Reflections on Rog Week

Between October 9th and 15th Rog and I completed five hectic days of classic exploration. Here are some of my personal highlights:

The buses:

• the 241 and a first glimpse of Rowley village.
• the return of the 18 - one of my absolute favourite routes - and a ride from Bartley Green to Cotteridge.
• Lynx haulage at Hawkesley and the 84 shuttle into Cotteridge (including Shannon Road photos)
• the 598 and a friendly driver who tried to give the bus away to us free of charge, Rog was tempted
• the 261, waiting at Wombourne Church and then the ride up through Swindon and Pensnett
• the 312 back to Stourbridge on Tuesday listening to Rog's MP3 (although whether I enjoyed Chesney Hawkes' 'I am the one and only' is debatable)
• the 32 - a new addition to the favourite routes, explored from Acocks Green to Bills Lane via Gospel Oak
• Taking photos of the 197 at Solihull, then catching the route to Balsall Common - not to mention a first look at Knowle
• Visiting Tamworth on the 765, providing a look at Whittington and celebrations when Mom informed me that Wolves had beaten Colchester, excellent!
• Stourbridge in the dark and the 290 through Wollaston Farm and back to Rog's
• A first look at Balsall Heath and Moseley as we caught the 50 down to Maypole in readiness for BaMMoT on Sunday. Gave Woody a chance to point out the exact scene of Rog's infamous dogmess incident!

Trains and Railway Stations:

• Tyseley - another all too brief visit before catching the 36, it would be nice to stop for more than five minutes next time
• A first visit to Berkswell, although I wasn't that impressed. Station house all boarded up, and a modern footbridge has replaced the much more charming level crossing

The walks:

• A walk around Woodgate and Bartley Green for a few local photos and a look at the 23 terminus
• Searching for Ben in Kings Norton Park
• Exploring Rednal then heading into Cofton Hackett to track down the 47
• Going local in Wolverhampton: Bushbury Hill And Northwood Park in the fog, followed by Warstones and Spring Hill and soggy shoes on the green
• Exploring Kings Road in Tyseley, finding the 36 bus stop and then pitching up at Acocks Green for a quick look in the library
• The Balsall Common Walk: Berkswell station was not as far as I thought, we discovered a nice pub and got drenched heading back up to the bus stop. Oh, and we found out where the Co-op was

The pubs:

• The Bulls Head overlooking Kings Norton Green
• The Oak Tree at Rednal after a ride on the 62, nice beer patio
• Wombourne pubs - the Vine first, then the New Inn for my first proper pint of Banks's
• The Village Hotel in Dudley - watching cricket and battling the quiz machine
• The Rock Station at Stourbridge - an old favourite, nice weeknight atmosphere with Blade on the prowl
• The Brickmakers Arms, near Berkswell Station - nice building, dodgy music
• The Forest in Dorridge - a Rog outing favourite, and its in the Good Food Guide
• The pub in Burton where I sampled Pedigree. Beer was nice but I can't remember what the pub was called. Stood at the bar on a busy Saturday afternoon, a proper pub experience at the town that is renowned as the home of brewing.

The food:

• My first taste of a donner burger in the bus shelter at Pool Farm
• Scollop and pie at Wombourne, sitting on a bench outside Barclays
• Visiting Woolworths at Wednesbury for extra supplies of chocolate and crisps
• Chips at Knowle, waiting for to photograph the 40A & 40C
• Beer and a burger at Lichfield, the cider went to my head
• A quick takeaway at Sedgley after the Monty's Bar incident

A week full of great memories there, and hopefully we'll add a few more with any trips we might do in the future. I think its safe to say the week was a success!