Rail Rover Week 2023

King Charles III's Coronation has been and gone so it's time again to concentrate on explorational matters, and what a way to get back down to business! Rail Rover Week has become an integral component of my calendar each spring so I wonder where the Heart of England railway network will take me to this year?

- Loitering in Leicester? -

This epic saga begins in the East Midlands on Monday 15th May with Nick and I catching the 10:22 train across from Birmingham to Leicester. Our initial look around the city introduces us to luminaries such as three-time mayor John Biggs before we seek out the Newarke Houses Museum near the De Montfort University campus. This turns out to be an engrossing decision, learning about the history of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment (an infantry division of the British Army) as well as important trades in hosiery, textiles and engineering - we even spot a massive frying pan. Other exhibits present a 1950s street scene (complete with Jolly Angler pub) and a collection of toys from down the ages.

- Old Mill Race Bridge -

Eager to see some of Leicester's inland waterways, we join the River Soar at The Newarke and soon admire West Bridge as an 1891 piece of Victorian engineering. Evans Weir has us switching onto the towpath of the Grand Union Canal, passing Soar Lane and North Lock amidst increasingly gritty graffiti-strewn surroundings. St Margaret's Church acts as our skyline reference point, drawing us ever closer to Abbey Lane Bridge from where it is five minutes walk to reach the Salmon for our opening drink of the holiday. Positioned on Butt Close Lane, the pub still bears some Banks's insignia but is now operated by Black Country Ales and our Beartown Charlie's Nectar has a highly distinctive hazelnut flavour.

- The Blue Boar -

Lunchtime leads us to the Corn Exchange, a vast Wetherspoons that dominates Leicester's outdoor market square and is notable for a double-flight staircase archway that looks almost Venetian. The food can't quite live up to such a spectacular setting although Nick declares himself happy enough with his fish and chips. Our favourite Leicester pub discovery however must be the Blue Boar, a great little hostelry named in tribute to one of the city's famed old inns. The regulars are busy previewing the evening football clash versus Liverpool (albeit without much expectation of a home win) while hop-festooned ceilings and well varnished panels add to the appeal. Wantsum's Black Pig Porter is my ale of choice although Nick wonders why I turned down the prospect of a 9.5% nitrokeg Imperial Stout.

- Cambrian Railways Treasure Trove -

To Tuesday 16th May we trot and Nick will once again be gracing us with his royal presence. Our destination this time is the Shropshire border town of Oswestry, once we've caught the number 2 bus from Gobowen that is. Our first target upon arrival is to check out the Cambrian Railway headquarters (a grand old station edifice) as well as the adjacent museum. A school trip has commissioned a special charter train so much of the site is closed to the public but we are granted a quick peek inside the museum itself, noting a range of railway typefaces, running-in boards and complicated junction diagrams. Oswestry was a casualty of the Beeching Cuts in 1964 but volunteers have restored a short section to Weston Wharf. 

- "One Does Like One's Ruins" -

Two more of Oswestry's historical gems await our attention, namely the Castle Mound and King Oswald's Well. The first of those represents the remains of a medieval fortress where Royalist forces were besieged by the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War; much of the ruins we can see today were landscaped during Victorian times. As for Oswald's Well, legend has it that King Oswald of Northumbria was slain at the Battle of Maserfield, after which a passing eagle collected his severed arm and dropped it on the site of a spring. Whether such tales would stack up to factual scrutiny is open to conjecture but Nick isn't inclined to quibble when stories about royalty are involved. 

- The Bailey Head -

As you might expect, we find time to sample a selection of Oswestry alehouses including the Wilfred Owen Wetherspoon's (scampi today for His Highness plus gammon for yours truly), and the Oak Inn opposite St Oswald's Parish Church. Those two are upstaged slightly by the Griffin, complete with its wonderful snug displaying an array of nautical memorabilia, and the Bailey Head. The second of those is a serial winner when it comes to CAMRA awards and is ideally located opposite the Grade II-listed Guildhall. 3pm opening means we have to be quick but we aren't about to miss out on great beers such as Stonehouse's Station Bitter. 

- Careful in Colwall -

Fast forward to 17th May and what I've billed as a Worcestershire Wednesday, although my adventure actually starts with a helping of Herefordshire. The villages that make up Colwall Parish can be found on the south-western edges of the Malvern Hills and offer many excellent walking opportunities in their own right. Colwall's railway station is situated on a single-tracked section of the line between Great Malvern and Ledbury, while among the landmarks captured on camera are the Colwall Park Hotel, the Yew Tree Inn, a post office and 'Aunt Alice', the affectionate name given to the village clock tower which stands outside the local library.

- Prince of Wales Beer Garden -

I'd promised myself a wedge of Worcestershire and Malvern Link duly delivers, again with some stunning scenery once the sunshine breaks through. I really like the way that the station here has been given a heritage-inspired makeover - a vast improvement on the brown shed Rog and I encountered back in 2005 - while the pubs are up to spec too. I hadn't necessarily heard of the Prince of Wales previously so its lovely beer garden is a cracking find, then the Retired Soldier supplies quality Draught Bass and murmured conversation. I'm particularly impressed by the Nags Head, a real ale haven with plenty of nooks and crannies for me to nose around. Teme Valley's 'This' is a smashing golden local brew that befits such a setting.

- St Michael & All Angels, Macclesfield -

Barely pausing for breath, I plunge headlong into Thursday 18th May by taking a chunk out of Cheshire. Macclesfield falls outside of my rover ticket's validity but a cheap return from Stoke does the trick and the Silk Town is soon within my sights. It's perhaps best not to dwell on the station's aesthetic appeal here (fans of Brutalist architecture would no doubt disagree) though I'm much more taken with St Michael & All Angels Church as accessed via the famous 108 Steps. The churchyard pavement comprises numerous centuries-old headstones which prompt me to ponder their memorial inscriptions.

- Bridge 35, Macclesfield Canal -

The Macclesfield Canal was a major factor in enticing me to visit the town hence I earn myself a towpath taster by tracking down Bridge 34 near Higher Hurdsfield. The section through to Black Road feels surprisingly rural in places - especially either side of Barracks Road Bridge - then I need to take evasive action when a vicious goose thinks I'm getting too close to its newborn goslings. The Old Hovis Mill forms the backdrop to a popular narrowboat marina before I exit at Bridge 38 and aim for the town centre via Windmill Street.

- The Castle -

I've been spoiled for choice pub-wise all week and Macclesfield isn't about to disappoint me on that score either. I count at least six tempting watering holes within two minutes walk from the railway station so part of my dilemma is deciding which ones to leave out. In the end I plump for the Waters Green Tavern (partaking of Whim Ales's WGV English Bitter), the Nag's Head (a very fresh Robinson's Unicorn inside what appears to be a shrine to Eric Cantona) and - arguably the best of the lot - the Castle. This gem was shut for several years prior to its triumphant return and boasts an unspoiled interior listed in CAMRA's national inventory. Plush high-backed seating, bell pushes and a pint of Tatton Best - what a way to round off an absolutely astounding few days of train travel. Cheers!