- St Mary's Church -
Friday 1st February is immediately notable for the welcome return to outing action of the 'Beardsmobile', Stephen's trusty Mazda transporting us into southernmost South Staffordshire. The forecast all week had warned of possible heavy snowfall but there's not the slightest sign of any white stuff as we descend upon Enville. Local features to capture on camera here include Enville Forge (a family farrier business) and the sandstone stubbornness of St Mary's Church, originally dating from the 12th century albeit heavily restored by George Gilbert Scott between 1871 and 1874.
- The Cat Inn -
Enville is also of course home to the Cat Inn, perched beside the main A458 and always an enticing prospect any time or season but especially on a cold February afternoon. As Dudley CAMRA's reigning Pub of the Year winner, the Cat certainly has proud real ale credentials so on this occasion I'm tempted by a pint of Blizzard, Enville Brewery's potent winter warmer concoction. Stephen meanwhile partakes of his customary lemonade and blackcurrant then we settle in a plush dining room to discuss all things sport, Wolves's recent Premier League successes being in stark contrast to the plight of the England cricket team who are seriously struggling against the West Indies.
- Stephen meets Sunny -
Next for our consideration is Enville's near neighbour Kinver where we can happily reacquaint ourselves with Sunny, the former Birmingham Big Sleuth bear that has taken up residence at one end of the Chenevare Mews shopping alley. Equally primed for a repeat visit is the Cross Inn on Church Hill, a Black Country Ales establishment which proves ideal for a light lunch - ham or cheese salad cobs, quickly minus the salad in Stephen's case! Froth Blowers Cloudburst Porter is a deliciously dark tipple as we hope in vain for a cricketing comeback; I take my mind off the unfolding debacle by testing my late 50s/early 60s musical knowledge, recognising tunes from Jane Morgan and Julie Rogers during an impromptu warm-up for our evening quiz appointment.
- A Constitutional Shropshire Stout -
Kinver has one further treat in store when we nip into the Constitutional Club, nearly gatecrashing a wake in the process. Hobson's Shropshire Stout keeps me firmly on the dark side as we ponder life from the comfort of the snooker room. The Con Club has won countless CAMRA awards in recent years and it's fair to say the ale quality was up to the usual extremely high standards, top notch! Alas the Bears quiz team couldn't quite scale similar heights later on, falling foul of the devious Wipe Out round in Tettenhall when a rogue Orkney crept into our list of possible shipping forecasts areas.
- Chainmakers Remembered -
Let's now nudge forward one whole notch on the calendar to land on Saturday 2nd February. Bright morning skies are all the encouragement I need for attempting a Cradley Heath solo stroll, my camera soon busying itself with shots of the Chainmaker sculptures at Mary MacArthur Gardens. Tickling round past Tesco allows me to indulge in an extended survey of the High Street, a place I generally consider to be one of the definitive Black Country locations. It used to be an absolute bottleneck along here but seems altogether quieter these days, so hopefully the likes of Roger Meredith's Opticians will be part of the shop scene for a good while yet.
- Plough & Harrow -
One Cradley Heath mainstay I'm becoming increasingly fond of is the Plough & Harrow on Corngreaves Road, slightly out of the main centre and just t'other side of the railway bridge. A key part of the pub's appeal is good old-fashioned hospitality as evidenced by a friendly welcome and plenty of Black Country banter. The beer isn't bad either, both the Working Mon's Mild (Britt Brewery) and the Ludlow Gold hitting the spot very nicely indeed when paired with a tasty cob - what more does anyone need?
- Timbertree Terminated -
My Saturday afternoon wanderings take me towards Timbertree, an estate sadly shorn of pub representation since its namesake inn has been demolished - what would D9's Uncle Les make of such a situation? Valley Road shops are still intact with their chippy, newsagents and a SureStart children's centre, then further along is the main gate of Timbertree Primary School down the side of the Valley Court nursing home. Norwood Avenue and Timbertree Crescent connect me back up with Corngreaves Road where I have the River Stour for company as I bear down on Belle Vale.
- Corngreaves Nature Reserve -
The Stour forms the borough boundary between Cradley Heath (Sandwell) and Halesowen (Dudley) so I stick with Sandwell, admiring the handsome Corngreaves Hall from afar; a Grade II-listed property, the hall was the home of the industrialist James Attwood and has latterly been restored as a series of apartments. The adjacent Corngreaves Nature Reserve offers scope for woodland walks and feeds directly into Haden Hill Park with glimpses of Lower Pool and Haden Hill House. A productive perambulation then concludes via High Haden Road as I reach Old Hill Station just in time for my train home - cheers!
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