A Busy Couple of Days - Part 1

Yes, it certainly has been a busy couple of days here at WME. Firstly, on Wednesday, I squeezed out a good session of updating with the following new additions to the local WME galleries...

WME Wolverhampton - now up to 164 photos in total, meaning the gallery has overtaken WME Birmingham as the biggest of the local WMEs! The new stuff includes...

• A nice new Exploring Claregate collection featuring the local Co-op and the Claregate pub
• More local additions: Another view of the now-defunct Dovecote pub on Exploring Dovecotes; Wednesfield Library joins Exploring Wednesfield to help showcase something of the area other than the local park; West Park Hospital makes an appearance on Exploring West Park; and All Saints Church/Community Centre finds itself on the Exploring All Saints collection. All these additions are useful building blocks for fleshing out the local collections and documenting that little bit more of Wolverhampton
• A Wolverhampton update isn't complete without a Wolverhampton by Bus photo, so my offering this time is the 526 at Goldthorn Park, taken as the bus did its loop of Ednam Road. Its always great to add another bus location into the mix, and Goldthorn Park does the job just nicely - a revisit might even be in order to track down a shot of the 641 perhaps?

WME Dudley - having passed its century, the gallery continues its growth spurt with these new housemates...

• An alternative view of Quarry Bank Library showing the whole building (and some Saturday afternoon traffic) joins Exploring Quarry Bank
• On Stops & Stations there are a couple of quite similar shots of Stand A at Dudley Bus Station, adding to the existing views of Stands K and Q
• And big news on the Dudley by Bus front - the inclusion of a second view of the 267 at Stourbridge means this collection now contains 50 photos, a well deserved half century even if I still can't quite break the dominance of Stourbridge and Halesowen amongst the featured locations.

WME Coventry - this gallery is just about getting by with tiny scraps at the moment, hardly ideal but a fair reflection of the fact that my Coventry visits and photos are few and far between

• It'll come as no surprise then that the latest update comprises one single photo - a view of the entrance doors to Coventry Station. At least it offers a glimpse of the station itself to go with the three train photos already in the collection.

WME Staffordshire - something a bit more constructive here. Indeed, with 87 photos now, WME Staffordshire is leaving the likes of Coventry, Solihull and even Walsall (!) trailing in its wake

• A photo of the 535A at Codsall on Staffordshire by Bus - ok, its exactly the same as the 535 photo only the driver changed the blind, but it did give me a chance to discuss the slight variation between the two routes
• Canals wise, another view of Kinver Bridge joins the Staffs & Worcs collection to swell the ranks here to a very healthy 20 photos
• Some local stuff with new arrivals on Exploring Kinver (a useful look at the war memorial) and Exploring Hednesford (a view of the Uxbridge Motel, which leads me to wonder what other pubs there are in Hednesford that I could get photos of in future)
• And still with the local theme, there's a new Exploring Chase Terrace collection featuring the post office and the shopping precinct, another small victory for persevering with the archive

WME Worcestershire - another gallery surviving on scraps, although this is more forgiveable because, unlike Coventry, I can argue that WME Worcestershire isn't a core WME gallery

• So, again, its a single photo update, which bizarrely echoes Coventry further as the photo in question is a view of station entrance doors, this time at Worcester Shrub Hill

WME Telford - saving the best till last perhaps. The Telford update means that I've updated six separate galleries in one day, not bad going really, and unlike Coventry and Worcestershire, the Telford update actually provides a meaningful bit of substance

• Two bus photos first - A successful tweak with my first photo of the 55 at Oakengates, meant that I could use that shot and free up 55 at Oakengates (2) for inclusion as well. They join my existing photo of the 24 to give Oakengates a greater presence on Telford by Bus, a good result as I really enjoyed my visit there
• And now for the star update... I didn't think it could happen, but WME Telford now has a local area collection! Exploring Hadley is the pioneering feature, with Hadley Library and Hadley Shops the photos that made it all happen. This collection alone makes the hard work I've done on the archive recently all worthwhile, but it is only 2 photos so I need to return to Telford ASAP to explore more local areas as a matter of priority.

One of my more substantial updates there then, I hope you kept up with the changes. All this trawling through the archive has taken a lot of time and patience, but I can now see some light at the end of the tunnel. Enjoy the updates!

First Trip of the New Year

Just a nice gentle Wolverhampton local to get me back into the swing of things. A few useful photos after visits to the following areas:

All Saints - a look around Pond Lane and the remains of the Silver Birch pub, now just an unsightly pile of rubble

Parkfields - starting with The Black Horse pub, currently closed and looking rather forlorn. There was also time for a brief glimpse of Phoenix Park and some of the local shops

Spring Vale - a return call to the local library and the shops on Hateley Drive

Lanesfield - a walk down Hilton Road for a look at the local meeting hall and playing fields, a couple of shops. Then onto Spring Road to add some more pubs to the Wolverhampton archive - The Forgehammer, The Three Cups and The Rookery Tavern. I vaguely knew about the Rookery from late coach journeys whilst at school, but the others were new discoveries

Woodcross - following in the footsteps of my 2005 Christmas walk with a return to Woodcross, and it was just as much fun to explore second time round. The Spread Eagle pub was being refurbished just over a year ago, and today I got photos of the finished job, and pretty impressive it looked too. Other photos featured Mary Pointon Library, Childs Avenue shops and the Horse & Jockey, although the Woodcross Chippy eluded me yet again.

Hurst Hill - another key location on the 2005 walk, another place I was only too happy to return to. I added to my 2005 photo selection with some shots of The Gate Hangs Well, the Post Office and the Community Centre. Hurst Hill straddles the boundary between Wolverhampton and Dudley and I hope to have something for both galleries after today's trip.

Roseville - The walk then continued into Dudley along Upper Ettingshall Road, past the Coseley Tavern and down Providence Row into Roseville. The Hop & Barleycorn pub was an unexpected bonus, and I also got a couple of views of the local park, though to look at them you wouldn't know they were taken in wintertime.

Swan Village - the walk concluded in Swan Village, one of the few places on the 525 route that up until now I had very little knowledge of. The photos here concentrated on three local pubs - The Summerhouse, The Swan and Holden's Brewery Tap, The Park Inn - before I caught the 525 on Vicarage Road.

The 525 - I must have been on this route countless times, and yet today I still managed to spot a couple of intriguing pubs I'd never even noticed before. The first was up a sideroad just past Coseley Station, round by where the 545 turns into the estate, and the second was in Loxdale - the White Rose or something, on the sidestreet with the little chip shop and another target to add to the hitlist, where it can join The Royal Exchange on nearby Chapel Street.

A fascinating walk - I must have covered a fair few miles (Rog take note) - and a good way to burn off some of those Christmas excesses. The photos came out pretty well on the whole, making it a solid way to kick off my explorations in 2007.

A little update to kick off the new year

Things are just about settling down again at WME Towers following on from the Christmas festivities, and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and go on to have a prosperous and fulfilling 2007. To herald in the new year, the updates machine has been jolted back to life with a couple of additions to WME Solihull - and not before time I might add, as I was most shocked to find the previous update to the Solihull gallery had been made way back in October!! Three new photos then - two very similar views of the back entrance to Solihull Station, plus a look at the 72 at Marston Green on Solihull by Bus - and be warned, a certain Mr Chance is lurking around in the latter shot.

Looking around on WME1, there are a number of photos that I have recently extracted that now appear ready to take their places on the appropriate home gallery, so it could be a busy time ahead. It would be good to start the new year with some solid progress, so fingers crossed! Happy New Year!

2006 - Review of the Year

2006 was another excellent year of exploration. Let's take a month-by-month recap of what I got up to...

January - The year started off in style with a couple of classic canal walks. Firstly, Dad and I ventured into Staffordshire for a look around Shugborough and Great Haywood, discovering Great Haywood Junction and getting my first ever photos of the Trent & Mersey Canal. Then it was a solo tour around Tipton, with a quick look at Netherton Tunnel and Dudley Port Station.

February - The big outing back in Feb was a walk from Walsall to Wednesbury, calling at Caldmore, Bescot, Tame Bridge and Friar Park. Dad and I visited Hampton Loade on a particularly foggy morning, and I also did a local tour of Bushbury and Fordhouses in the snow.

March - March was dominated by Rail Rover week, as I set off into the wider Midlands for a simply wonderful week of outings, with highlights including Nuneaton, Church Stretton, Ludlow, Crewe and Beeston amongst many other treasured memories. This was also the month when I visited Coventry a couple of times, exploring the local bus network before the April overhaul and calling in at Cheylesmore, Radford and the Tesco Arena. Exploration Heaven!

April - More cracking outings in April, starting off with a Dudley Local looking at Northway, Sedgley and Gornal. This was followed by the ultimate in Wolverhampton Local outings, a delightful walk exploring Penn, with the Battle of Britain pub on Birchwood Road being a particularly intriguing discovery. Then there was a Birmingham Special comprising visits to Woodgate Valley and Rubery, and if all that wasn't enough, April also provided the first Rog trip of the year, adding Quinton, Brandhall and Langley to the WME mix

May - The return of Rog continued with a couple of bus rallies (BaMMoT and 2 Museums), and there was a Walsall Local to enjoy, exploring Bloxwich and Lower Farm. The highlight of the month though has to be my trip to Pheasey to explore the 34, with Kingstanding and Erdington thrown in for good measure. On the WME front, May also saw the introduction of the WME Blog, still going strong with this very post!

June - A busy month was June. First there was the 2006 Birthday outing, a lovely tour of Streetly that also included calls at Scott Arms and Daisy Bank. Then came the World Cup trip -Rog came over for a Wolverhampton local, looking around Ashmore Park and Castlecroft before heading to the pub to watch England v Paraguay. A quick note for a Dad walk around Lower Penn, and then June was completed with the big family holiday down Dawlish, which for me meant two fantastic days of roving around on the Stagecoach Devon network: Exeter, Topsham Newton Abbot and Totnes were amongst my calling points.

July - we're well into the summer now, and July saw the Rog trips go into overdrive. Two great outings, starting with a Kinver Canal Walk for Rog's birthday, and then came a classic - Stourport, Bewdley, Kidderminster and Redditch. Great memories, and an embarrassing moment falling over on the way into the pub at Redditch, I still haven't lived that down! On the local side of things, I called in at Fordhouses for a 613 photo and ended up exploring Coven Heath and Compton in the process

August - Another busy month, with two contrasting crackers to make mention of. The Harborne Stirchley outing was everything I could possibly want from a big Birmingham trip, whilst my walk to Essington was much more low key yet equally as enjoyable, especially with some Green Bus Services to photograph. A few days off at the end of the month allowed for outings to Castle Bromwich and Birmingham Airport, and then a stroll along the Bradley Canal Arm.

September - the Rog trips returned with the first of the 'Woody Plan' outings, an interesting tour of Bridgnorth, Shrewsbury and Telford. A couple of local walks comprised a solo effort around Willenhall and a Dad walk looking at the canals around Pelsall. The big solo trip for September though was my return to Cannock, 2 years after my first big exploration of that particular part of Staffordshire. Rugeley, Lichfield and Hednesford also featured, and I proved my camera could withstand torrential downpours, even if my coat wasn't quite as watertight.

October - a quieter month as it turned out, with my exploring basically condensed into one week. But what a week, the first of what will hopefully become many Rog Rovers. Kings Norton on Monday, Wombourne on Tuesday, Balsall Common on Wednesday - all fantastic trips in their own right. The weekend concluded things nicely, with another Woody Planner taking us to Cannock and Lichfield then on to Burton and Tamworth on the Saturday, with Sunday involving another visit to BaMMoT with the added bonus of a ride on the No. 50

November - Another quieter month, with the two main highlights being a local walk around Dovecotes, Palmers Cross and Oxley followed by a Rog outing around Walsall (Bloxwich, Willenhall, Reedswood, Pelsall with a return to Bloxwich in the evening). Unfortunately the welcoming committee had disappeared by the time we got back to my house, and it wasn't even that late!

December - and finally we come to December, and another couple of Rog trips along with a handful of bits and pieces that included a little look at the Wolverhampton Christmas Park & Ride. The first Rog trip of the month was another Woody inspired adventure, this time heading out into Worcestershire for a look at Evesham, Redditch and Droitwich. And what else can I say about the second Rog trip - I cannot think of a better way to round off a fine year of exploration than that walk around Hagley and Clent.

Looking back, it really was a fine year of exploration. Every single month produced great trips and special memories, along with an abundance of photo possibilities that I am really excited about showcasing on WME when the time comes. I only hope that 2007 can live up to the standard 2006 has set - if it can, I will be in for some fascinating outings in the coming months