Sunday, September 27

Cannock and Hednesford

Friday 25th September 2015 brings with it the occasion of the Cannock Chase Beer Festival, meaning Nick and myself are all aboard for another Staffordshire ale adventure...

- Cannock Park -
A bright autumnal morning greets us as we join the number 154 bus for our ride to Cannock. The route was introduced by National Express West Midlands to provide wider access to the i54 development, thus operating between Wolverhampton and Hednesford via Pendeford Business Park, Featherstone and Cheslyn Hay. Arriving in Cannock in advance of the festival, we enjoy a little stroll through the local park before collecting photos of the Chase Leisure Centre, the Roebuck and the British Legion club.

- Enjoying a belated breakfast? -
The Prince of Wales Centre is the festival venue so it is perhaps no surprise that Nick feels instantly at home, especially as we have an excellent selection of ales to choose from. First to tickle the tastebuds is Plain Ales' Inncognito, a 'night black' stout with hints of aged port, while Nick's memorable concluding tipple came courtesy of Breakfast Stout, a sledgehammer of a brew loaded with German grains and Brazilian coffee beans - wow!

- Another triumph on the tombola! -
In between times, things got rather fruity through the combination of Apricot Jungle and Rasberry Blonde, plenty of heady flavours to savour there. After that it all went rather hazy for Nick (Hebden's Naturally Hazy Wheat Beer to be precise) whereas I was easily distracted by Devon Darkness and some super Scilly Stout. There were boxes of vintage beermats to investigate (recalling bygone breweries such as Vaux, Devenish and Tolly Cobbold) while the tombola came up trumps for Mr Men socks and a 'Born to Shop' keyring!

- Hednesford Station Sign -
With so many interesting ales available it was a shame to tear ourselves away, but we had beer business to attend to in Hednesford hence the 154 bus was summoned back into action. The section of the route between Cannock and Hednesford features Cannock Chase Hospital, Chadsmoor and Huntington Terrace Road (including the Jolly Collier pub). We alight on Belt Road so as to sample the Bridge Inn, following up on a festival recommendation by trying a Tasty Tackle (Burton Bridge Brewery) before wandering down for a quick look at Hednesford's railway station, an unstaffed halt on the Chase Line.

- The Hedgeford Lodge -
Our primary mission in Hednesford was to sample the town's new Wetherspoon's - the Hedgeford Lodge - which opened earlier this year in a prominent historic building overlooking the landmark clock just off Market Street. Some Scapa Special (Black Knight for Nick) is obtained as we give the renovation our seal of approval before sitting outside in some pleasant September sunshine.

- The Cheslyn Hay Cob Culprit -
To the 154 once more, catching the bus on Victoria Street opposite the Tesco superstore and settling in for a smoothly swift ride to Cheslyn Hay. The mining heritage of the village here is reflected in the name of the Colliers Arms pub, which becomes our final port of call for some Holden's Golden Glow and a crusty cheese and onion cob amid a homely community atmosphere. 

- Former Library Location -
And that is nearly that, save for a couple of quick pictures before the 154 has the honour of bringing proceedings to a close. From the bus stop I photograph the Nile Practice medical centre as housed in Cheslyn Hay's former branch library (the library itself having relocated to the village hall on Pinfold Lane), and with our connection running on time we're soon en route to Wolverhampton having added another cracking outing to our roving repertoire. Cheers!

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