Saturday 15th January then and a bit of leg power before the horsepower as Rog and I make our way out to Worcestershire and Shropshire and back, all topped off with a Black Country flourish.
* We meet at Stourbridge just after 9am, and it's another progress update on the bus station redevelopment. The site is now a pile of rubble with the bus stop cafe and the enquiries office now just memories whilst part of the subway has also been closed off.
* Onto the Parry's People Mover and a quick change at the Junction brings us to Blakedown, a station we'd never previously stopped off at. It's only a basic halt with some bus stop style shelters, but the white wooden fences and old fashioned running boards do offer a nod to tradition. The signal box and the level crossing add neatly to the scene too so I'm glad we called by.
* Let the walk commence! The first stage takes us into Blakedown Village, passing the primary school, a church and the post office/Crumbs store. We pause momentarily so I can photograph the Old House at Home pub, then Belbroughton Road takes us out into the countryside as we wonder whether the drizzle is going to get any heavier.
* It seems that the strong winds have blown the worst of the rain away, and three miles later we emerge into Belbroughton, a pretty Worcestershire village with notable landmarks including Holy Trinity Church and The Queens and Talbot pubs. Rog leads us on a little loop of Church Hill, High Street and Queens Hill and I can add some scenic photos of cottagey streetscapes.
* More country lanes take us on to Drayton, where Rog inspects random bits of discarded clothing and footwear on the grass verges, and thence to Chaddesley Corbett. The walk hadn't actually taken as long as we'd expected, so there's plenty of time to get our bearings and further photos. Again there's a pretty main street, an impressive church and a selection of pubs (the Swan, the Talbot and the Fox) to admire.
- Chaddesley Corbett with the Swan -
* The Swan was our choice, tempted by the prospect of adding to our Bathams collection. This proved to be an excellent decision as we enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere, traditional surroundings (surprisingly spacious too) and a decent pub lunch, although our attention was also drawn towards an attractive barmaid - Rog is unsurprisingly very keen to return.
* More country lanes take us on to Drayton, where Rog inspects random bits of discarded clothing and footwear on the grass verges, and thence to Chaddesley Corbett. The walk hadn't actually taken as long as we'd expected, so there's plenty of time to get our bearings and further photos. Again there's a pretty main street, an impressive church and a selection of pubs (the Swan, the Talbot and the Fox) to admire.
- Chaddesley Corbett with the Swan -* The Swan was our choice, tempted by the prospect of adding to our Bathams collection. This proved to be an excellent decision as we enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere, traditional surroundings (surprisingly spacious too) and a decent pub lunch, although our attention was also drawn towards an attractive barmaid - Rog is unsurprisingly very keen to return.
* Tearing ourselves away, we flag down the X3 on the main road and soon alight in Kidderminster, where my attempted photos of the Town Hall generate interest from a local archaeologist who approaches us with the greeting "1869"!
* To Bewdley next courtesy of a quick ride on the 2A down past the Safari Park. Bewdley is an elegant riverside town and I enjoy the opportunity to photograph some of the fine buildings here. Resisting the temptation to throw Roger in the cells, we undertake the very steep climb up Wyre Hill in order to sample the homely delights of the Black Boy Inn (not to be confused with the Black Boy Hotel elsewhere in the town). The ascent was well worth it to visit a pub that features in the 2011 Good Beer Guide, even if my pint of Soggy Bottom was a reminder of my Gorsty Hill fall a few weeks ago.
* Back down the hill to Load Street where we catch the delayed 292 - the route links Kidderminster and Ludlow and provided our connection to Cleobury Mortimer via the Hop Pole Inn and Far Forest, tiptoeing into Shropshire in the process.
- In the Bell at Cleobury Mortimer -
- In the Bell at Cleobury Mortimer -* Cleobury Mortimer has long held a fascination for me as a small, quiet kind of place renowned for the twisted spire on St Mary's Church. The town has a tempting collection of pubs so we decided to try a couple. First off we had The Bell, looking very understated and plain on Lower Street, no ostentatious signage here just a proper drinker's local. We followed this with the Kings Arms, the designated taphouse for local brewers Hobson's, where I enjoyed a pint of Mild in the more trendified surroundings.
* Time to catch our bus back to Kiddy, getting a buffeting from strong winds whilst waiting on High Street as darkness arrived. With the bus seemingly not imminent, the bladders were starting to get impatient so it was necessary for a cheeky visit to the Talbot Hotel, and we still made it out with time to spare. Eventually the 292 did appear and the journey back revealed that Wolves had lost 4-3 in a high-scoring encounter with Manchester City.
* Alighting by Kidderminster Town Hall once more, a walk to the station means we time it nicely for the train, then the Parry's People Mover and the 246 bus also slotted neatly into place. We can now look forward to a Black Country evening, beginning with our old friend The Swan in Amblecote. It was very relaxing sitting in the lounge reflecting on the day so far over a pint of Black Hole's Asteroid.
* A short walk takes us to the remains of the Oakfield Tavern, which had been demolished barely hours earlier to leave a pile of wreckage, a sorry sight. Thankfully the Bird in Hand was much more appealing, a backstreet corner local with a quiet lounge where we pose for a cheers photo or two (once Rog had worked out how to set the flash with the timer!) before wandering up the road for a quick half in the Queens Head, an Enville Ales taphouse.
* Finally, its the old 256 run back to Wolverhampton and a quick drink in the Giffard completes proceedings before we retire to the Walker residence at the end of a very successful day. What would Sunday have in store?
* A short walk takes us to the remains of the Oakfield Tavern, which had been demolished barely hours earlier to leave a pile of wreckage, a sorry sight. Thankfully the Bird in Hand was much more appealing, a backstreet corner local with a quiet lounge where we pose for a cheers photo or two (once Rog had worked out how to set the flash with the timer!) before wandering up the road for a quick half in the Queens Head, an Enville Ales taphouse.
* Finally, its the old 256 run back to Wolverhampton and a quick drink in the Giffard completes proceedings before we retire to the Walker residence at the end of a very successful day. What would Sunday have in store?
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