14/04/25 - The Waterfall, Old Hill

Holdens Hours Lead to BCA Benefit

Mrs M looked rather bemused when I tell her I am off to Old Hill for a walk. Bemusement leads to hilarity and she spies my Urban Explorer outfit. Maybe I'll create a AI Doll so you can join in the mirth.

These gritty urban walks - from a book with handwritten maps published decades ago - can produce real joy. There is nothing wrong with the walk. All green corridors, with the Dudley Number 2 Canal taking me down to Leasowes Park and the Monarch's Way through Coombeswood taking me home to Blackheath.

Feature	Description
Dudley Canal Number 2	The Dudley Number 2 Canal is a historic waterway running through the West Midlands, opened in 1798 to serve the coal and iron industries of the Black Country. It stretches around 11 miles from the Dudley Tunnel at Netherton through places like Old Hill and Halesowen to join the Worcester and Birmingham Canal at Selly Oak.
Leasowes Park	​Leasowes Park in Halesowen is a landmark of English landscape gardening, designed by poet William Shenstone between 1743 and 1763. Transforming his inherited farmland, Shenstone created a 'ferme ornée'—a blend of working farm and ornamental garden—that became a model for naturalistic landscape design.

I will make it back to Bumble Hole

The Landscaping in Leasowes Park

Views of the Clent Hills from the Monarchs Way

I was here to tick off a Holdens Pub. The Guide Book recommends the Waterfall as "one of 6 great hostelries in the area". Alas, they don't tell us the other five... only that the Waterfall "offers Hook Norton, Everards and Marstons Beers and is open daily for lunch time and evening service".

Of course things have changed. It now only opens from 4p.m. on weekdays. A dubious Holdens Tick, and although only a short distance from the station, I am unsure whether I would risk the steep walk up the Old Hill.

Black Country Special for another day

Holden's loss is Black Country Ales gain. Two Good Beer Guide Ticks in the immediate area. 

Currently, Black Country Ales are running a promotion to visit the pubs and get stamps in a log book. Coach Trips are offered, as the chain stretches from Herefordshire to Leicestershire and all places in between.

Having visited two sequentially, I'm unsure if I could think of anything more uninspiring, pub-wise. Taken individually, a BCA house offers a traditional experience, with classic pub furniture, doggy filling stations, pub games, cobs you've heard off and beers you probably haven't.

The problem is that they are all the bloody same. I swear the checked seat coverings in the Swan and the Old Bush Revived were identical. The fonts on the toilet doors definitely were. As was the WiFi Password.

The Swan

The Old Bush Revived

In a game of "Spot the Difference", I'd say the beer was better in the Old Swan. Both pints were Citras, with Peerless Citruvian and better pint than Hop Back Citra. 

Walk Details

Distance - 5 Miles

Walk Inspiration - Best Pub Walks in the Black Country, Walk 21

Geocaches - 2

12/04/25 - Padstow to Trevone Bay

The Last Hurrah

I know the secret on how to be the most popular man in Padstow. Vacate your parking space at midday. They were like vultures, hovering, as I made the slowest reverse to man, giving the next tourist the freedom of the town.

But how rude, on this the last day of our dog sit, the weather turns. The worst of it expected from 1pm, so we are up early to arrive at Padstow. The final stage of an ALC completed at the 11th Century Celtic Cross church and an arrow straight farm track takes us through Trethillick and onto Trevone Bay.

Early Christian Art

The Adventure Lab Cache at Trevone tells us this is another community that has been hollowed out by second home owners. We can leave old fashioned political protest to the traditional geocaches.

I only have one

The final coastal walking of the week takes us past Gunver Head but with the rain starting, we shortcut Stepper Point to cross cow fields back to the Camel estuary.

Where have the blue skies gone?

Heading back to Padstow in the rain

Of course, Padstow has plenty of options for post walk refreshment. Having sampled the beer (Old Ship, Tribute) and Fish and Chips (Chip Ahoy!) we are left with only one delicacy.

Cornish Pasties, as big as your shoe.

Walk Details

Distance - 7 Miles

Geocaches - 3

Walk Inspiration - 40 Walks in Cornwall

11/04/25 - On the Wadebridge Camel Trail for the Swan Inn

Trading The Coast for Shaded Woodland Paths

Having not had enough of entire families on two wheels, we decide to tackle the Camel Path away from Padstow. Surely Bodmin won't be as popular as Padstow and there will be less traffic?

All quiet on the Eastern Camel Trail Front

A very pleasant, simple walk. Clear enough on the Camel Trail to let the dogs off the lead, and in Wolf's case, play in the Camel. At Polbrock Bridge, cross over and head back through Bishops Woods. A change from the week's coastal walking. Would you believe that this early in April, we need the woodland shade?

River Camel, with Bishops Wood Opposite

Into the Shade

Then up to Burlawn and down along lanes/agricultural tracks back to civilisation. An Adventure Lab Cache showing us the history of the town - train station, museum, town hall and finishing on the 15th Century and 17 arched bridge.

The Old Bridge

Mrs M wants to maximise her lunch experience, so takes advantage of local knowledge by texting friends who have lived here. They say the Swan Hotel. 

Good food at reasonable prices and a decent pint of Proper Job.

Proper Job at the Swan

Walk Details

Distance - 6.5 Miles

Geocaches - 9

Walk Inspiration - AA 1001 Walks, Walk 11

10/04/25 - Crantock to Holywell for the Old Albion Inn

More Blue Skies and Blue Seas

April keeps on giving — weather-wise, at least. Just like during the COVID-era financial crash, I’ve got sunburn while the stock markets tumble through tariff trauma.

There's probably no better way to forget your troubles than to set off on a lengthy coastal hike, with your boots sinking into fresh sand, watered from the retreating tide. Especially when you have saved £9 parking at Crantock by being a member of the National Trust.

Sand Dunes Conquered on Crantock Beach

Another day in Paradise

The walking is as exceptional as we have come to expect during our week in this part of Cornwall. Spectacular coastal paths. Ups and Downs to the next cove, where the dogs insist on a play with the ball before moving on. Refreshment stops aplenty - this time, cream teas at Holywell Beach Cafe.

Polly Joke - another place for dogs to play

Carters Rock from Kelsey Head

After enjoying the cream tea with jam applied first, we decide to head in-land. A sprawling camping/caravan site at Trevornick offers holiday makers the opportunity to both fish and play golf. Cubert Common delivering us back to Crantock.

Two pubs opposite each other but as a Baggies Fan, the Cornishman never going to get a look-in for a Baggie on tour.

The Old Albion Inn

Every bit as wonderful as it looks. Low ceilings, red chesterfields, many strange display cabinets suggesting a member of landlords family is moonlighting as a jewellery maker.

The Tribute, the best sampled on this holiday.

Walk Details

Distance - 7 Miles

Walk Inspiration - Ramblers Route

Geocaches - 2

08/04/25 - The Camel Trail into Padstow, Saints Way Out

Ding Ding

Should you want to go to Padstow (plenty of chippers, no Good Beer Guide Pubs), you'll probably want to avoid the stress and expense of parking in town. 

I parked at Little Petherick - which provides two walking trails (sort of) into town.

 

Path	Description
Camel Trail	The Camel Trail is one of Cornwall’s most popular recreational routes, stretching around 18 miles along a disused railway line between Padstow, Wadebridge, and Bodmin. Walkers should avoid getting angry with cyclists that insist on dinging their little bells at you when approaching from behind. Far more hideous are the new breed of electric cyclists, who are not only lazy but think they have a right to silently creep up on you at 20 MPH before delivering said "ding".
Saints Way	The Saints' Way is a 30-mile walking trail that cuts across the heart of Cornwall, linking the north coast town of Padstow with the south coast harbour of Fowey. Steeped in history, the route follows ancient paths believed to have been used by early Christian pilgrims and traders as they journeyed between Ireland, Wales, and Brittany.

We decided to take the Camel trail first, which required some uninspiring walking until the views eventually opened up over the estuary. St Issey/Trevance especially annoying, where a new estate has been built and the footpaths only vaguely indicated on the ground. 

First views of Padstow

The Camel Trail is picked up at Halwyn. A C15th Pigeon house but more importantly for the C21st Tourist, a free car park. If you are prepared to drive down narrow lanes with grass growing up the middle.

The Second Time this structure has appeared on my blog

Shared access paths are never the easiest, especially when you are sharing with arrogant and entitled pricks. Christ, but cyclists do little to live down their reputation. They seem to get emboldened, the more of them there are. It's a relief to reach the end of the line.

The views were of course, excellent

Its possibly best to avoid the harbour area of Padstow. Take a few steps into the back streets and you will get an outdoor seat at a pub. We tried the Old Ship, where friendly service was countered by a lacklustre Tribute.

Padstow - from the opposite side of the Harbour

Space at the Old Ship

Lunch had to be Fish and Chips. We could have queued with everyone else for the full Rick Stein experience, but Chip Ahoy sounded more up our street. Next to a Padstow Brewery craft beer bar and a couple of available outdoor seats. This proved handy to get over the shock of Fish and Chips twice being £27. 

It's the families I feel sorry for! What do you do if you have hungry kids? Get them to share is the only obvious answer.

The Saints Way took us back to Little Petherick. And what super walking it was - Up and down over agricultural fields. The agriculture? Daffodils! 

Saints Way to the Obelisk

Who knew daffodils were industrially cultivated?

Followed by a around a mile along Little Penderick Creek.

End of the Day Walking

Super route, 14 years after I last completed something similar.

The saving up starts now for the next time.

Walk Details

Distance - 10 Miles

Geocaches - 9

Walk Inspiration - Best Pub Walks in Cornwall, Walk 4

07/04/25 - St Agnes for the Driftwood Spars

Blue Hills Tin Streams

St Agnes is the furthest we will travel for a walk this week. A village steeped in mining traditions, where we never seem to be far from an engine house or a slag heap.

As always, stunning sea views.

We start in the centre and work our way along back lanes to Trevellas Coombe - one of the last places where tin and copper were mined. The dogs enjoying a lengthy romp in the post industrial stream. Why walk on the path when you can have a splash around?

Ruby under the way marker

Blue Hills Tin Stream Engine House

A steep up and over to Trevaunance Cove. You would think that 10:52am would be too early for a Good Beer Guide Tick. In the same way that Rick Stein dominates Padstow, the Driftwood Spars dominate St Agnes. With a pub, a hotel, a restaurant, a brewery and a snack shed, one of them is bound to be open. A drink in a branded glass means this isn't one for the dubious ticks committee, even if the drink was San Pellegrino.

Quite the approach to a pub

Good Beer Guide Tick

The dogs demand a beach frolic and then we are on our way. Mrs M disappointed that her new fitbit is providing a "sleep score" - an encouraging 82% but not counting flights of stairs climbed.

Although the cliffs level out, we still have some climbing to do. St Agnes Beacon must be summitted before we take one of several footpaths marked "To The Village"

More amazing views - St Agnes Beacon looking South

Pups always enjoy a view

Mondays - always a fun day to claim your reward for a day's exertions. We promised ourselves a Fish and Chip lunch. Pre walk research suggesting we may need to use Tripadvisor to determine the best Chipper out of two available. The question answered itself. Neither are open on a Monday Lunch. Nor the fish restaurant.

The Taphouse saving the day. Beerwise, I may have expected more from such a named establishment. I mean it sounds somehow cruel to have Proper Job as one of the 4 keg options and no cask at all. But a Lunchtime Special menu which provided both a Huli Huli Chicken Poke Bowl (hers) and Steak Frites (mine) for a tenner (each) could not be sniffed at. 

Kona Big Wave an apt choice for Surfer Central.

Lunch

Walk Details

Distance - 7.5 Miles

Geocaches - 9

Walk Inspiration - Ramblers Route

 

06/04/25 - Trevose Head for the Cornish Arms, St Merryn

Eponymous Wifi

Once the initial shock of £12 for all day parking had worn off, we found a stunning walk from Harlyn Bay.

A minimal amount of inland walking for a lengthy coastal walk on a circular walk.

The first bay we meet is Constantine. If we had been braver - trusting the maps for unmarked footpaths at ground level and facing the anger of middle-aged men playing golf - we could have investigated St Constantine Church ruins and well. From google research, the ruined church recovered from sand dunes. The dogs, and Mrs M, wanted to get to the beach.

Beach 1 - Constantine Bay

Trevose Head, with both a lighthouse and a lifeboat station providing the majority of the coastal walking.

Wolf shows us the way to Trevose Head

Lifeboat Station from the other side

Homeward, via Mother Ivey's bay and back to Harlyn to see what facilities you get for your £12. Pizza and Burger Shacks and signs to the toilets that appear to be located somewhere nearer Padstow.

As we have our own beach at home, we head back to St Mawgan. Not without a stop at one of the two pubs in St Merryn. The Cornish Arms having a larger car park and beer garden than the Farmers Arms. Neither scoring particularly well for Sunday lunch on various review sites.

The Cornish Arms

A scan at the bar told me all I needed to know about the reviews, which stated "Over priced and average food". 

The WiFi SSID is RICKSTEIN with a password of rickstein.

This St Austell house is celebrity backed.

Not that I am going to complain about the quality of my Tribute. Enjoyed in the sunshine.

Tribute in the sunshine

Walk Summary

Distance - 6 Miles

Geocaches - 4

Walk Inspiration - Country Walking Magazine - February 2016

04/04/25 - Towan Head, Pentire Head, Fistral Beach for the Best Western at Newquay

Professional Dog Sitting - A Proper Job

Too scared to look at what the Orange One has done to my long term financial planning, we are forced to take on a job.

Dog Sitting. 

A return visit to Mawgan Porth to see if Ruby and Wolf remember us. 

Needing supplies, we head out to Newquay for the big shop. 11 years since my last visit, it felt tidier and less sleazy than before.

Maybe we just picked the best area to walk - the farther part of a couple of headlands and a Cruffin (don't ask) at a cafe overlooking the home of British Surfing, Fistral Beach.

Off to Towan Head

View from a Cafe

There is just the one Good Beer Guide pub in town. We are at the wrong end - at least a mile and a half away. A silent bet with myself on how far we get before Mrs M mentions how I dragged her all across Stroud for a tick. 

3/4 of a mile.

The Best Western is a hotel, with a rambling bar. Saved by several things well done.  By chance, the views from the Terrace bar. By design, a doggie station with help yourself biscuits and water and for the humans, an excellent Proper Job.

The Taste of Holidays

Best Western

An evening back at Mawgan Porth, enjoying the fruits of the big shop.

We might be professional dog sitters, but we still cannot get them to pose for photos.

Pet photography, a step for far

Walk Details

Distance - 7 Miles

Geocaches - 1

Walk Inspiration - 40 Walks in Cornwall

01/04/25 - The Sodburys

Finding Palmers 200 North of Somerset

Easy transport links from the Midlands to Yate. A fairly non-descript town of dead pubs and new build shopping experiences. But walking just 2 miles west allows for the Cotswold Villages of the Sodburys to be explored.

Village	Description
Chipping Sodbury	The largest of the three, it’s a historic market town founded in the 12th century. It has a picturesque high street with pubs, independent shops, and a long-standing market tradition. Contains all the refreshment options, including a Good Beer Guide Pub, the Horseshoe.
Old Sodbury	A small village just to the east, known for its scenic location on the Cotswold Way walking route. It has St. John the Baptist Church, which dates back to the 12th century, and remnants of an Iron Age hillfort.
Little Sodbury	A tiny hamlet with a rich history. It’s notable for Little Sodbury Manor, where William Tyndale is believed to have worked on his English Bible translation in the 16th century. The Cotswold Way also passes through here, making it a good spot for walkers.

A march from the railway station to find another village claiming to have the widest high street in the land. This, and oldest pub, must be the most spurious claims to increase tourism.

Wide enough to hold the Mop Fair - 04/04/25

In recent weeks, I have walking in three different counties. Each one, I have accidentally stumbled on the Monarch's Way. Whatever you have to say about Charles II, he certainly got around his kingdom.  

The LDP leads across common land to Little Sodbury End, Horton and Old Sodbury. The clue is in the name here with plenty of history. First a church dedicated to William Tyndale;

William Tyndale (c. 1494–1536) was an English scholar and religious reformer, born in Gloucestershire, best known for translating the Bible into English. In 1535, he was arrested in Antwerp after being betrayed by an English informant. He was imprisoned for over a year in Vilvoorde Castle, near Brussels, where he was tried for heresy by the Catholic Church. In October 1536, he was convicted and sentenced to death. He was strangled at the stake and then burned, his final words reportedly being, "Lord, open the King of England’s eyes." Despite his execution, Tyndale’s English Bible translation remained influential, forming the basis of later versions, including the King James Bible.

Bad Henry VIII

And going back into antiquity, Sobba's Hill fort. Overtaken by Woodcock Farm, who used the centre for making Hay (presumably only when the sun shines). The ramparts are clearly visible and the Cotswold Way runs right through the centre.

Old Sodbury Hill Fort is a large Iron Age hill fort in South Gloucestershire, near the village of Old Sodbury. Positioned on a high ridge along the Cotswold escarpment, it offers commanding views over the surrounding landscape. The fort dates back to around 400–100 BC and was originally built by the Dobunni tribe as a defensive settlement. Enclosing approximately 11 acres (4.5 hectares), it features multiple ramparts and ditches, which were later modified during the Roman period. It may also have been used as a strategic site during the Wars of the Roses. The name Sodbury is thought to derive from the Old English Sobba’s burh, meaning "Sobba’s fort." Today, the site is part of the Cotswold Way walking route, attracting visitors for its historical significance and scenic views.

Always hard to photograph a hillfort

But none of this prepares you for the view from St John the Baptist Church. I doubt I will have a more scenic lunch spot than from the bench overlooking the Severn Vale. 

A single ham sandwich barely apt for such a place

Worryingly, Chipping Sodbury church tower can be spotted a long way away. 

I have a train to catch and a Good Beer Guide Pub to tick off.

I cannot attest to this, but the Horseshoe has to be the stand out pub in the village. Others were spotted but are all trying to be something other than a pub. The Squire was almost visited until I saw the branding "Steak on the Square". Real Ales look way down on its list of offerings.

Not at the Horseshoe - it sells beer and has music

Its not often I get excited but almost a whoop of delight as I spotted Palmers 200. That doyden of Dorset beer that has never been seen so far north. I wasn't even sure if they sold it in their non tied pubs.

Where to find Palmers Tied Houses

A conversation with the barman told that it is permanently available here and they sponsor their Cask Marque status. I feel an Internet Job coming on. Maybe I could maintain a database on locations with Palmers permanently on.

Zoom in to see a rare Timothy Taylor shunning

Times are checked for the 3.04pm return train. Google maps shows it to be 1.6 miles to go.  That can be done in 30 minutes, can't it? 

Only if I can down this second Palmers in 11 minutes.

Ubers are available.

Walk Details

Distance - 11.5 Miles

Walk Inspiration - Country Walking Magazine, November 1991

Geocaches - 16