I simply haven't been able to get enough of Wales lately. First came Knighton during Rail Rover Week, then that memorable weekend in Aberystwyth with Jane, and now I'll be heading across the border again when joining Stephen for a daytrip to Rhyl. Before the coast comes calling however, there's the small matter of an ale adventure closer to home...
- Chicken Run Characters -
Believe it or not I haven't attended a beer festival all year - there aren't quite as many events locally as there used to be - so the Wolverhampton CAMRA 'Summer of Beer' showcase has been ringed on my calendar for months. Nick and Jane are similarly keen to partake and we duly join forces on Friday 25th July, finding time beforehand to check out the 'Come As You Really Are' exhibition at the city's Art Gallery. Spread across three rooms, the displays are a huge amount of fun, comprising hobbyist creations from toys to fashions to knitted items to vintage football programmes. Where else can you find a crocheted Freddie Mercury, a Lady Penelope Thunderbirds car, Chicken Run homages and mock pop bottles all in one go? The collection was conceived by Hetain Patel in conjunction with Artangel.
- A Special Royal Cob Creation? -
Ambling down to the newly-rechristened Wolverhampton Arts Centre on Newhampton Road, we arrive just after midday opening time and soon settle in the main marquee armed with the usual kit of tokens, glasses and festival programmes. HRH Nick decides to accompany Miss Woolf on the ciders and perries on this occasion, leaving me flying the lone ale flag. I step up to the plate by partaking of Birt's Bitter (from All Nations in Shropshire), Murder She Oat (an excellent name and outstanding brew from Green Duck) and Uttoxeter's Dark Horse Mild. My accomplices meanwhile extol the virtues of Storm Damage cider, Gwynt y Ddraig Two Trees Perry and Sam's Autumn Mix Scrumpy. Nick gets suspiciously preferential treatment in being presented with a bespoke egg salad cob, whereas Jane undertakes intense negotiations with the ladies on the tombola stall, securing permission for us to wear a 'Sod Off' traffic cone hat.
- Woolf Meets Wolf -
I should probably be grateful that said piece of headwear did not come into our possession on a more permanent basis, although our actual winnings do include a wolf-faced coaster (seen being modelled by our own Woolf), and a diabetic calorie-counting boardgame! The festival is as excellent as ever, and our follow-up tour of Whitmore Reans hostelries isn't bad either. Both the Summer House and the Newhampton have tempting tipples available and are your classic Victorian street corner boozers, but stealing the show is definitely the Stile with its promise of homecooked Polish cuisine. Jane gamely tries to demolish a plate of polonez (pork with a pile of sauerkraut) but admits defeat to the hefty portions, whereas Nick manages to gobble down a chicken kiev and I eagerly munch my way through beef goulash and potato pancakes. Yum!
- Beardsmore by the Beach -
I've just about digested those Eastern European delicacies when Saturday 26th July presents my third Welsh incursion, and this time I'll be heading for the shores of North Wales courtesy of Rhyl, a sometimes-maligned seaside town in Denbighshire. Stephen has booked us onto a coach trip with the Low Hill Community Association so we gather on Kempthorne Avenue at 8am along with seemingly most of the local housing estate! Three coaches will be making the journey along the M6 and A55, setting off at quarter to nine and reaching the Rhyl seafront roughly three hours later (via sightings of Flint and Prestatyn). The weather is a little overcast to begin with but that doesn't stop Stephen from posing near the sands.
- Foryd Bridge, Rhyl -
From the coach layover area we proceed along West Parade, noting landmarks such as the SC2 swimming complex and a square clock tower. Rhyl is scheduled to receive £20 million of investment funding over the next ten years and some of that is already being spent upgrading the promenade area, hence the building site vibe and fenced-off sections near the fairground. There are interesting views to be had looking out across the harbour, where the River Clwyd curves in below the nature reserve promontory of Horton's Nose with its marram grasses and sand dunes. The bright blue metallic features of Foryd Bridge are also very apparent, its bowstring girders spanning the river in connecting us over towards Kinmel Bay.
- Rhyl Railway Station -
The lack of gammon on Wetherspoons menus these days means Mr B favours Hungry Horse establishments if of a pork persuasion, and the Harbour is well-placed to supply our lunching needs here. It's not the most glamorous of pubs in truth but we can see the Pont y Ddraig lift bridge when looking through the feature front windows, and I never say no to an onion ring! A closer look at Horton's Nose sets us up for a wander into Rhyl town centre, whereby High Street has a few of your standard holiday gift shops selling buckets, spades and inflatable flamingo rings. The town's railway station first opened in 1848 when it was served by trains between Chester and Holyhead, a function it still performs today. The frontage has some appealing touches of typical Victorian stylings while the adjacent bus interchange offers connections to Llandudno (the number 12) or Town Circular routes the 35 and 36.
- Coke in the Cob & Pen -
An archway just to the side of the railway station leads in turn to my pub pick for the day, the Cob & Pen being a 2025 Good Beer Guide recommendation in a locality perhaps not blessed with a wide range of real ale options. The barmaids are being run off their feet such is the constant level of demand, although the fact the beer garden is hosting a Northern Soul All Dayer might have something to do with that. I can't fault my Facer's pint of Flintshire Bitter while Stephen is content watching the Old Trafford cricket on the big screen, willing England to take more Indian wickets. A very melty ice cream is another highlight of the day and we make sure to browse a few charity shops in search of Beardsmore hedgehog trinkets.
- Rhyl Lifeboat Station -
Having covered West Parade earlier, we now target East Parade for the sake of completion, venturing as far as the Eisteddfod standing stones near Old Golf Road. The brooding hulk of the Royal Alexandra Hospital has a certain seafront presence and deals purely with outpatient appointments these days, then we pay our respects at the Garden of Remembrance with its soldier statue commemorating Boer War casualties. Cute frog fountains and the Pavilion Theatre can't escape our attentions entirely but we finish off at the Min Yr Haul (Sun Verge) modern Marston's carvery effort for pre-coach refreshments in the sunshine. Come half past six its time to bid the seaside farewell again, the homeward trundle taking two and a bit hours. Rhyl might still not be the prettiest place but with sun, sand and sea it was well worth a visit.
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