A Kidderminster Local

Last Saturday Rog, Woody and I ventured out Worcestershire way with a day on the Kidderminster bus network, investigating the local routes whilst sampling the delights of Wolverley, Stourport and Bewdley.

The places - of the locations we called in at, Wolverley was my favourite. A quintessential English village, with a traditional pub and adjoining village store overlooking an area of green, surrounded by cottages with the church as a backdrop - who could ask for more? Stourport provided a good morning's entertainment admiring the river, canal basins and the local pubs, whilst Bewdley was the scene for a nice riverside lunch and a look at the Severn Valley Railway station.

The buses - the outing introduced me to some fascinating routes, notably the 5/5A (providing our Wolverley connection with a tour of the estates at Franche and Fairfield) and the 294 (a brief trip down memory lane for me, heading down Lickhill Road in Stourport past the park and the Stagborough Arms). The 10 provided a curious look around Offmore and Spennells, recalling certain Telford routes where you seem to go around in landscaped circles without ever seeing that much. There was also the chance to revisit previously explored routes such as the 2 and the 3 - the 2 had changed and now goes through Habberley and Wribbenhall on the way to Bewdley, whilst the 3 reacquainted us with Birchen Coppice and provided a first glimpse of Areley Kings complete with post office and pubs such as the Kings Arms and the Squirrel.

The canals - The outing also gave me the chance to indulge in a bit of canal exploration, concentrating on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Stourport and Wolverley. Stourport has long been a favourite canal location, and I was in my element taking photos of the historic basins, locks and bridges in the shadow of the disused Tontine Hotel. Wolverley was equally delightful as I enjoyed a short stroll getting shots of Wolverley Bridge and Lock next to the pub.

The pubs - as always with trips involving Rog and Woody, there was a fair smattering of pubs to punctuate the outing. The Queens Head at Wolverley takes pride of place as my favourite, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere, discussing forthcoming SBI developments and listening to old 60's tunes on the jukebox. The nearby Lock wasn't too far behind, a traditional canalside pub with dark wooden furniture and an impressive fireplace. Stourport provided us with the Rising Sun (an old Rog trip favourite that once again provided a warm welcome and a cracking pint of Mild) and the Brinton Arms (a local estate pub with a more modern corporate branded feel).

The memories - besides the exploration content, the trip provided some fine memories to cherish. There was much banter flowing as usual (often at Rog's expense) plus some worrying karaoke efforts with Metallica, Liechtensteiner Polka and the Captain Cod song (Rog's own composition) all featuring. Perhaps my most cherished memory will be of our ride on the Severn Valley Railway between Bewdley and Kidderminster, an all-too-brief taste of a bygone age complete with evocative wooden carriage interiors and smells of steam engines.

A cracking outing then, hopefully paving the way for further adventures with Rog and Woody over the coming months. The trip has also given me some ideas for when I next visit the Kidderminster area - I would like a closer look at Areley Kings, further rides on the Severn Valley Railway and I wouldn't mind exploring more of the canal around Kiddy itself and perhaps continuing beyond Wolverley towards Cookley Tunnel. There are other trips in the pipeline before any of that happens, so stay tuned and I'll keep you posted.