Reviewing South Birmingham

The latest stage in the reconfiguration of bus services in the West Midlands is set to come into force at the end of the month courtesy of the South Birmingham Network Review. Several routes in the Northfield, Longbridge and Kings Heath areas are set to be revised, including some of my personal favourites from my University days. With this in mind, Rog and I decided to make the most of the existing network whilst we still could - here are some selected highlights from Saturday's outing...

• The 61: currently linking Birmingham and Gannow, although an extension to Rubery Great Park is on the cards. We catch the bus on Corporation Street for a ride down through Bournbrook, Selly Oak and Northfield, during which Rog does some 'birdspotting' whilst we discuss some important historical quotes. Then its into Allens Cross, where I'm sad to see the Beeches pub has been demolished and it looks like the Dingle near Egghill Road is about to meet the same fate. Frankley next, with views of the Holly Hill Centre, then finally Gannow.
• Gannow: I hadn't visited Gannow before, so I was intrigued to see what the terminus is like. It's located on Boleyn Road, with buses using Crompton Road to turn round, and is largely residential in terms of surroundings. Rog and I get a few photos and investigate the entrance to Waseley Hills Country Park.
• The 49: another route due to be altered, whereby the Rubery to Northfield section will be replaced by other services, leaving the main route to cover between Great Park and Solihull. Rog and I caught the route back up to Northfield, spotting Gannow shops and the Lickey Banker pub whilst Rog feels threatened by a young pretender in a long gothic coat. We stay on through Northfield to alight at the terminus outside Orthopaedic Hospital - unfortunately my camera refuses to behave and I'm left without a decent route photo, despite dodging the Bristol Road traffic and trying various angles. Very frustrating!!
• Northfield: The Bristol Road does at least yield an Oh Dear! contender broken down on the other carriageway, then its off to Jimmy's Cafe for a spot of brunch. The place is apparently recommended by the Sunday Mercury, and I certainly enjoy my bacon and egg sarnie. Dessert comes in the form of several local photos, including the Bell shops, Northfield Market, the Black Horse and the Clock cafe - we even track down the new 29 terminus up a sidestreet to get my bus shots back on track. A debate about Rhod Gilbert precedes a visit to the Great Stone pub, where we make Marston's Pedigree our first pint of the day and Rog makes the acquaintance of a cardboard spider!
• 614: now this route has a fair bit of significance for me, bringing back fond memories of student tutoring in Bournville. I really enjoyed investigating the route properly, starting in Northfield and covering Mulberry Road, Cotteridge, Mary Vale Road, Stirchley and Selly Park before terminating in Selly Oak. Photos were garnered at both ends of the route, capturing the Black Diamond livery in all its glory and making for a job very well done.
• Stirchley: Whilst passing through on the 614, I'd caught sight of the British Oak and we decided to have a closer look. The pub has an impressive old-fashioned frontage making it a Pershore Road landmark, yet inside it feels quite modern with hints of interior design. A selection of real ales are available, with the Piddle Artist winning out (less of the bladder jokes thankyou Mr Chance). We had to wait for the barrel to be changed, and the barmaid must've taken a dislike to Rog because he ended up with the stale pint. We head outside to the beer garden to admire the bowling green and be entertained by a cute football-playing puppy called Dexter - his dribbling skills were certainly impressive, displaying some good nose-to-ball coordination.
• Weoley Castle: From the British Oak, we decamp to Bournville Station and thence to Selly Oak, where we catch the 69 to Weoley Castle. I was shocked to see that the Raven had joined the Beeches in being consigned to pub history, leaving just a telltale pile of rubble. I console myself with a photo of the Weoley Castle inn on Somerford Road corner and a spot of lunch from Gregg's.
• The 69: a long time favourite from the early Rog trips, the 69 will be subjected to significant changes in the Review. A route that once linked Weoley Castle and Heartlands Hospital will soon serve between Brandwood End and Wythall only, so a proper send-off was a must. We therefore hopped back on board for a ride to Kings Heath, revisiting the fascinating sections around Selly Oak, Selly Park and up past the Highbury.
• Kings Heath: The trip had gone really well until this point, but things nearly hit the buffers in Kings Heath. Firstly, All Saints Road terminus appeared to have been decommissioned already, putting paid to my hopes of 27 or 76 photos. Next, we hiked it down the busy High Street to find the Station pub was shut despite various boards outside proclaiming the place to be open, very curious indeed. To top it all, we rushed our contingency pint in the Hare and Hounds hoping to catch a 650 route that never turned up!
• The 35: Every cloud has a silver lining, and the 35 was to prove our salvation. Not only did the route prove very handy for reaching our next pub, it also provided tantalising glimpses of Moseley Village, Calthorpe Park and the Horton Square shopping precinct in Highgate.
• Lamp Tavern: All the Kings Heath frustration melted away thanks to an absolute classic pub experience. Situated on Barford Street, the Lamp Tavern is a backstreet Highgate local that exceeded all expectations. Settling down with our respective pints of Stanway and Silver Fox, we enjoy watching the Grand Prix snooker semi-final followed by the utter madness of 'Hole in the Wall'. Bruce also received a warm welcome, although it does help if a pub already has some teddies behind the bar - it was practically a family reunion!
• Digbeth: I'd have quite happily stayed in the Lamp Tavern for the rest of the evening, but we venture onwards to conclude the outing in style with a look at Digbeth. The Anchor was already a confirmed favourite of ours, but you can also add the Old Crown to the list - its reputedly one of the oldest pubs in Brum (if not the oldest), and the delightful timber-beamed exterior was backed up by a decent closing drink.

It's almost becoming a cliche now, but this was yet another thoroughly enjoyable, eventful day out. Sure, the pubs were well represented as usual, and there was some fine local exploring to be had, particularly in Northfield. For me though, the main event was bidding farewell to the old bus network, and our investigations of the 61, 49, 614, 69 and 35 meant that I gathered some great new memories with which to say goodbye.