chairman lives to tell the tale after that Scandinavian interloper and is fighting fit to pursue a nightcap or two within the wider Walsall area. Intercepting the 937 bus near the Rising Sun roundabout, we breeze into the outskirts of Aldridge to seek out the Hop Station, a micropub based within the shopping parade by the Lazy Hill Tavern. Barstools and banter mark this out as a great discovery, especially with Green Duck's Overlord on top form (it's a 4.5% fruity pale ale brewed as one of their May monthly specials). A well-timed scurry for a number 7 bus fresh out of Castlefort allows just enough wriggle room for a WS1 Lounge finale over in Walsall town centre - cue the remarkable sight of Mr D9 busting a groove on Andy's Dancefloor. This party bar, in common with many venues, has really embraced the World Cup spirit so we raise a final glass to Thomas Tuchel and the lads in their ongoing bid for glory. Cheers!
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