WME Review of the Year - 2025

Happy New Year everyone, and as the celebratory bongs of Big Ben and the strains of Auld Lang Syne start to dissipate, I'll swoop in with my statutory retrospective piece reflecting on the twelve months just gone. On a personal and explorational level there was much to enjoy over the course of 2025...

January: Hanley was the headliner as the year commenced with a chilly checking of the Caldon Canal, tiptoeing along the frozen towpath via Bedford Street Locks and the Ivy House Lift Bridge. The pubs were worth enduring the cold, especially the chance to revisit both the Golden Cup and the Coachmakers Arms, although the remnants of industrial history live long in my mind too. In other wintry news, Stephen and I were on the lookout for reindeer in Harborne (with a guest appearance from Paddington Bear), then the Chip Foundation were likewise on the Birmingham beat taking a fancy to Flight Club's carousel horses. Still with the Second City, HRH and Mr D9 joined forces in the Jewellery Quarter, investigating the Indian Brewery before playing Connect 4 in the Barrel Store, and there was time enough for Jane and I to indulge in 'Black Country tapas' over in Brierley Hill - the Delph and the Waterfront were the stand-out locations that day.

February: two Shropshire snoopings register strongly for February, with Miss Woolf again featuring for the National Trust nugget that is Attingham Park; it was fascinating to peruse the stately rooms, gaining a sense of life above and below stairs while the beer in the Mytton & Mermaid was worthy of note too. That was followed by a special afternoon in Shrewsbury, ticking off a few of Abbey Foregate's old alehouses as well as the White Horse for a jovial slice of Joules hospitality. Attingham was not the only heritage location to be covered during the shortest month for Stephen and I had the pleasure of bounding around Boscobel and White Ladies Priory, Mr Beardsmore recreating his Friar Tuck role from his brief acting career...

March: into March and the memorable combination of Jane, Nick, the Bartons Arms and Digbeth takes some beating. Spectacular terracotta and tiling is one thing but the sight of a Woolf wielding a bowling ball with menaces is difficult to forget! My yearly Saturday in Stafford yielded a Tixall Road tickle, culminating in the Knot & Plough and a couple of Black Country Ales outlets - I was attempting their trail at the time, a challenge that also took me and Dad over to Shifnal and Albrighton for the likes of the Anvil or the Harp Hotel. The Hub Marketing Board visited the old Paul patch of North Wolverhampton where the Chairman threatened to drive a JCB digger instead of his normal bus, whereas the Chip Foundation encountered extortionate prices along Birmingham's Broad Street. Away from the pubs, Pelsall gained a Stephen stroll mingling North Common footpaths and canal content, then Jane traded ten pin tendencies for putting prowess (or lack thereof) at Perton's Dinosaur Golf where yours truly nailed a stunning hole-in-one.

April: a trip full of the joys of spring saw me Shropshire-bound for Market Drayton, admiring St Mary's Church and the Berrisford Aqueduct among other things, the Salopian Star being one of my favourite finds of the year (helped by the presence of New Brew's Plum Porter). Jane and I were in tandem when the Black Country Ales tour took us to Halesowen while the Chip Foundation staged our now-seminal Black Country Classics afternoon, returning to both the Beacon Hotel and the Trumpet in marking the anniversary of Nick's retirement. April heralded the start of another County Cricket season with one of Warwickshire's early fixtures being a Durham clash away at Chester-le-Street; Stephen and I were there to witness an excellent if nailbiting victory on a week when the weather and ice cream gods smiled very kindly on us.

May: the Bears on Tour bandwagon extended to three days in Worcester, catching up with Dave and Denise only for pesky rain to deprive us of a likely win. Bookworm Bygrave was on hand to introduce me to Birmingham Botanical Gardens which looked utterly gorgeous when in full bloom, and the Hub Marketing Board availed themselves of Aston during a North Brum extravaganza that tasted Tyburn and bothered Boldmere. Two Warwickshire wanderings merit a mention, Nick's local expertise coming to the fore with a Slaughterhouse tap surprise in the county town before my Birthday Bash in Chip Foundation company covered the realms of Rugby, educating ourselves on the origins of the oval-balled sport. 

June: summer comes a-calling courtesy of a Rail Rover centrepiece, most notably including Ledbury (where HRH dutifully adores the Prince of Wales, he likes to be on brand), Knighton (a magical morsel from the Heart of Wales Line), and Chester. Emily brings the excitement of Moseley Old Hall - I need to improve my quoits technique - and Knowle Locks whereas Jane had to cope with gushings of Gornal but got to sample some rather nice ciders. Cricketing matters mean Stephen and I base ourselves in genteel Worthing whilst Warwickshire take on Sussex at Hove; the match largely peters out to end as a tame draw but the presence of Mr Whippy's 99 flakes was much appreciated in the scorching sunshine. 

July: Chairman D9 and Secretary WME work through a variety of evening engagements - the Penn Road Push, Conquering Castlecroft, the Wednesfield Workout - with the latter adding a soupcon of Ashmore Park into the mix. Birmingham becomes beset by bull sculptures so Emily and I make the acquaintance of 'Cadbully', resembling a partially unwrapped bar of Dairy Milk chocolate although I might gloss over my darting performance at Flight Club. A Saturday Solo around Stourbridge scores well, gaining the Glassboys Bar as a new haunt, but it's the wonders of Wales that shine through the most. The Low Hill Community Coach jolly to Rhyl was great, bringing the sights and sounds of the seaside, and how can I overlook that wonderful weekend in Aberystwyth with Miss Woolf. Green cocktails, playing pool (badly) on the pier, tentative paddling and castle ruins - those few days had it all!

August: pride of place goes to Packwood here, with the exquisite house interior largely being down to the efforts of the industrialist Graham Baron Ash. Emily and I enjoy exploring the wider grounds too, especially the Hungry Caterpillar-themed characters in the Kitchen Garden; the Bookworm had also demonstrated her bibliophile habits during an earlier bimble around Bridgnorth, pausing for pizza in the Bassa Villa. It was the Chip Foundations's turn to get a bit bullish (bidding fond greetings to JC Beef, Deliverabull and Moo-seley), and a Bank Holiday walk along the South Staffs Railway Line to Pensnett paid dividends in the form of Bathams Bitter at the Fox & Grapes. Alewise such nectar is hard to top although the tipples on offer at the Great British Beer Festival gave us plenty to ponder over at the NEC. Harvey's Prince of Denmark was simply stunning, albeit the day will be mostly remembered for silly pig hats, game crisps, table football and boxes-upon-boxes of historic beermats - I was in heaven!

September: not quite so divine but nonetheless superb was our Kenilworth crawl for Nick's birthday, cramming in the Ale Rooms and the recently-opened Dictum Wetherspoons as well as perambulating across the Abbey Fields. Further exercise was encountered during Mr D9's Greensforge Gallop, tracking the Staffs & Worcs Canal through Swindon and Hinksford, then we had the small matter of the Tamworth Beer Festival that united Jane and Nick in a shared appreciation of frickles. The cricket season concluded with the Bears firmly in mid-table, albeit my efforts to see any additional action were thwarted by iffy weather affecting both Edgbaston and Nottingham (not that a Beardsmore Billesley day wasn't adequate consolation). Oh, and I mustn't overlook my family holiday in Kent, dabbling with Dymchurch and honouring Hythe - the sunkissed seafront walk I undertook to New Romney was utterly glorious!

October: talking of holidays, October was notable for a Daish's getaway down to Devon for Mr B's 61st. We stayed in the Devonshire Hotel atop a somewhat notorious hill but managed to conquer the steepness with trips out to Teignmouth, Brixham and Newton Abbot (where I was mesmerised by Ye Olde Cider Bar, a totally timeless discovery). A Hub Marketing hat trick gave us Wet Wombourne, a Darlaston doorstep and the estate boozers of Telford - the Mallard at Brookside being the kind of place that makes D9 drool - whilst Miss Woolf was tempted by Tipton, or more accurately the promise of pudding in the Pie Factory. Yum yum!

November: autumnal assignations in the eleventh month of the year always insist on Dudley Winter Ales attendance, 2025 being no exception. Cult of Oak's 1138 Matildine Mild wins the overblown tasting notes award for invoking the spirit of medieval sieges, although the Charlton House potentially had us wishing for reinforcements afterwards. Burslem beckoned for the Chip cohort on a drab Potteries Saturday, dodging Port Vale fans in search of Draught Bass, and there was plenty of porcelain when Emily and I called in on the Coalport China Museum (the subsequent roast dinner at the Woodbridge Inn was the definition of delicious). November was momentous for me moving house, a relocation that would lend itself to a Pattingham and Perton evening returning to the scene of Andy's bus shelter butchery.

December: all of which brings us to the festive season whereby my recent roamings have encompassed the likes of Sedgley and Upper Gornal (for a rare sighting of a Stripey Oss), Newport (a family day with Miss Bygrave) and Kenilworth (the 2025 Festive Forage when Nick and I tackled the Tiltyard and graced the Gauntlet). Fans of Rock & Roll hairpieces would be delighted with the Coventry Quiffmas, the Chairman on top form as regards Whitmore Park and Longford longings supplemented by a cracking breakfast at the New Stadium Cafe. The icing on top of the Christmas cake came care of Baddesley Clinton and its Snowman Trail, where the Bookworm and I met leaping lords and drumming mice. Excellent!

It wouldn't be a WME Review of the Year if I didn't say a huge thank you to all those crazy suckers - sorry, marvellous companions - who have helped make this year extra special. My eternal gratitude therefore goes to Andy (Mr D9), Nick (HRH), Stephen (Mr B), Ken, Jane (The Woolf), Emily (Bookworm Bygrave), plus my family, for putting up with all the Cheers photos, street sign obsessions and general explorational randomness I inflict upon you. It means a huge amount to me, so here's to more of the same in 2026. Cheers!

WME Review of the Year - 2024

Happy New Year and all the best to everyone now that 2025 is well and truly with us. I'm nothing if not a creature of habit so everybody should be able to predict what my first blog posting of January will be - yes, let's dust off the template marked 'Annual Review' and see how the last twelve months managed to keep me (mostly) out of mischief...

January: the depths of winter are not a time I usually associate with family holidays but we made an exception for few days down in Weymouth, during which I reacquainted myself with both Dorchester and Bridport before the Dorset sunshine smiled on me for a day of Portland perfection. Closer to home, Nick and I shuffled around Shenstone - checking out churches and the village railway station - then the Hub Marketing Board trundled over to Telford to pin down some elusive Wrockwardine Wood boozers. A Saturday spent around Netherton and Dudley Wood was likewise part of my January haul, getting 2024 off to a busy start.

February: and it was all systems go in February too thanks to a Waterways Walk out to Wombourne that culminated with a pint or two at the Old Bush and the Red Lion. Mr D9 was in attendance for a spot of Hub Marketing mopping up around Cradley Heath, our aim being to tick off a few more pubs and belatedly declare the Hub Hits chart topper ('We All Love Tiny Tim' being the dubious ditty in question). His Royal Majesty King Nick took to the towpaths around Kinver and Caunsall, whereby the cobs and side salad served up in the Anchor were an early contender for our meal of the year - unbeatable value! 

March: the pace of exploration shows no signs of abating, not with trips to Eccleshall, Stone and Widney Manor in the offing. The Widney Wander gave me a welcome slice of Solihull by way of Monkspath and Shelly Farm whereas the Eccleshall trip was blessed with Draught Bass. D9 was my Stone-d accomplice and was similarly on hand for one of 2024's most bizarre activities, namely fishing cuddly unicorns out of the Bradley Canal. As if that wasn't enough, the Chip Foundation covered a quartet of Black Country classics when celebrating the tenth anniversary of Nick's retirement - make mine a Dark Ruby Mild please...

April: enter spring and I drift around Dudley Borough with an interesting tour of Pensnett and the Russells Hall estate, the latter having been a notable gap in my photographic coverage (it helps that there was Bathams in prospect at the Fox & Grapes afterwards). Deansfield took on the Hub Marketing baton for an evening of Merry Boys and Beehive merriment, then there was a memory lane tour of Acocks Green and Sparkhill in honour of Ken's birthday, revisiting some of Mr May's former Birmingham residences.

May: talking of May, let's plunge into the small matter of a Lincolnshire holiday. Skegness was my main base but it's fair to say that Cleethorpes stole the show, no doubt helped by Steel's Corner House restaurant and their impeccable fish and chips! The Hub Marketing bandwagon rolled into Kingstanding and Streetly, claiming cold Carlings with a side order of Hallelujah choruses, whereas Nick joined me for curious pink-hued murk and board games at Digbeth's Chance 'n' Counters. In much sadder news, May was the month when John (Mr Beardsmore Senior) passed away at the age of 80 - life has never quite seemed the same since without him. His absence was acutely felt during the Chip Foundation's Cleobury Mortimer Chronicles, although we raised a toast to him in lovely Ludlow during our Shropshire sojourn.

June: summertime starts with a Shugborough stroll savouring the stately home scenery to be had around Milford and Cannock Chase. This was backed up by a Halesowen Saturday that reintroduced me to the Hawne Tavern and the Whitley, plus a Coventry Woolf day sampling Old Windmill cider and perusing fascinating exhibitions at the Herbert Art Gallery (complete with square cows). Rail Rover Week is a highlight of any year but the 2024 edition was more than up to the task, yielding cracking days out in Cromford, Evesham and Macclesfield. The Hub focus however switched to Worcestershire for a roam through Redditch's southeastern extremities, braving Batchley and conquering Crabbs Cross. 

July: I haven't mentioned any cricket yet and it's true that Warwickshire probably didn't have the best of seasons. Stephen and I were there in Taunton to watch the Bears vs Somerset, the home side improbably chasing over 400 runs on the final day for victory. Bears of an artistic variety were on show across Birmingham City Centre for the six week holidays, but it was the beers that I was most interested in at Hereford for my first festival of the year - think big white tents beside the River Wye, glorious. Back-to-back doses of Willenhall were my Black Country prescription at the end of July, with the D9 bald spot yearning for Yale along the way.

August: I was spoiled for choice in terms of Wild in Art trails to attempt in August, for besides the Birmingham Bear Hunt we had the March of the Elephants herd taking over Tamworth, Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield. I managed to find most of the family, including those stationed in Boldmere and Sutton Park, while a separate bout of Brummie action had me investigating Hockley and environs for Saturday supping. The Waddle of Worcester was yet another fun sculptural challenge which the Hub Marketing Board admirably attempted after polishing off a Priestfield breakfast. Just when you thought it was safe, Alveston and Wellesbourne became targeted by The Bus Pass Bandit and accomplice for a wedge of Warwickshire wayfaring - it's not very often I get to drink in a youth hostel or on a golf course!

September: onwards into autumn we go as the cricket concludes with the Bears avoiding the dreaded drop; away matches at New Road and Trent Bridge enable more penguin-spotting and East Midlands exploring respectively, while the final home match vs Essex preceded an evening mooch around Moseley. Elsewhere, Stephen and I staged some sleuthing in the leafy vicinity of Handsworth Park, albeit Mr B Junior was less enamoured about having to pose by the Astle Gates outside The Hawthorns - I don't blame him one bit!! Beer festivals in Tamworth and Shrewsbury gave Jane chance to widen her cider repertoire, acknowledge a few ABBA-related puns and generally enjoy the ecclesiastical ambiance of St Mary's Church.

October: a big(gish) Beardsmore Birthday prompts a coach holiday getaway to rugged Scarborough, staying in the Esplanade Hotel at South Cliff. Bridlington, Whitby and Pickering all add to our North Yorkshire knowledge over the course of five days, and Stephen was even given biscuit gifts by our fellow travellers. Still with Stephen, we found time for a Telford Town Park Trek snooping around Stirchley Chimney and such like, whereas I was flying solo for a day in The Potteries selecting a few ales in Stoke Town and seeing the Bet 365 Stadium.

November: two ever-essential components of my calendar fell neatly into place, namely my annual Coventry trip (which this year covered Bannerbrook Park and Eastern Green) plus the Dudley Winter Ales Fayre with its excellent array of cask choices. A further beer festival fling took me once again to Kidderminster Harriers Social & Supporters Club where my tastebuds were tickled by a 'Major Jane' cider; the Chip Foundation met up after a gap of a few months, blazing a Brummie trail around Eastside and Gosta Green whilst getting nostalgic for Nick's student days in the process.

December: the story is brought bang up to date with reference to my recent adventures, hence it was antlers at the ready for a Festive Forage which sought out a lively variety of Leamington's south-of-the-river establishments - the Fusilier, Green Man and Windmill Hill will each live long in the memory. The Hub Marketing Board's 2024 curtain call involved reindeer and Pigeon in the Park pickings from the heart of the Second City, and there were calendar presentations at Wolverhampton's Great Western to boot.

In the time honoured fashion, all that remains is for me to give thanks to those who helped make the last twelve months such a special explorational year. In particular, shout-outs go to Stephen, Nick (a.k.a. His Royal Highness and/or Towpath Turpin), Mr D9, Ken and Jane for their company and patience, especially when I'm in my usual photo-taking mode stalking yet more street signs. Here's to much more of the same in 2025!

WME Review of the Year - 2023

Happy New Year everybody as we expectantly welcome in 2024 whilst ushering out the dying embers of 2023. The WME Blog's rulebook stipulates that my first posting each January is a retrospective review of the preceding twelve months and I'm hardly one to go messing about with tradition - here goes...

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!