Wednesday 30 October 2024

30/10/24 - Redstone Caves, Shrawley Woods and Glasshampton Monastery

Good Beer Guide Pubs from Home

My one man protest at the 50% budget increase for capped single bus journeys starts here. Instead of the ever reliable Kidderminster Number 3 whisking me off to exotic climes, I'm saving money by walking from my front door to a remote Good Beer Guide (re)Tick and then back to my local, so that I can get it into a blog.

The walk is a belter. Sometimes, its easy to forget the beauty on your own doorstep through complacency.

Downstream on the Western side of the Severn to break into Redstone Caves. Double fenced off, but you cannot stop those pesky kids. 

Redstone Caves, Stourport
Redstone Caves.... Outside

The Redstone Caves near Stourport-on-Severn were inhabited by hermits mainly in the 18th and 19th centuries. This was part of a broader trend where hermitages became fashionable in England, sometimes with wealthy landowners hiring people to live as hermits on their estates. In Stourport, hermits in the caves may have sought genuine solitude or welcomed occasional visitors, blending isolation with limited social interaction. By the late 19th century, this trend faded, and the caves became a historical curiosity rather than a residence.

Redstone Caves, Stourport
Redstone Caves, Inside.

The Geopark Way (109 miles, Bridgnorth to Gloucester) provides the route over farmland and along the River Severn. A solo man staring into the nothingness of Larford Lake Fishing Farm gets a little more than a courteous hello. I have met my match in the "Talking with Strangers" stats. In 30 minutes I learn that Tony has;
  • caught fish with hand grenades
  • has a girlfriend, 35 years younger
  • been in the SAS
  • suffered two strokes and a heart attack
  • found a dynamited safe, following a dramatic robbery
  • was a professional golf player
  • plans on leaving said younger girlfriend to run away to a monastry
  • near Inverness, but only a monk knows exactly which one.
I've made my first post-retirement friend.  Meeting up with him next Wednesday, as there's so much more he could have told me.

Onwards with the walk - despite Tony's best efforts, I am still too early for the spruced up Hamstall  Inn but after a crossing through Shrawley Woods, I am ready for my first pub of the day.

Shrawley Woods
Blair Witch Vibes in Shrawley Woods

The New Inn at Shrawley has made it into the last couple of Good Beer Guides. I was skeptical that an expensive make over (both internal and external) of a remote country pub would be financially viable. But it shows what I know. Good honest food and very good beer will bring in the punters.

The New Inn, Shrawley
Has a Bus Stop named after it
The New Inn, Shrawley
A pseudo Chesterfield next to the log burner the best seat in the house

A very decent Black Sheep, tasting more robust than its meagre 3.8% would suggest.

Onwards and the footpaths around the back of the pub lead to Glasshampton Monastery. A remote retreat, where you're unlikely to bump into anyone.

Onwards to Glasshampton Monastry
Helping lost Monks
The fields around Glasshampton Monastry
I only see the Monastery rooftops - so here's the environment

The villages of Astley and Dudley are crossed and its back into civilisation to my local, the Black Star. Recently celebrating 10 years under the stewardship of Andy and Maria, who (and I don't exaggerate here) saved the town's nighttime economy. Before they came, I refused to go out - getting better qualityt beer from my garage than what was available in the handful of rough pubs.  We know have 4 pubs that have taken it turns in the Bible, with the Black Star an ever present. 

The Black Star, Stourport on Severn
The Black Star - ready for Armistice Day

In those 10 years, the price of my tipple has only increased twice - from £3, to £3.50 to £3.80. Still one of the cheapest pints I find outside of Timbos.

And its in particularly fine form today.

The Black Star, Stourport on Severn
Joy in a Glass

Time to check on whether I still have a tax free element to my pension, when I find unexpected Budget joy.

My next Butty Bach should be £3.79. 

Drink 379, get one free.

Walk Details

Distance - 12 Miles 

Walk Inspiration - Found on Komoot

Geocaches - 0



Monday 28 October 2024

28/10/24 - Cardiff City Walk and (3/7ths) of the Good Beer Guide Pubs

Mediocre Meanderings


Imagine explaining the British Rail System to someone from overseas? After using several different websites, Trainline (booking fee applies) gets the ticket down by 50% to the hardly bargain price of £35. It does this by providing a fistful of (virtual) tickets with the exclamation that; 

"No need to change trains, just change tickets!". 

Welcome to the world of SplitTicketing. It's complex, utterly bizarre and the carriages don't have USB charging ports.

I disembark to a rainy plaza with the intention of completing a walk and discovering the city through a mixture of Adventure Lab Caching and the Good Beer Guide. The tone of the day is set by a shopping centre security guard trying to eject a street drinker with an XL Bully Dog. Much swearing. Much barking. Much finger pointing. Much pre-fight posturing. Better influencers than me ready their smartphones. I'm on the point of phoning the police when it fizzles out. The dog got bored and dragged its owner away.

The Walk - a tour of the castle, a section along the River Taff in Bute Park, the Principality Stadium and some very pretty squares around the museums.

The ALCs - finding the works of the sculpture Robert Thomas, who has seven works in the City. The castle. Other City Centre items of interest.

Cardiff Market
Anthony Bourdain always recommends the Market
Cardiff Castle
The Castle from the Crossing
Cardiff Castle
Peeking through one of the Gates
Alexandra Gardens
Alexandra Park, in the nice part of town.

Onto the 2025 Good Beer Guide Pubs - 7 Available, time enough for around half. And a poke my head through the door of one of the many 'Spoons.

First up Tiny Rebel. I am greeted by excellent music but Portishead can never be described as "feel good". I once put in on during a dinner party (remember them?) and the guests threatened to leave.

Mistimed, I am third at the bar behind a family with a myopic dad who wants to stare at every pump clip. For reasons that will be revealed, this is a technique I should have adopted. And a couple of Frenchies who are trying to determine the food situation. Getting nowhere, I head to the facilities to come back and find myself 3rd in the queue.

Ignoring the opportunity to show off with my accurate pronunciation of Cwych, I order an IPA that has, in the small print, the words "Hedgerow IPA". Add that to your NEIPA, WCIPA etc. There's probably a better description of the colour than "organgy-pink".

Tiny Rebel, Cardiff
The Crisps were good.

Next door is the 'Spoons Gatekeeper. I think I pass four in the City, so presumably they take it turns to be in the guide. No time to stop, but a handy throughway and a "steal" of the Cask Marque QR Scan.

The Gateway, Cardiff
Standard Spoons - with added Witches Hats and Cobwebs

The Old Arcade is head and shoulders the best of the bunch found today. Maybe it was the £2.70 promotion of Brains SA that meant there was not a table free on a Monday lunch. The rumbustious landlord, who knew how to entertain a lunchtime crowd, refused to sell me a half as it was the more or less the same price for a pint. Although he did warn me I would end up like him, pointing to a punter in the corner who took the jibe with good grace.

A fine Rugby Pub, covered in memorabilia and a lovely quote running across whatever you call a skirting board just under the ceiling.

“To be born Welsh is to be born privileged, not with a silver spoon in your mouth, but music in your blood, and poetry in your soul.”

The Old Arcade, Cardiff
The Old Arcade
The Old Arcade, Cardiff
Rugby Pub

Time for one last visit before battling Cross Country. I should have trusted my instincts about Owain Glyndwr.  How to describe it? A 10am opener - of which the landlord of the Old Arcade had some strong opinions. A sports pub with many huge screens to see that Man Utd have joined the sack race. Again. A food place, where most people seemed to be eating fish-fingers, beans and chips. Having only bought a single sandwich with me, consumed long ago whilst lost in the indoor shopping centre, I was well-jell. 

Owain Glydwr, Cardiff
Curved Bar, Nice location

It had a reasonably interesting beer line up but I was losing the will to live when the single bar person kept asking a 30ft bar with people all along "Who is next". This way riots start. It's your job as the barkeep to monitor this.

After my politeness waned (and it was my turn) I jumped in. Another point deducted for stuffing an exotic Pewin Ynfytyn into a London Pride glass.

Owain Glydwr, Cardiff
4/5 for quality - 2/5 for presentation - 1/5 for service

A dash back to the station. More gentlemen of the street shenanigans, of which I will spare the details but merely comment on their amplitude of voice and inventiveness of profanity. 

Walk Details


Distance - 5 Miles

Geocaches - 20 Adventure Lab Caches



Saturday 26 October 2024

26/10/24 - Wyre Forest - Hawksbatch, Dowles Brook and Pound Green

Time to (Re)Discover

Time rich, petrol poor, I might as well explore every inch of the my local walking hot-spot - The Wyre Forest.

Wyre Forest is a large and historic woodland located on the border between Worcestershire and Shropshire, England. Covering approximately 26 square kilometers (about 6,300 acres), it is one of the largest ancient woodlands in England. Known for its rich biodiversity, Wyre Forest is home to a variety of habitats, including dense woodlands, heathland, and streams, making it a significant area for conservation and wildlife. It's designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its ecological importance.

This walk starts at the free parking at just North West of Buttonoak. Drops down through Earnwood Copse, Longdon Orchard and picks up Dowles Brook to head East. Autumn colours and some woodland husbandry.

Autumn Colours in the Wyre Forest
A Forest
Wyre Forest
Woodland Working
Beaver Patrol
Beaver Patrol

Nothing much along Dowles Brook, although Coopers Mill piques interest when I learn that as well as being a corn mill, it was also a brewery for the forest workers. North, through Withybed wood and across the B4191 for a quick circuit of Pound Green. A collection of cottages.

There could have been family photos but Son number one was scowling due to not being fully appraised of the mud situation. Who goes into a forest in his best/only pair of trainers?

Walk Details

Distance - 5 Miles

Walk Inspiration - Jarrold Shropshire Book 81, Walk 5

Geocaches - 1



Thursday 24 October 2024

24/10/24 - From Bournville to Bacchus

Hidden Opulence 

A review of available Ramblers walks highlighted a short walk in Bournville. You can't help but notice two things - the colour purple and the chocolate smell. Both courtesy of Cadburys.

Bournville, a charming suburb of Birmingham, is famous for its idyllic setting, historical significance, and unique character, deeply tied to the Cadbury family and their chocolate legacy. Established in the late 19th century as a model village by George and Richard Cadbury, it was created to provide a high-quality living environment for the factory’s workers, focusing on health, community, and well-being. Its leafy streets, red-brick homes, Bournville Village Green, and abundant green spaces give it a distinct “village” atmosphere.

One of Bournville’s unique features is its lack of pubs. This alcohol-free tradition stems from the Cadbury family’s Quaker values, which emphasized temperance and social welfare. George Cadbury believed in creating a safe and wholesome environment for his workers, so restrictive covenants were put in place to prohibit the sale of alcohol in Bournville. As a result, this tradition has carried on, with Bournville remaining largely pub-free, although there are nearby options for residents.

An easy ramble, with a walk leader doubling as a tour guide, pointing out the items of architectural interest. There's lots to see.

Cadburys, Bournville
The Factory - in corporate colours
Fountain in the sports ground
Cadbury Sports Ground
Church of St Assisi
Church of St Assisi
Bournville Carillon
The Bounville Carillon
Selly Manor
Selly Manor - 1300s and moved from Selly Oak to Bournville
Model Yahcting
Inside the Bournville Yachting Club
Terraced Workers Cottages
Workers Cottages on Mary Vale Road, all individually named
Serbian Church
The Serbian Church of the Holy Prince Lazar

With Quakers famous for temperance and the nearby Stirchly Mile not getting going till 5pm, it a whisk back into the City Centre to see which institutions CAMRA have added to the latest guide.

I'm rather pleased Bacchus has made the cut. Previously, you could use "opulence" as an excuse to impress new visitors to the City. Now, we can add beer quality. Along with London Prices.

Mid Week quietness an ideal time to admire the art works from the comfort of world class Chesterfields.
Bacchus, Birmingham
How's this for a bar?
Bacchus, Birmingham
How's this for a chair?

Walk Details

Distance - 3.75 Miles

Geocaches - 2 x Adventure Lab Caches