Springtime Essentials

March has been an exceedingly busy month and it hasn't finished yet. I need to bring you bang up to date not just with any old outings but with two of the trips that are nailed-on certainties at this time of year. My annual Stafford Spectacular has been successfully staged, followed closely by that Chip Foundation imperative of a jaunt to mark the anniversary of Nick's retirement. Hold onto your hats!

- Highfield Manor -

Firstly we have Stafford on Saturday 28th March where I'm intending on gaining another two stamps towards the Black Country Ales trail. Before any pub-going comes the small matter of some local exploring, beginning as ever with Victoria Park and the statutory sculptural sighting of W G Grace - you'd think after all these years he'd have actually bowled his shot by now! A little mooch along Rowley Avenue brings back fond memories of the Blessed William Howard School, host venue for the Heart of Staffordshire Beer Festival on several occasions, where Nick and I might frequent buddy benches whilst eating oatcakes. The area around Rowley Park Hospital is private property and I don't want to incur the wrath of any security patrols, hence I head the longer way round by passing the gateposts for Highfield Manor.

- Things Turning Desperate? -

The Highfields estate was last mentioned in WME despatches back in 2020 when I braved the Oxleathers for a pint and also noted other local amenities, especially around Western Downs. The area is now ripe for a revisit and this time my focus will be on more of West Way, spotting a family butchers shop, a pharmacy and a Spar store. One open patch of land offers a mural based on comic characters from Desperate Dan to Popeye and Garfield by way of Dennis the Menace and Gnasher. Averill Road presents downbeat flats leading towards the Rowley Park Stadium and then Highfield Grove feels more approachable, revealing 1930s bungalows and the local primary school. Many of the roads are named after famous poets (think Swinburne Close and Coleridge Drive) which reminds me of The Scotlands in Wolverhampton.

- Hawkshead Dry Stone Stout -

Arcing back to Stafford town centre, I make sure to visit that pair of pubs I'd been promising myself. The Bird in Hand has always seemed very busy on my previous encounters there so an early doors sampling makes sense. Oakham's 'The Hare and the Hedgehog' Light Bitter is pleasingly refreshing as I sit in the front bar, chatting to a group of chaps who've headed down from Sandbach for the day - perhaps Black Country Ales need an outlet in Crewe? Their other Stafford contender then beckons in the form of the Shrewsbury Arms on Eastgate Street which can furnish me with Hawkshead's Dry Stone stout, conjuring up visions of Lake District walls. A cheeky Hobson's Pale in the Pickled Pig is an excellent bonus; the Bank House prior to this had been a Thai restaurant and a coffee shop so to see it turned into a rustic ale bar last year is a most agreeable development indeed - I'm impressed!

- A Blustery Beacon Walk -

If Stafford is one March mainstay, the other essential excursion when spring has sprung is the Chip Foundation's Eastertime gathering to mark another year of happy retirement for Nick. In 2026 the allotted date falls on Monday 30th March with Episode 94 of our ongoing chronicles commencing with a Sedgley summoning. Twelve years of leisure is something that needs to be marked so the gang are instructed to gather at the Beacon Hotel circa midday, although those of us who are of an energetic persuasion have the option of a bracing walk beforehand. It's very breezy to say the least but our selected climb soon has us in position to enjoy the wide panorama atop Sedgley Beacon's covered reservoir, whereby you can easily see Birmingham’s skyline in one direction and the Shropshire Hills in the other.

- Deep in Discussion -

That gusty chunk of sightseeing ensures we reach beer heaven at the allotted hour, just after 12 o'clock. Nick’s love of the Beacon Hotel stretches back to his ‘Woodcross Years’ when he was based nearby for work so we've made it our mission to return here at least once a year ever since. Ken has arrived in advance and commandeered the front left snug on our behalf; this is an evocative room of William Morris-styled wallpaper and a black varnished piano, just perfect for respective pints of Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild and the Purple Peril Beardsmore equivalent. Monday lunchtime is one of the quietest sessions here so we can happily chat about Cornish holidays and the US-Iran Conflict uninterrupted. When the world seems to be going mad, it’s reassuring to have a timeless escape, great company and excellent beer to help reset one’s equilibrium. Things don’t necessarily stand still here though: last time we came we had the pleasure of sitting in the plain parlour after that was opened up for public access, and the conservatory has since been given a reboot to provide additional seating. Clearly the place is so popular they need ever more capacity to meet demand!

- Swanning about with a Town Crier -

Sedgley has a number of enticing pub possibilities and it would be rude not to include more of its Good Beer Guide contingent. The Bulls Head therefore supplies Holdens hospitality with a bovine streak, Stephen previewing the forthcoming cricket season as wafts of Thai ingredients permeate through from the associated restaurant. The Swan is a new one on Nick, although I had been a couple of times previously. The grey fire door off Ettymore Road is their preferred means of access at the moment, somewhat offputting until you step inside and realise it's a genuinely comfortable old boozer. Plum Chesterfield seating and Hobsons Town Crier make for a highly satisfactory call, speculating about whether HRH will be as active in his 80s.

- Chip Contentment -

Operated by Carolean (an independent bus company I can't recall ever riding on), the 224 bus conveys us to Bilston via Ettingshall Park Farm and Lanesfield. Upon alighting, we collectively swoop upon Chaplins for that avowed local delicacy, battered chips. These have a particuarly pronounced orange hue but hit the spot nicely - chief taster Stephen certainly approves - and with that staple requirement sorted we relocate to the Trumpet in order to catch up with Musti, Lynne and Diane. Holden’s Mild to the strains of Nat King Cole and Gregory Porter is hard to beat, sitting among the displays of saxophones, record covers and the legendary drum kit. If we weren't intent on finishing at the Great Western I could have stayed all evening, but Sun Street awaits (via a 530 Banga bus journey through Rough Hills), and the Chip Foundation's spiritual home can rightfully close proceedings. Holden's '5' Black Country Stout is a fitting finale and - with a bit of luck - we'll be back to do it all over again in 2027. Cheers!

The Stafford Saturday Spectacular 2025

Rickerscote, Doxey, Highfields and Parkside... the Oxleathers, Wildwood, Luck Penny and Staffordshire Bull... such is the litany of places and pubs that have formed the backbone of my annual Stafford sessions every March. With much fanfare, it is now time to see what 2025 can add into the mix...

- Glasshouse Greenery -

It's Saturday 15th March 2025 and I'm all set for what will be the seventh in my now-traditional springtime Stafford series. The 10:19 Manchester train from Wolverhampton gets things off to a steady start with a ten minute journey amongst football fans before Victoria Park claims its customary catch-up to get the photos flowing; WG Grace is present and correct as always but some of the flowerbeds haven't fully been planted as yet. I do enjoy a quick mooch around the park's glasshouses, noting tropically large leaf varieties and various spiky specimens.

- Pickups Electrical -

Continuing via Mill Street and then Mill Bank, I note a couple of old-fashioned shopfronts representing local independent businesses. Henry Burton's is a cycle store whereas Pickups Electricals specialises in household appliances, complete with vintage Hitachi logos. My first drinks stop of the day is a bit of a departure from my usual 'old man pub' remit, the Yard being a trendy craft/cocktail bar on the side of the River Sow. A glass of Brixton Reliance Pale Ale is a pleasant palate cleanser, hitting enough sharp citrus notes to clear any tastebud cobwebs away while the overall vibe is a relaxing one - a solid start!

- A Perkins Picture -

Picking out a portion of Stafford I've never photographed before gets trickier each passing year but one corridor which comes to mind is Tixall Road, heading due east from the town centre. Weston Road is my initial gateway before I bear right at the Metropolitan fork, spotting the likes of Dartmouth Street and Harrowby Street in the process. I remember riding through here on the Uttoxeter bus once whereby one standout feature was the Perkins factory; it's still there, manufacturing engines much as it has done for many years. The firm is actually based in Peterborough and has sites worldwide.

- Bayswater Square -

Evidence of Stafford's edge-of-town expansion is apparent further along Tixall Road where what used to be a country lane through farmers fields has been transformed by a sprawling housing estate. Hydrant Way corner has a sunken balancing pond earthwork then Bayswater Square forms the centrepiece of another section, revealing a public open space surrounded by three-storey properties. The new builds stretch as far as the Baswich Lane crossroads and mean that Stafford Crematorium no longer stands in splendid isolation. Clumps of daffodils line the edge of the burial ground as I take the Blackheath Lane turn. 

- The Knot & Plough -

Another arrival over the last ten to fifteen years has been the Beacon Business Park which sits beside the busy A518. One of the first pieces of the jigsaw here was the provision of the Knot & Plough pub (very much a modern Marston's effort with a carvery focus), latterly joined by a shopping precinct containing a Co-op store, Subway and a couple of takeaways. As you might expect, I pause for a pint of Pedigree and take in the scene. Construction work along Gell Way and Brereton Way suggests that more units are being lined up in future.

- Meeting a Slumbering Monk -

Weston Road returns me the two or so miles to Stafford town centre where Joules's Ye Olde Rose & Crown will form the meat between a Black Country Ales sandwich. I'd like to complete BCA's Ale Trail this year if possible, in which case the Shrewsbury Arms and Bird in Hand are duly stamped in my passport booklet - the former supplies Hobson's Plum Porter (lovely stuff), the latter a Backyard Rucker with a heavenly ham and cheese cob. The intermediary filling so to speak is a Slumbering Monk of the aforementioned Joules persuasion, pondering hints of Shakespearean wordplay courtesy of As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing references to the Market Drayton brewing process. I wonder what Stafford will supply me with in 2026?