- Behold! A Beer Banner -
We shall start then with Stafford, arriving there with some relief after enduring standing room only on the train up from Wolverhampton. A proposed Eccleshall excursion is quickly expunged from our agenda in favour of an immediate visit to the beer festival, hence we eagerly enter the grounds of the Blessed William Howard School where the ales await once again in the sports hall.
- Pondering Plum Porter -
Local ales to tempt us included Slater's Smoked Porter, Titanic's Plum Porter and Talke O' Th' Hill's Potters Porter as our persistent preference for the darker brews showed no sign of abating. Marble's Chocolate Stout was also on message before Nick lost himself in the legend of King Korvak's Saga.
- Tombola Teddy -
Besides the darker delights, I also picked out a Passion Fruit (tastily tropical from Coach House in Cheshire) before hurtling headlong into the Milky Way as brewed by Black Hole. Along the way I gained myself a new cuddly companion when a winning tombola ticket resulted in me being presented with a fluffy pink bear, much to everyone's amusement! For his part, Nick became the proud owner of a Snoopy character keyring, and with tokens all spent we bade the festival farewell and set out for Shropshire.
- The Aston -
Catching the 5 (the new route number for the 481 following a recent Telford bus network review), we made serene progress through Haughton, Gnosall and Newport before alighting in Church Aston. Unfortunately, stopping here will go down as one of those bright ideas that somehow goes astray (for which I am admittedly somewhat notorious). The village pub is The Aston but we timed our arrival to coincide with afternoon closing, meaning we were promptly ushered back from whence we came.
- Newport High Street -
Luckily the 5 was soon on hand and any D9-style bladder emergencies were avoided - the Railway Tavern gets our nod for a celebratory half of Wadworth 6X while watching England take a 2-1 Ashes lead with victory at Edgbaston. Nick was rather impressed with Newport on the whole; as an attractive market town it has several examples of Regency and Georgian architecture to admire.
- Newport Branch Canal -
Newport features worthy of investigation include St Nicholas' Church, the Royal Victoria Hotel and the Market Hall as we continue along High Street to Lower Bar for a brief look at the canal basin. The restored section of waterway here makes for an enticing walk on a summer's afternoon, and I still intend to do an extended exploration here from Meretown to Edgmond.
- New Inn with new chum -
Leaving the canal, we proceed past Newport Swimming Pool to find the recently re-opened New Inn on Stafford Street (very handy for the bus stops). The pub is now under the stewardship of Joules Brewery with all their customary panelling and nostalgic advertisements. I'm particularly taken by the large inglenook fireplace in the snug, a perfect location for Tombola Teddy's first pub photocall.
- Cowley Tunnel -
Given our aborted Church Aston episode earlier, Nick could have been forgiven for ignoring my suggestions for the rest of the day (if not longer). It was therefore most gallant of him to agree to giving Gnosall a go - one 5 ride later and we pitched up by the Navigation for our second segment of canals this trip. The Shropshire Union passes through the village as it makes its way between Wheaton Aston and Norbury Junction. Our stroll covered the stretch from Gnosall Bridge (No. 35) to Cowley Bridge (No. 32), the Boat Inn and Cowley Tunnel providing additional interest.
- The Bear & Pheasant -
All the walking meant we didn't have time for a Gnosall pub, so we finished off back in Stafford with a Hobgoblin Gold and a cob in the Bear & Pheasant, a mid-terrace local just the other side of the Tesco supermarket. The pub has a distinct sports focus with European football scarves on the ceiling and various fixture posters on the walls (including one promoting the forthcoming Rugby World Cup). A Tesco car park dash saw us safely onto a crowded train home, and another excellent adventure passes into posterity. Cheers!
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