Some of my solo adventures are planned in some detail, whereas for others I just make it up as I go along. Yesterday's outing definitely comes under the latter category, an off-the-cuff ramble into Staffordshire and Dudley.
My first port of call was Penn, where I was able to say goodbye to the Battle of Britain pub on Birchwood Road. The smoking ban and rising alcohol prices have put paid to many local pubs, the Battle of Britain sadly being one of many to close. It was with some sadness that I took a selection of photos as builders set about demolishing the pub - local history in action I guess, but I doubt the apartments scheduled for the site will have quite the same landmark status.
Next was a walk across Penn Common to explore Gospel End. I discovered the Barley Mow pub tucked away by the clubhouse of Penn Golf Club, and also diverted back into Wolverhampton territory momentarily for a photo of the Old Stag's Head. Gospel End itself added nicely to my ever-growing collection of South Staffordshire villages, although there wasn't too much of interest save for Baggeridge Country Park and the Summerhouse pub.
My walk continued from Gospel End to Sedgley, where I caught the 224 down to Woodsetton for photos of the Cottage Spring and Bramford Arms. Next came Swan Village, with the traditional looking Swan Inn, then I made my way round by the Pie Factory before joining the Birmingham Main Line Canal at Factory Junction. From here to Coseley Tunnel was new canal exploration for me, an intriguing section of canal that yielded views of Beans Foundry, a renowned landmark that now lies derelict amongst industrial wasteland, and a glimpse of the towering Wallbrook Bridge.
Lunchtime saw me in Coseley, tucking into a bite to eat whilst looking out over the avenue of remembrance, a nice location at which to catch my breath again. My feet were given further chance to recover as I caught the 283 into Merry Hill - I really enjoyed the ride, catching a glimpse of the Lodge Farm estate round the back end of Netherton. My stay at Merry Hill was only brief, as I was soon on the 210 route for the short ride up to Brierley Hill. The route is another that is soon to disappear, and at least I can now say I've been on it, even just for five minutes.
From Brierley Hill it was back to the walking with a stroll down to Kingswinford. I took the opportunity to have a closer look at Bromley, including a peek at the Fens Pools and photos of more boarded-up pubs The Fish and The Commercial. Standhills Road took me down into Kingswinford Village for a final flurry of photos focusing on the Bell and Manor Park, and I finished off another fine outing with a ride back to Wolverhampton on the 256.
So there it is, a further addition to the Dudley area series that I've been working on lately. Considering I was only planning on being out for a couple of hours, the trip ended up filling in the whole day as I just kept on walking. Spontaneous exploring just as it should be!
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