Chasewater Rail & Ale with Mr D9

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!

WME Flickr Focus - June 2026

We've seen with some of the FIFA World Cup results that June has proven the month of the underdog, what with Curacao and Cape Verde picking up historic draws while other teams such as Canada, Egypt and even Scotland have registered notable victories. The WME photostream is obviously not in the same league as such a prestigious global tournament but the minnows have been holding their own here too...

June has seen plenty of activity from galleries that are usually quiet and I begin this round-up with news that WME Coventry and WME Solihull have both located a new arrival down the back of the sofa. Coventry's addition is an archive glimpse of Sutton Stop on the Oxford Canal back in 2011, and from the same year comes Solihull's successful recruitment of the Toby Jug pub at Kingshurst. Hardly earth-shattering stuff I grant you but every little helps!

Okay, fine. One measly added item each isn't enough to cut the mustard with some sticklers among my readership so WME Walsall can genuinely boast good progress. There have been several nice nuggets gleaned from Walsall town centre, including a 1970's Day promotional piece at The Crossing, an Old Square shopping centre logo and a tempting cask pint at the Black Country Arms. Taxi companies battle Guildhall shiny lettering for attention, then there's an intriguing sighting of a Walsall Wood angler sculpture, but perhaps the weirdest find of all goes to the papier mache tiger model at the Fountain pub. Grrrowwlll!

As well as Walsall has done, the race for the Golden Boot has been led by the unlikeliest of challengers. Kane, Mbappe, Haaland and Messi are all sticking the goals away for fun in North America, seemingly inspiring WME Telford and WME Warwickshire to follow suit. I have Wellington to thank for Telford's excellent form - the Cock Hotel, boot bunting and chip shop signage have all contributed - whereas Warwickshire has leaned heavily on principal creators Stratford (Sheep Street) and Warwick (the Black Pug, Greville Road and a motley assemblage of famous Ronnies).

WME Staffordshire can't quite match those heavy-hitters for pace but nevertheless weighs in care of Tamworth and Tutbury; if you like reclaimed millstones or war memorial inscriptions that's where you need to be looking, although you may prefer the artistic horse illustration I spotted at Uttoxeter railway station. WME Birmingham takes on a playmaker role, conjuring nuggets from Walmley - "Unbelievable Jeff", I kid you not - then WME Sandwell tackles hard in Tividale for Danks Street interest and two admiring pictures of the Wonder's pub frontage.

Staring at the prospect of early elimination are WME Worcestershire (this despite the start of a prospective surge involving Tardebigge Locks) and WME Shropshire, the former police station at Much Wenlock not being enough to guarantee a slot in the next round. Surprisingly struggling most of all is one of our pre-tournament favourites. Yes, WME Wolverhampton is having a shocker with only Tettenhall's St Michael & All Angels to its name. How the mighty have fallen! Eyes peeled in July to see which gallery goes on the lift the trophy...

Rail Rover Week 2026

June is turning into a monumental month for summertime exploration. Hot on the heels of Dudmaston, Droitwich and Scarborough comes my annual assessment of the Heart of England railway network. Rail Rover Week 2026 is go! 

- Trinity College -

Day One: Tuesday 16th June 2026 and I still feel as though I've got that North Yorkshire sea breeze gusting through my hair as I join forces with Bookworm Bygrave for an Oxford outing, the 'City of Dreaming Spires' being ours for the taking once we've endured an exceedingly full CrossCountry Trains journey down from Birmingham. Bee-themed murals and honeyed stone help us acclimatise to the august academic architecture, picking our way through streets busy with students and bicycles. You can almost sense yourself absorbing centuries of education simply by being close to famous seats of learning such as Brasenose and Trinity Colleges.

- Ancient Egypt in the Ashmolean -

As ever, Emily's excitement is piqued by visiting bookshops in which case Blackwell's is one of the most prestigious booksellers in the entire country having been operating from their Broad Street site since 1879. Their flagship store occupies several units but with a pub in the middle (the White Horse); naturally I approve of such an arrangement although said inn is not on our hitlist. A craving for culture leads us to the Ashmolean Museum to see their curated collections of art and antiquities. There are five floors taking you from ancient civilisations to the modern day, far too much to see in the time we'd allocated but we make sure to include the Egyptian exhibitions with their engraved stone tablets and mummified relics. At one stage I become wildly enthusiastic about a massive pot so Miss B has been teasing me about it ever since.

- Oxford Trinity in the Rose & Crown -

We might have declined the White Horse but there are other Oxford alehouses on the agenda, most notably the Royal Blenheim as a Titanic Brewery exponent tucked away along St Ebbe's Street. The Raspberry Pale here proves much to my liking, boasting a slight rosy tinge but will get upstaged in the pinkishness stakes by the external appearance of the Rose & Crown on North Parade Avenue. Listed on CAMRA's Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors, this place has been operated by the same licensees for over 40 years and hosts weekly Sunday jazz nights; my pint of Oxford Trinity in a dimpled glass is a winner. In between times we also called in at the White Rabbit on Friars Entry, enjoying its playful nod to the Alice In Wonderland stories.

- Long Eaton Library -

Day Two: Wednesday 17th June has me in the mood for East Midlands exploration, picking an intermediary stop on the line between Nottingham and Derby. Long Eaton gets the nod, many years after I first set foot there on the original Rail Rover of 2006. I didn't really get anywhere near the actual town centre back then so this time around I'm determined to tackle Tamworth Road, discovering a glorious library frontage illuminated with Pax Lux lettering. The central mosaic tympanum in my picture above depicts the classical figure of Learning against a golden sunburst backdrop. Impressive stuff indeed! 

- Trent Lock -

Long Eaton High Street reminds me of some you may find in the Black Country, slightly scruffy despite separate sections being cordoned off for public realm works. I could just as easily be in Bilston or Darlaston given the types of discount shops on show, although one lovely find is Rowells Drinking Emporium, a converted drapers store with a keen eye for ephemera. 'Hex Marks The Spot' is a Wilde Child stout that tantalises my tastebuds with caramel sensations, perched next to a stained glass peacock. Happily refreshed, I revert back via Tamworth Road to join the towpath of the Erewash Canal. The navigation in full links to the Cromford Canal at Langley Mill But I'll merely cover the shortish stretch to Trent Lock where it meets the river.

- Sawley Village Sign -

Trent Lock is a waterways location of some significance it seems, with boaters having the pick of an elegant lockhouse tearooms or two pubs if they be in need of sustenance. I didn't think any pub could rival Rowells for sheer novelty today but the Steamboat comes very close - it's not every day you meet a red Dalek, read old Beano comics or encounter a carousel horse called Bella. A steady walk into the nearby village of Sawley has me approaching Long Eaton Station from the south, photographing a totem sign en route. I've left myself just enough time to pop into the Sawley Junction micropub (overlooking the roundabout just beyond the station car park) for my fix of railwayana and more excellent beer. Britain Beermat would be proud!

- Prees Village Stores -

Day Three: having skipped a day on account of having evening Hub Marketing commitments, my story resumes on Friday 19th June over a slice of rural Shropshire. Prees is a request halt served by the Shrewsbury to Crewe local stopping service, so I ask the conductor for the train to set down there. At first glance I could be in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by farmers fields with just the occasional tractor for company, but a mile-long stroll down hedgerow-lined lanes brings me into a small settlement to the north of Hawkstone Park. The Prees Village Stores (otherwise known as Jackie's) is a charming yet essential amenity, housing the local post office and supplying general grocery provisions to residents of the adjacent streets.

- A Wem Welcome -

Prees lies just off the A49 and is roughly equidistant between the towns of Whitchurch and Wem. I could go to either for my afternoon activities but pick the latter because I'd not been there for years, plus it has two Joule's pubs to keep me out of mischief if required. Wem's railway station is slightly more substantial than that at Prees - if not by much - but has now been shorn of its signalbox, replaced by remote working of the level crossing. I manage to obtain a few pictures of the Castle Hotel before the skies cloud over then mostly concentrate on its Joule's counterpart the White Lion which carries all of the attention to detail I'd expect from the Market Drayton-based brewery. A surprise discovery with an amusing name is the Warbling Tit down by St Peter & St Paul's Parish Church; it loosely follows the micropub model albeit with less of an emphasis on cask ales. A wall of Famous Wemmers keeps me entertained, recognising Greg Davies, Sybil Ruscoe and the essayist William Hazlitt.

- The Cross House Tavern -

Day Four: at the risk of rovering fatigue starting to set in, I summon up the energy to give good old Gloucestershire a whirl on Saturday 20th June. This time my chief accomplice will be none other than his Royal Highness himself, Nick being as keen as I to get a taste of Tewkesbury. The closest station is at Ashchurch but its infrequent direct links to Birmingham require us to change at Cheltenham first. This does seem to work well, especially with the 71 bus being punctual to take us the last couple of miles into Tewkesbury town centre. We've just begun to marvel at the main street's many timbered properties when the Cross House Tavern blows us away with a fantastic selection of real cider - cue Yarlington Mill for HRH and Severn Medium Perry for yours truly. The interior has a mind-boggling display of vintage breweriana from Toby jugs to cider flagons to walls plastered top to toe in decades-old beermats. Pub heaven!

- The Riverside Royal -

We're not just here for the pubs - there's also Tewkesbury Abbey demanding a full inspection.  Originally a Norman structure utilised for Benedictine worship prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the Abbey has been functioning as Tewkesbury's Parish Church ever since 1540, hence parts of the building would have been in situ when the Battle of Tewkesbury was fought during the Wars of the Roses. Highlights include a ceiling quire representing the House of York (victors in said 1471 skirmish) along with the Milton Organ and the Denny Windows, the latter being two amazing modern stained glass creations made to mark the 900th anniversary of when the monks first moved here from Dorset. Having had our history fix, we take a stroll beside the Mill Avon, crossing onto the floodplain meadows of the Severn Ham.

- All over at Ashchurch -

Tewkesbury is famously sited on the confluence of the Severn and the Avon, regularly hitting the headlines at times of rising waters. There's little danger of that today so we reach the Olde Black Bear safely; this terrific timbered townhouse claims to be Gloster's oldest inn, reputedly dating back to 1308. Uley's Black Bear Bitter is obtained from a very busy bar, although it's the jam-packed beer garden stretching down to the river which is really pulling the punters in. The Berkeley Arms entices our custom too for a wedge of Wadworth's hospitality, then we finish off at Ashchurch Station with me making the most of some belated sunshine for pictures of the zigzag footbridge ramps and numerous running-in boards. I've therefore travelled north, south, east and west in the finest of rovering traditions and can't wait to do something similar in 2027.

World Cup Fever in Wednesbury

The FIFA World Cup is underway in North America with 48 teams vying to lift the trophy. England are in with a decent chance - assuming they play well - so across the nation, our public houses are getting firmly behind Thomas Tuchel, Harry Kane and the team. Mr D9 and I offered our own form of assistance by raising a few Wednesbury glasses in the squad's honour...

- Walk This Way -

Trip Log: Thursday 18th June 2026 and this outing serves as a Rail Rover intermission for the Secretary, who has otherwise been busy investigating Oxfordshire and Derbyshire so far this week. Sandwell slams itself into the mix care of an evening sprint around fair Wednesbury, Mr WME making sure to position himself in Moxley ready for the Chairman's impending arrival. As is Hub custom and practice, Mr D9 is slightly delayed in getting himself to Bradley Lane tram stop, but once in position the day's topical silly song can be announced. Given current footballing happenings, it is highly appropriate to select Peter Dean's 1986 Cockney-inspired classic 'I Can't Get A Ticket For The World Cup' although neither of our Hub Marketing members can comment on seeing the Taj Mahal or the pyramids of Egypt, please note.

- Railway Reflections with the Bald Spot -

Having endured that paean to the tournament held in Mexico forty years ago, we limber up for the current iteration by progressing to Wednesbury Great Western Street. The Midland Metro calls here now but the site has railway heritage, especially when you consider the presence of the former goods shed which remains visible near the junction with Potters Lane. It's a JCB digger and bulldozer storage site these days but it's easy enough to envisage how the lines towards Darlaston and Dudley used to pass through here. There actually used to be two separate stations in this vicinity: Wednesbury Town and Wednesbury Central.

- Beer in the Bellwether -

With the bald spot having staged its own kind of nostalgic homage to lost branches, we're free to get down to beery business. Our first port of call is the Bellwether, a Wetherspoons outlet on Walsall Street opposite the derelict Walker's Bingo Hall. The Chairman has been known to frequent this place of a Thursday afternoon, usually sitting at his adopted beer terrace tables ordering two pints at a time on the JDW app. Upholding the mantra that if it ain't broke don't fix it, we partake of Stan the Man, a seasonal 4.2% ale with tropical flavours brewed by Gadds' of Ramsgate. This proves a suitably quenching start to our mini-tour, although the constant traffic vrooming towards High Bullen isn't perhaps the most desirable of quaffing companions.

- A Turks Head Tribute -

Declaring the 'Belly' as having duly been bagged, the Chairman leads a foot-to-the-pedal full throttle circuit of three taverns scattered around the Market Place (but only after confirming that Churchill's - the renamed Conservative Club - doesn't open on Thursdays). Our second calling point is therefore the Turks Head on Lower High Street, a place that's also been known as both Seven and the Tavern in recent memory. Large St George's flags leave us in no doubt regarding England allegiances while Mr D9 is in his element clutching Carling in loud, brash surroundings. The punters here are certainly intent on having a good time!

- Going for Goals in the Golden Cross -

Hoping that our traumatised eardrums will recover at some point, we nimbly relocate to the Golden Cross which some readers might remember being called the Pig & Trumpet. It has a distinctively rounded protruding front bay appearance and is part of the Craft Union stable, meaning drinks promotions and sport are to the fore. More Carling and more flags echo our Turks Head experience albeit the noise levels are positively soothing by comparison, hence Secretary WME takes his turn providing a Cheers pose with a St George's Cross backdrop.

- A Royal Sideline? -

The third of this speedy trilogy is the William Archer (previously the George) as located on the corner of Union Street and Upper High Street - I would say in all its flat-roofed angular glory but the frontage is buried beneath a heap of scaffolding at the moment. It is open despite the ongoing repair works and what's more delivers us a welcome discount, £2.95 on your Amstel continental lager. A wall-length internal frieze depicting Wednesbury in the 1960s is a pleasing aspect, sitting in the lower room facing out towards Nick's News - has our resident royal given up his majesterial duties in favour of selling scratchcards and bus passes? The Market Clock then mournfully ticks around to 7pm to indicate that our frivolous fun must end so back to Great Western Street for the tram we go. Cheers... and Come on England!