January: a Waterways Walk broke my duck in terms of 2023 explorations whereby the Cannock Extension Canal had me fleetingly flirting with Pelsall Wood and Norton Canes. I dropped very lucky with the weather that day and was similarly fortunate during my Penkhull Pub Parade, a perfect Potteries afternoon that introduced me to the likes of the Marquis of Granby, the Beehive and bru with bonus points awarded for the comedic depictions of Sir Stanley Matthews. Foggy conditions tried their best to befuddle a solo Saturday spent in murky Wordsley and Kingswinford, while Nick had the pleasure of accompanying me at the Leviathan Brewery's well-hidden taphouse on a Sutton Coldfield industrial estate. A busy start to 2023 all things considered!
February: the brisk pace continued unabated into February when the star of the show was undoubtedly the Great British Beer Festival (Winter) as held at Burton Town Hall. Besides the thrill of hearing the Wurlitzer organ in full flow, the ales were excellent and the pub discoveries equally memorable (especially the Tower Brewery and Brews of the World). I tickled Telford somewhat courtesy of a Lawley Village and Dawley Bank day, gathering glimpses of Glendale and grappling with the Grazing Cow. The Hub Marketing Board braved a Bradley evening for warm hospitality in otherwise chilly temperatures, and there were Chip Foundation antics in Royal Leamington Spa including beating the drum in the Star & Garter.
March: two Hub Marketing trips kept me occupied in March, both being Black Country-based pubcrawls which revisited West Bromwich (in honour of former bus driver 'Wincy' Willis) and Tipton respectively - the latter of those had us recreating a Juliet Bravo car chase along the Factory Locks. In other news, the Chip Foundation got well and truly Stoned in Staffordshire - Joules Brewery have done a fantastic job with their Crown Wharf development - and I paid my annual springtime visit to Stafford for a look at Beaconside Barracks when walking the Isabel Trail ex-railway footpath. Dorridge meanwhile detained me for another solo Saturday sojourn, this time accounting for Bentley Heath and Knowle's Oktogon along the way.
April: the Bears on Tour bandwagon took the Beardsmores and myself to terrific Taunton; the match itself ended in a draw but we had a lot of fun investigating several Somerset watering holes and walking segments of the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal. Closer to home, there were more waterways wanderings when Towpath Turpin and I tackled Boley Park and the Lichfield Canal at Darnford Moors. The Chip Foundation weaved their merry way around Walsall when celebrating Ken's birthday, then the Potteries dished up more pub pleasure thanks to the Hartshill Mile for an extended session between Newcastle under Lyme and Stoke Town.
May: the 2023 instalment of Rail Rover profferred up a varied range of locations from Colwall to Macclesfield to Leicester to Oswestry (Nick being particularly intrigued by tales of severed arms giving rise to St Oswald's Well). Chairman D9 savoured Stonnall in the spring sunshine - aided and abetted by a Brownhills blast - and there was a Quarry Bank Quest comprising my very first sampling of the Old Liberal, an instant Paul favourite from the moment I saw it!
June: heading into the summer months, I recorded three special trips to mark my milestone birthday. Perry Barr hosted Stephen, John and yours truly for a roam around what's left of the former UCE campus - not forgetting dropping in at the ever-wonderful Bartons Arms - before the Chip Foundation breezed around Bewdley and Highley without ever quite making it to Cleobury Mortimer! The Hub Marketing Board's key contribution was a second staging of the Round Oak Run, ten years on from the original outing and yet the ales in Amblecote were still exceptional. A stop at the Stratford Beer Festival brought a certain Shakespearean flavour to proceedings with Ya Bard stealing the limelight on that occasion.
July: the showpiece WME family holiday for 2023 saw us descending upon the South Coast resort of Bognor Regis for a few days, meaning I could scout around Sussex and even hustle over into Hampshire too - the Tuesday I spent in Southsea and Portsmouth was brilliant!! The Black Country Living Museum launched more of their 1940s to 1960s new town development with replicas of Marsh & Baxter's Butchers and Stanton's Music Shop, then Towpath Turpin was back in action for an aqueduct hunt along the Stratford Canal near Wootton Wawen. Add in Chip Foundation correspondence from RAF Cosford (meeting Soviet leaders in Russian doll formation) plus a Catshill collision for the Hub Marketing Board and it was go, go, go!
August: the height of summer had the weather just about behaving itself enough to permit a Beardsmore coach trip to lovely Llandudno - cue Alice in Wonderland carvings and a general liking for goats. My Saturday check on the Camp Hill Locks flight went very well indeed when topped off with a couple of Digbeth's finest ale establishments, and I was similarly impressed with the pubs on offer in Blakedown and Hagley - it's always a joy to do the King Arthur again. Nick's Bus Pass Birthday knees-up prompted a jolly wiggle around Warwick as Mr B Senior narrowly evaded getting locked up in the town's old gaol cell for the afternoon.
September: a reasonable cricket season for Warwickshire draws to a close with the gang chewing the fat over a drink or two in Balsall Heath - yes, His Majesty King Nick did put in appearances at the Merry Maid and the Clock, shock horror! The royal one felt much more at home in the refined surroundings of St Mary's Church Shrewsbury for the town's beer festival, whereas Mr D9 had to contend with the glamour of the Roe Deer during a Hub Marketing tour of Lawnswood and Wordsley - the Kingsbridge was highly commended that day.
October: I came over all cultural for a long overdue lurking at Wightwick Manor, admiring the Peach House and a magnificent display of pumpkins - just be mindful of any disapproving scarecrows... Trench and Oakengates were the twin destinations for the Beardsmores and I when getting nostalgic for Trench Pools and the Blue Pig pub (another all-time classic); Hall Green took its turn in the Saturday spotlight, supplemented by Shirley; non-stop rain couldn't deter the Hub Marketing Board from wading around Witton and Hockley - we've only just dried out again after that! October's final flourish was a Burslem Birthday Bash for Mr B Junior, giving Ken and Nick chance to practice being Holy Inadequate.
November: two beer festivals added to my autumn repertoire, beginning with Kidderminster's at the Harriers Social & Supporters Club - the other of course was Dudley, as unmissable as ever. Stephen was on hand for a gentle gambit involving Ashmore Park and Essington, neither of us having previously frequented the Minerva before, and there was much quiffing to be had around Coventry with Mr D9. Bell Green still makes me shudder although the Chairman is naturally much more enthusiastic when it comes to the Rose & Crown's dubious charms!
December: and we're almost bang up to date once more. Brandhall had me getting into the Christmas spirit with a frosty ferret across an abandoned golf course, and the seasonal style continued in Stafford where the D9 bald spot was salivating about the Morris Man at Kingston Hill. Earlswood and Wythall took up the gauntlet for the HRH Festive Forage, witnessing the feeder pool reservoirs at dusk, whereas Stephen grappled with gingerbread characters right here in Wolverhampton.
Looking back, I certainly crammed a lot into those twelve months and my heartfelt gratitude must go to those redoubtable folks who joined me along the way, especially D9 Andy, His Royal Highness Nick (a.k.a. Towpath Turpin), the Beardsmores Elder and Junior, and our resident Bluenose Ken. Many thanks all, your company means a lot and here's to even more of the same in 2024!
No comments:
Post a Comment