A Bonfire Bash

Thursday 5th November, and the fourth episode of 'Exploration Week' sees Rog and myself avoiding any fireworks with a proper Black Country local...

• Today's meeting point is Kingswinford, with the 256S dropping me off early enough to do a bit of solo photography before finding the Rog. Amongst my discoveries are St Mary's Church, King George Park and the Union pub as I mooch around a corner of Kingswinford that I'd previously somehow managed to ignore.
• 9:30 sees the arrival of Mr Chance, complete with the usual long leather coat and flowing blond locks. We catch the 205 from Manor Park up to the Pensnett Trading Estate, where Rog then introduces me to his place of work. It was fun to meet Erica and have a chat, an enjoyable start to the day.
• To avoid the risk of Rog being requisitioned, we take our leave and catch a handily-placed 297 into Merry Hill. The journey is notable for a look at Pensnett High Street, where the High Oak pub is now masquerading as the Roost restaurant, whilst the traffic around Russells Hall Hospital is bordering on horrendous.
• From Merry Hill its the 283 to Netherton, where we renew our acquaintance with the Old Swan pub, otherwise known as Ma Pardoe's. The pub is a must for anyone who wishes to sample Black County culture at its best; entering the bar is like stepping back in time, and there is plenty to admire including a tiled swan centrepiece on the ceiling. Rog and I decamp to the Smoke Room where we sup our pints of Bumble Hole and give Bruce an airing. All in all, a delightful experience.
• With Ma Pardoe's under our belts, we decide to add in another classic pub with a visit to the Vine (or Bull and Bladder) at the Delph. After a return ride on the 283, we eagerly make our way to the home of Bathams Brewery and are not disappointed. The beer (Bathams Bitter, naturally) was good, but the food was simply outstanding - faggots, chips and mushy peas for a scarcely credible price of £2.50. There isn't a menu as such, you just pick what you want from the table in the prep room, and the resulting hearty portions mean that practically every other pub's meals look like a rip-off by comparison.
• A visit to the Delph isn't complete without sampling at least a couple of pubs along the famed Delph Run. Our second choice today was the Brickmakers Arms, situated on Mount Pleasant towards Quarry Bank, where we savoured a pint of Banks's each before sprinting aboard the 99 to Cradley Heath.
• We alight by the new Tesco store, which quickly becomes a photo target along with some general views of the other shops on Cradley Heath High Street. Next, we battle our way through Tesco's car park to find the Swan Inn (Jasper's) on Providence Street so I can add to my archive of Holden's pub pictures. A combination of the 404A, train and Parry's People Mover then returns us to Stourbridge, where we bring the curtain down on another trip with a final drink in the Longlands on Western Road.

Another day down then, but with some fine exploring and epic pubs to look back on with a lot of affection. More of the same tomorrow will do just nicely...