Rail Rover Week 2021

After the 2020 edition of my annual Heart of England rail extravaganza got cancelled for obvious reasons, I'm pleased to report I've been taking to the tracks again armed with my trusty Rail Rover ticket. Five days of intense exploration are the result, taking me from Wales to Leicestershire by way of Cheshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire...

- A Wrecsam Sheep -

My plan for the week is to revisit some previous Rover haunts I hadn't seen for a while, beginning with Wrexham on Monday 14th June. The ride up from Shrewsbury has its scenic moments - especially crossing the viaduct at Chirk - while Wrexham town centre teases me with several sightings of ornamental sheep, baa-rilliant! St Giles's Parish Church is classed among the 'Wonders of Wales' with a tower 135 feet tall whilst the Wynnstay Arms Hotel (currently operated by Marston's) is a Grade II listed coaching inn where I pause for a pint of Pedigree as the Scotland v Czech Republic Euro build-up gets underway.

- Class 150 train at Ruabon -
I don't stay to watch the start of the match, instead catching the 2C Arriva bus across to Ruabon via Rhostyllen and Johnstown. From what I can tell, not a huge amount has changed in Ruabon since my earlier visits in 2007 and 2010; key features are still St Mary's Church, the River Eitha and a variety of public houses including another Wynnstay Arms (reflecting the local prominence of the Williams-Wynn family). My choice of watering hole here is the Duke of Wellington for Banks's Amber and a football update, Scotland going on to lose 0-2.

- Nick leads the way at Hatton Locks -

To Tuesday 15th June then whereby 'Towpath Turpin' will be my Warwickshire accomplice during a hike around Hatton. The weather could not be any better as we gravitate to the Grand Union Canal, eagerly ascending the famed 21 locks on the Hatton flight with several photographs of paddle gears, heel grooves and balance beams collected along the way. A brief call at Hatton railway station coincides with one of the infrequent stopping trains before we press on to Shrewley Tunnel, last encountered on our Lapworth Safari two months ago.

- Haseley Church -

Leaving the canal behind, Nick becomes a stile guru when guiding us across the fields to Hatton Village and Haseley - we even play crop bingo, accounting for wheat, rapeseed, broad beans and barley. Refreshment stops at the Falcon and the Hatton Arms are memorable for discussions about Phoenicians, Great Dictators, 20th century history and the development of different alphabets, while some of the views back over the locks towards Warwick are superb. We end up at that canalside classic the Cape of Good Hope, quaffing prime pints of Butty Bach in the warm early evening sunshine. A spectacular day all round!

- Welford Road Rugby Ground -

How do you follow that? Well on Wednesday 16th June I found myself East Midlands bound, making a rare incursion into what we bloggers refer to as Life After Football territory. Venturing dangerously close to Beermat's favourite postcodes, I have a nose around Leicester itself for sports-related starters. Welford Road is the rugby home of the Leicester Tigers, complete with a Wall of Legends (Martin Johnson, Neil Back, Lewis Moody, Austin Healey etc), before Filbert Street puts me on the trail of footballing heritage albeit much of Leicester City's former base has been redeveloped to create student accommodation. 

- Barrow Deep Lock -

Wednesday afternoon has me sampling two stopper stations on the Ivanhoe Line between Leicester and Loughborough. Barrow upon Soar is an attractive village served by a further section of the Grand Union Canal - I make sure to get numerous photos of Barrow Deep Lock either side of popping into the Soar Bridge Inn and partaking of Everard's Old Original. Sileby meanwhile seems to be jinxed as far as I'm concerned; I had to cut short a visit there in 2011 and this time around I suffer train cancellations and pub disappointments (neither the Free Trade nor the Horse & Trumpet appeared to be open, just a case of unlucky timing I guess). 

- Alsager Station -

I did manage to get home on Wednesday eventually (with a helping hand from Nottingham), which leads us naturally to Thursday 17th June and a Beardsmore bash around Alsager and Kidsgrove. The Cheshire component has us bearing down on Alsager Cricket Club - Stephen tells me they're quite a force in the North Staffordshire & District League - and admiring watery vistas looking out over The Mere. A mention too for the town's railway station which has won multiple 'Best Kept' awards, recognition for the dedicated Friends group who have worked hard to make both platforms a more welcoming experience. 

- No need for wings at Red Bull Locks -

By contrast, Kidsgrove Station is something of a building site but even without the construction works it's never the prettiest of places. A spot of lunch courtesy of Wright's Bakery precedes proper Potteries pubbing at the Queens Head, sitting in the parlour chatting cricket and drinking dubious Bass (not the finest pint sadly). Canal considerations come to the fore next as we survey Red Bull Locks, nibbling on both the Macclesfield and the Trent & Mersey lines - Stephen wasn't expecting the latter to be so orange! The Blue Bell is positioned close to Lock 41 and provides a real treat, Blue Monkey's Chocolate Guerrilla Stout - yum. 

- Damp and dreary in Bromsgrove -

And so to Friday 18th June which had been reserved for some Malvern Hills mountaineering with Nick Turpin. Alas a broken down freight train meant Nick got marooned in Warwick and the weather had other ideas anyway - dull drizzly skies wouldn't have been much good for showcasing the Worcestershire Beacon or St Ann's Well. Flying solo, I change tack and bumble down to Bromsgrove using the extended suburban Cross City service, passing through the likes of Selly Oak, Kings Norton and Longbridge. 

- The Hanbury Turn -

Knowing from gnarled experience that Bromsgrove Station is some distance from the town centre, I decide to seek out Stoke Heath for a Black Country Ales port in the storm. The Hanbury Turn stands on a well-known junction where the road from Stoke Prior meets the A38; Hook Norton's Green Hop and a Milestone Honey Porter reward my persistence in trudging here. The rain if anything is getting worse so I call it quits over a Batham's Best Bitter at the Ladybird (Aston Fields), and the Rail Rover Resurrection is done and dusted for another year. Roll on the 2022 instalment!