Pelsall and Clayhanger

Saturday 2nd June 2012: It's the start of the Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend so I set out to celebrate with some diamond-standard exploration across Walsall way...

PELSALL: I get started with a ride on the 89, making the most of the connection direct from Wolverhampton to Pelsall where I can get reacquainted with one of my favourite corners of Walsall. I really do like Pelsall a lot because of its combination of traditional shops and amenities based around various sections of common. Even so, today's visit is extraspecial because, in one of those serendipitous accidents that happens from time to time, I appear to have unwittingly stumbled across a Jubilee Proms Concert being held in the Queen's honour. There's bunting aplenty, a funfair, display stalls and a performance stage whereby even the overcast conditions cannot detract from the community spirit on show. I also made sure to photograph two Pelsall landmarks that had previously escaped my clutches, so my shots of St Michael & All Angels Church and the famous Fingerpost direction sign added to the sense of occasion.

 - Jubilee Proms on Pelsall Common -

CANALS: Next comes a bit of relaxation with a canal double-header around Pelsall Junction. First is the Cannock Extension Canal, which I follow into Staffordshire through a sequence of bridges (Friar, Pelsall Common, Green and Wyrley Grove) to reach the Norton Canes Docks and Boatbuilders off Lime Lane. The Wyrley & Essington then comes to the fore as I plot a course from Yorks Bridge to Jolly Collier via High Bridge and The Slough. It was quite therapeutic strolling along to the trills of birdsong and the breeze in the trees, adding all the time to my knowledge of the local waterways.

 - Wyrley Grove Bridge -

CLAYHANGER: a small village on the edge of Brownhills which seems to have mushroomed with new houses over recent years. Facilities include a Co-op supermarket, a couple of takeaways, a recreation ground and the combined Holy Trinity Church and Primary School, although my main target is the former George & Dragon pub, now home to the local Community Assocation and the Little Dragons day nursery. My visit is completed by a wander across Clayhanger Common, a local nature reserve with ponds and grassland that provides a rich mix of wildlife habitats.

- Former George & Dragon, Clayhanger -

BROWNHILLS & SHELFIELD: There is just time for a few little titbits as I begin the journey home. I steer clear of Brownhills Town Centre on this occasion, favouring instead Lindon Road where Anchor Garage and the Wheel both catch my eye - the latter has been closed for some years but would surely still make for a decent pub if the right person got hold of it? A quick ride on the 10A brings me to Shelfield where I can reconnect with the 89, but not before I've enjoyed a little look at the Spring Cottage (now a Co-op store) and taken a mooch through High Heath to see what has happened to the former sites of the local library (still wasteland) and the Four Seasons pub (now housing). The 89 completes the job for my ride home, and I was pleased to see that the Jubilee Proms was still attracting quite an audience well into the afternoon.

- The Wheel, Brownhills -

An excellent day getting into the Jubilee spirit!