- Start off at School Street, by Wolverhampton Market, to wait for my Green Bus to Landywood.
- The 9 - an interesting ride up through Fallings Park, Essington and Cheslyn Hay, with the section around Landywood Station and Wardles Lane in Great Wyrley proving particularly intriguing. The bus itself was one of the old Green Bus minibuses, complete with seatbelts and padded safety rails, making for a nice contrast with the more modern fleets of other operators.
- Jacobs Hall Lane - the route 9 terminus, with the bus effectively dropping me off outside a house before darting into the Green Bus Garage. The garage itself was a nice discovery but I didn't want to chance any photos, so a return visit might well be required to properly get to grips with the place.
- Great Wyrley - taking photos of the pubs on the A34 Walsall Road, including the Wheatsheaf, the Star and the Swan. The local park also catches my eye, but the gates to the memorial area are locked so I couldn't get a closer look. I head into the local estate, finding the old library on Johns Lane - the building is a bit of a shed so I'm not surprised it closed, although it appears to have largely escaped subsequent vandalism. The new library is in one of the shop units at Wardles Lane Precinct, and provides my next port of call along with taking photos of the Davy Lamp pub.
- Landywood Station - a visit to each platform either side of lunch. The station is basic and unstaffed but made for a pleasant spot in the sunshine, whiling away the minutes before pouncing for a train photo or two.
- Cheslyn Hay - a chance to add to my previous photos of the village, with the war memorial, Talbot pub and Colliers Arms once again capturing my attention. I add in photos of the Co-op and a local butchers for good measure, before tracking down a pub I didn't photograph last time - the Mary Rose on Moons Lane. The pub is hidden behind a screen of foliage but looks quite inviting, and is handily placed next to the footpath leading to the Wyrley Branch.
- Wyrley Branch - time for a gentle afternoon stroll along the remains of the old canal, which provides time to relax, think and enjoy the peace and tranquility. The way the light mingles through the leaves and reflects off the water was quite enchanting in places, inspiring me to attempt some photos of woodland scenes and becalmed pools. Baker Bridge was a favourite spot last time around, and once again offers shots of the traditional brickwork being enveloped in greenery.
- Essington Springhill - I leave the canal at Long Lane in order to continue my mission for pub photos. My target this time is the Why Not on Broad Lane, a pub I have long been aware of but it can be awkward to get to, so I was delighted to add it to my collection.
- Mossley - a little bit of Walsall exploration to close with, adding another layer to my many visits to the Mossley estate. The 301 provides a bonus bus photo at the Eagle terminus, although the pub is boarded up awaiting sale, sadly looking set to be another casualty of a growing pub crisis that is claiming ever more of our community landmarks on a weekly basis. I roll back the years with a walk down Tintern Crescent, and am pleased to find that the Leathern Bottle is still open down by the local shops. The 560 completes the job with an Arriva run back to Wolverhampton.
So thats another trip safely filed away, setting the standard for what will hopefully be a busy month, weather permitting of course. I seem to have been using my old haunts to good effect recently, revisiting places to update my photo archive and branching off to make extra discoveries I might have missed previously. I wonder which explored or undiscovered areas will be next for the WME treatment?
No comments:
Post a Comment