• A cold snowcapped morning start has me tentatively negotiating the local trains through Wolverhampton and Smethwick en route to meeting the chaps at Stourbridge Junction.
• Stourbridge offers a disconcerting snow flurry, which seems ominous but we decide to press onwards with the plan anyway. Our train to Kidderminster arrives on cue and it’s a scenic ride down with Blakedown looking particularly pretty.
• Alight at Kidderminster where it’s alarm bells rather than the Railway Bell that we can hear ringing. That initial snow flurry has become a prolonged outburst as we worriedly wait for the Redditch-bound X3. The bus arrives arrives and on we get, handing over our £5.50 for the day tickets. The fact we’re the only passengers on board tells a tale in itself, and the snow only gets heavier as we proceed past Shenstone island and Chaddesley turn. Driving conditions are now becoming very hazardous and our driver is doing a sterling job just to keep things going. We head down the front to have a chat with him and debate the best move as regards the plan.
• The bus manages to churn its way through to Bromsgrove, with most of our difficulties being caused by the cars in front of us being unable to cope in what at times resembled a blizzard. Rather than risk Redditch, we alight at Bromsgrove and take stock as I pounce for an ill-advised bus photo in the teeth of the snow. We're in need of liquid lubrication so it's into the town where the centre looks festive enough but its hardly enjoyable being out in this.
- Guinness in the Golden Cross -• THE GOLDEN CROSS: We seek refuge in Bromsgrove’s Wetherspoon’s, literally staggering in off the street and gradually thawing out. Rog is first up for a round so it’s Guinnesses, Becks Blue and for me some ‘Yule Be Back’ from Hyde’s of Manchester. We sit in some comfy settees by the entrance, next to a nice warming fire, and I am at least able to get some Woody Files shots to keep the camera from seizing up entirely.
• The weather shows no signs of abating so it seems wise to abandon the plan and head homewards as best as we can. We return to the bus station but there isn’t much on offer – the 144 and 143 come and go as we wait hopefully for a 318, but gradually the flow of bus traffic grows eerily quiet. A Diamond bus arrives with news that traffic is difficult and main routes are becoming blocked.
• After a considerable wait, several snowballs and a good coating for Andy’s bald spot, the X3 arrives bound for Kidderminster and it looks like we’re saved. We hop on board and begin the slog back, but before long the bus gets stuck in the general clogginess and the driver gets a call that the X3 ahead of us has become marooned in the middle of nowhere. Rather than risk getting stranded, he makes the wise decision to do an about turn and thus we pitch up back at Bromsgrove in something of a quandary.
• QUEENS HEAD: With the X3 driver now trying to find a safe route back to the garage, we decamp to the Queens Head for further reflections. Rog and I visited the pub back in 2005 during another Bromsgrove ordeal (the station hike), and this time we find a seat round to the left of the bar and sample some Guinness as the barman tries in vain to get the telly to work. We’ve got quite a dilemma now but we decide to try for another bus and take it from there.
- The Queens Head in the snow -• DIAMOND DES: There’s nothing seemingly in at the bus station, but Woody spots Des with his Diamond bus and manages to scrounge us a lift. We got on at about 12:30 and for the next two hours we hardly moved, stuck in a solid flow of traffic trying to reach the A38. Bladder panic sets in so Woody and Andy alight for an impromptu sprint to the Crabmill and back. We were getting concerned over whether the traffic would ever get moving again, and a night in a local B&B looked a distinct possibility. Thankfully that scenario was averted as Des was able to nimbly navigate his way through onto the main road. The M5 had been closed off due to accidents, and we managed to drop two ladies off somewhere near Rubery. The challenge now was just to keep moving, so we hit the A491 and then branched off via Romsley, a treacherous passage but Des handled it with aplomb as we sat up the front to give him moral support. After about 3 hours we arrive unscathed in Halesowen, thus completing probably the longest bus ride I’ve ever experienced.
• WILLIAM SHENSTONE: There’s no sign of any buses at Halesowen, and a quick call to the garage confirms that everything has been called in for the time being. We have no option but to head to the pub and sit it out, but at least we get chance for the Christmas drink we’ve all been hoping for. My tipple is Old Scrooge from the Arundel Brewery, and I get through a good helping of them whilst devouring a much-needed chicken gourmet burger, not bad at all. Everyone is a bit more relaxed now we’re back on home ground, and it’s a relief when the buses start trickling back out.
• 222: Andy and I bid Woody and Rog farewell as we start the journey home. The 222 got the nod by virtue of turning up, providing us with a handy connection to Cradley Heath via Old Hill, sticking to the main roads rather than braving round by the station.
• From Cradley Heath, Andy and I gradually managed to slush our way back towards West Bromwich. Buses were still scarce so some extra pubs were needed in order to stave off the threat of frostbite. Some Guinness in the Wizard & Glass got us off to a good start, after which we timed a sprint very well to make it onto the 404A. The Lyng estate then beckoned, sampling the Prince Albert and the Old Vic as I ventured into enemy Baggies territory trying to keep my Wolves allegiances very well hidden. Confirming the bus times with the garages once more, we realised we had time for a final half in the Goose before catching our respective rides home. Actually it had proved to be a very enjoyable evening that salvaged a bit of seasonal sheen from the earlier snowbound carnage.
• The outing as a whole certainly proved very memorable, and I'm sure we'll all look back on it with many a shudder in years to come. Whilst I'm all for a bit of an adventure, I will be perfectly happy if our trips in the New Year aren't anywhere near as eventful. Until then, may I take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone for supporting West Midlands Exploration this year. Have a great Christmas and see you all in 2011!
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