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.... 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, 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.

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.

Has a Bus Stop named after it

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.

Helping lost Monks

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 - 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.

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

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.

Anthony Bourdain always recommends the Market

The Castle from the Crossing

Peeking through one of the Gates

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".

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.

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

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. 

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.

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

Walk Inspiration - Discover Britain - A Sporting Walk in Cardiff

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.

A Forest

Woodland Working

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

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.

The Factory - in corporate colours

Cadbury Sports Ground

Church of St Assisi

The Bounville Carillon

Selly Manor - 1300s and moved from Selly Oak to Bournville

Inside the Bournville Yachting Club

Workers Cottages on Mary Vale Road, all individually named

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.

How's this for a bar?

How's this for a chair?

Walk Details

Distance - 3.75 Miles

Geocaches - 2 x Adventure Lab Caches

21/10/24 - West Midlands Way - Stage 3 - Henley-in-Arden to Alvechurch

Into Worcestershire

The problem with going on a discovery adventure is when there is nothing to discover.

This walk gets filed under dull enough to listen to podcasts and rather annoying with paths that disappear and rights of way that are lost. I really ought to get onto the Ministry of Footpaths about High House Farm and their new fence laying equipment. Converted to a house, they almost had a disgruntled rambler climbing the barriers to their back garden.

Red is Planned, Blue is actual. Fences were jumped. Sheep laughed.

A functional walk. The 50 year old guide book has sketch drawings, so its a case of picking the best way out of Henley-in-Arden. The Arden Way long distance path seems as good as any, and makes route finding easy. Follow the markers.

26 Miles available - about 5 walked today

Ullenhall has the Winged Spur Pub... of course, its closed on a Monday Lunchtime.

Previously visited

Apart from that, its a few churches, vicarages nodding to more pagan celebrations and agricultural countryside, where occasionally, the farmer has left a path through the crops.

Tiniest church found - Chapel Farm

And the associated vicarage

The closer we get to Alvechurch, the more the views open out. On a clear day, it could offer fine views.

And we're in Worcestershire

An Adventure Lab Cache shows me the sights of Alvechurch - lots of Tudor framed buildings - including the chipper - and a fistful of pubs. The Red Lion a large freehouse. The Weighbridge a Good Beer Guide Regular that keeps old school hours of closing in the afternoons. The Swan, previously undiscovered but when you cannot tell from the outside if its open because of the lack of lighting within, its probably a better bet to make a bee-line for the soon to depart train.

Surprisingly, it was open.  One for another day.

Walk Details

Distance - 11 Miles

Geocaches - 5 and 4 Adventure Lab Caches

Previous Stages - Stage 1, Stage 2

03/10/24 - The Slow Way - Kinver to Highley

Highley, Closer than you think

5th Slow Way. Who would have thought that so quickly after setting off from Birmingham you could have such a wild countryside ramble? And if you'd asked me how far Highley was from Kinver, I would have said "too far to walk".

In reality, its 8 miles. 8 beautiful miles, where you know you are in for a good day's walking from the get-go. The Staffordshire Way providing the exit from Kinver.

Leaving Kinver.... or Cyinbre (Great Hill, in old English)

Out on the Staffordshire Way

Fine walking along good agricultural tracks that are holding up well to what was the dampest of Septembers. Field after field, Alverley - where a slight diversion could have taken you to the oldest pub in Shropshire and then through the Severn Valley Country Park for Highley.

Today's Views

Over the Severn Footbridge to Highley

The buses from Highley are hourly, but conversations with several locals determined that its quite random at which part of the hour they turn up. So time to explore, as long as you keep your eyes on the Diamond Bus app and their handy GPS locator page.

You could explore its mining history - a colliery running from 1878 until 1969.

I once found a Geocache attached to this

Or the only pub in town. There cannot be many places that have no Untappd check ins or reviews on Pubsgalore, but that is something I can fix.

A Survivor

I had little idea what to expect but it wasn't music playing at a volume that you would think a little loud in a nightclub. A handful of locals, half of which stared at me with an intensity that made me reminisce about my favourite films. Its been a while since I have watched American Werefolf in London, but Straw Dogs was rediscovered earlier in the year. 

No cask, so a very, very cold Guinness. Dry roasted added to take it over the minimum £5 spend. Confirmation that the bus stop back to Kidderminster is the little wall outside the undertakers. Plenty of chance to discuss with the locals about the quality of the service. A heart felt lament from a gent who truly regrets leaving the bright lights of Sandwell. Where once he had multiple transport options - even on a Sunday - he now has to do a 3 hour round trip for his single lunch time pint. He had other advice. Don't talk to the man with the multiple plastic bags.

As Jasper Carrott said, if you cannot spot the nutter on the bus, it means its you.

Time to see where the Slows Ways take me next. Bridgnorth, I imagine.

Walk Details

Distance - 8 Miles

Geocaches - 3

Walk Inspiration - Slow Ways

Previous Slows Ways - Birmingham to Blackheath, Blackheath to Halesowen, Halesowen to Stourbridge, Stourbridge to Kinver

02/10/24 - The Fingerpost, Pelsall

Pub Archaeology leads to Murder

Walk 1 in my Best Walks in the Black Country Book. 

Rambler meets Brewer

I'm looking for both Pelsall and the Royal Oak. I find the first to be a near 6 hour return journey on Public transport, covering all of 30 miles. I cannot find the second. The pub - under its then name - no longer exists.

A little bit of Internet sleuthing and the first image I find is the pub covered in Police Tape and a mobile incident room setup in the road, guarded by two fluorescent jacketed coppers.

As it looked in 1983

A former landlord bludgeoned in his bed in 2003 as a robbery goes wrong. The safe stolen but dumped in the canal that I will be walking. The three murderers appealing their 20 year minimum sentences. 

I'm unsure if this shocking event led to the pub being re-branded as The Fingerpost, but a mid-walk chat with a farmer tending to his dykes suggested this may have been the case.

The Fingerpost - Battleship Grey - With a flourish on the egde

Enough True-Life crime - the walk is surprisingly good for a suburb of Walsall. And this is not the first time I have said that, as again, I am on the Beacon Way. A 22 mile linear route running from Sandwell to Cannock Chase. Yes, I've added it onto the list.

The Beacon Way on the Canal

Today's traffic free route includes sections of the Wryley and Essington Canal and the arrow straight Cannock Extension. A disused railway line. Wryley Woods Common.

A disused railway line into the woods.

 Alas, I am thwarted from using the pub. Surely, the first two weeks of January are when pubs are redecorated.

Should have come on Friday

Walk Details

Distance - 3 Miles

Geocaches - 0

Walk Inspiration - Best Pub Walks in the Black Country, Walk 1