- Savouring Stafford -
First up is Friday 1st August and our evening in a rather soggy Stafford. Drenched by a devious deluge, we were rather grateful for the shelter afforded by the school sports hall where the 7th Stafford Beer Festival was taking place. Quite a few ales caught our collective eye including Pi, Old Wavertonian, Mutts Nutts and our old favourite the Chocolate and Vanilla Stout, although it was some Wibbly Wallaby that got Nick most excited - that and the prospect of his one-man mission to single-handedly relieve the tombola stand of their entire array of prizes!
- A Typical Nickolenko Mug Shot -
The rain was easing off as we completed our evening with a little circuit of Stafford's pubs, even stopping momentarily to witness some of the Grand Prix cycle race taking place in the streets of the town centre. Our calling points were the Greyhound (just across from Stafford Gaol), the Olde Rose & Crown (Joules' taphouse on Market Street) and the Sun (the unmissable Titanic tap). Along the way Nick was only too happy to pose with the fruits of his tombola triumph although quite what he's going to do with a pink bunny mug is anybody's guess.
- Former Football Ground -
Fast forward to Friday 8th August and we're now bearing down on Worcester, eagerly anticipating the festival being held on the city's racecourse. Our train to Foregate Street arrives just after 11am, giving us time to squeeze in a canal walk from Westbury Street to St George's Lane where we note the site of the former Worcester City FC ground is being redeveloped for housing.
- At the Winning Post -
Making our way over to the racecourse, a large queue has formed in readiness for the festival's midday opening. Rather than wait we decided to seek out a bonus pub on the other side of the river, hence the Wheatsheaf on Henwick Road offered us Friar Tuck ale and some lovely Worcester views from the rear beer garden - it's not a place we'd have found ordinarily but we both rather liked it. This should have set us up nicely for some festival fun but alas it was not to be. Upon our return to the main marquee we discovered that the event was sold out and only those who'd bought advanced tickets online were being permitted inside - sadly we hadn't realised you couldn't pay on the door so it was a case of no ticket no entry, and even despite a certain royal resemblance our hopes were dashed!
- Diglis Basins -
We weren't the only ones to be caught out in such a fashion, and there were certainly a few disgruntled mutterings to be heard in the Dragon where we supped some consolation Annesely Runner Stout while trying not to talk about female wombles (apparently a banned topic of conversation here). We were now in need of a contingency plan and settled upon canal a stroll down to Diglis Basins where we could admire the narrowboat moorings and explore the broad locks where the Worcester & Birmingham meets the River Severn.
- Worcester Cathedral -
Our festival frustration did now mean we could see more of Worcester than would otherwise have been possible. The highlight of the day thus became our visit to Worcester Cathedral, an awe-inspiring place where history and architectural beauty surrounds you. Centuries-old stained glass windows, tombs and monuments provide plenty to catch the eye, while the crypt and cloisters are equally fascinating. We pause by the tomb of King John and take a peek in Prince Arthur's chantry.
- Swan with Two Nicks -
We follow that spiritual interlude with some of our favourite Worcester hostelries. The Plough on Fish Street feels quite timeless with character (and characters!) aplenty, while the Swan with Two Nicks has a beer garden where we can listen to 'melodious traffic' (Mr Nickolenko's phraseology). The King Charles II offers up Mud City Stout to go with the globes, bulging walls and sloping floors of our adopted armchair corner, while the Paul Pry cheekily embraces opportunistic marketing by inviting in other casualties of the festival's ticketing policy. A closing half of Gloucester Dockside Dark rounds off an outing like no other - our festival intentions may have been thwarted but we still made the most of our Worcester excursion.
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