17/08/26 - Sedgley Ale Trail

Monday Lunchtime Ticking

Never the best day for visiting pubs, but I don't do too badly in Sedgley. I was here on the trail of a Victorian Widow (read on, if interested) but in the back of my mind, I knew there was another Sedgley item on my Google Calendar To Do List.

Nine available but as stated, it's Monday. Wallet and liver will be safe.

2. The Beacon Hotel

The first I reach, on my approach from a hidden medieval lane across Turl's Hill. It should be number 1 on your list too. In other pubs, I am taken as a pub tourist and the bar staff there ask "Have you been to the Beacon Hotel?". 

Even when their own pub is empty.

The Beacon Hotel

Handsome from all angles

It's the brew pub for Sarah Hughes, where their Ruby Mild is the stuff of legend. Facebook showed a delighted punter finding it in Portsmouth on the weekend. You might think a 6% easy drinker is the strongest drink available. The chalk written board has a brew called Hedgerow - coming in at a whopping 7.3%.

The bar is a near unique experience. There is a glass partition that only opens to belly button height. You can either remain anonymous, or crouch down - where the staff crouch down back to meet your gaze. It must be a health and safety concern for cricked necks for staff and punters alike.

Once you've chosen your poison, you have a considerably bigger decision to make. Where to sit. There appears to be room after room internally and then a pleasant rear patio and play area. Or you can just do what this tourist did - wander around until you find the most life.

Back to the wall pensioners

I love the old school opening hours..... maybe it was so busy, as people know it closes at 2:30 for an afternoon hiatus.

3. The White Lion - Closed on a Monday lunchtime.

4. The Bulls Head

A pleasant enough Holdens Pub, suffering with a lack of punters. I awoke the barmaid from her doom-scrolling and enjoyed another tick on the Holdens Chain, with a Black Country Special.

My type of pub

Steven Brown Highland Cow and an indication of brewery distance

1. Mount Pleasant and 9. The Crown - The Mount Pleasant is a "Want to Go" but is not open on many lunchtimes, so saved for another day. The Crown, a desi pub, will be ticked on that day.

7. Sandy's - The only one on the PDF that is closed down. It was a cafe with an alcohol licence.

8. Seven Stars - Too far out of my way.

5. The Clifton 

'Spoons cannot be kept out of the news. This week, the mainstream media has Timbo's announcement that mobile phones on loudspeaker are to be banned. The sooner we give this man other parts of society to manage, the better. And in the latest Critic Magazine - a two page article in praise of the most democratic of pub chains.

Timely article in this month's The Critic.

Mirroring yesterday's joy. pic.twitter.com/NKDJVBPUPe

— Mappiman (@Mappiman1) August 18, 2026

The crux of the article - how he saves important high street buildings, promotes cask ales and offers value for money for all perfectly experienced during my visit of this old picture house which would be otherwise left to rot.

A grand 'spoons

6. The Swan Inn

A little bit of an ugly duckling - I couldn't find a decent angle to photograph it in a reasonable light. It certainly exceeded expectations. Two old boys watching the golf and one old girl with an older dog did not seem to warrant the four cask ales available.

Yet, my Town Crier was in perfect condition.

You cannot always succumb to your own prejudices.

And on blogging, I determine it's in the 2026 Good Beer Guide.  My 1191 tick.

Reassuring to see that I concur with the bible, even when unaware.

17/08/26 - On the Trail of...... Eliza Tinsley

West Midlands' Widow

The latest West Midlands History Podcast concentrates on Victorian widows. The central argument is that widowhood was not simply a story of female tragedy and poverty. Although many widows faced extreme hardship, the death of a husband could also fundamentally change a woman's position. In a society where married women were often financially and legally subordinate to their husbands, becoming a widow could give a woman control of property, money, household affairs and, sometimes, a degree of political independence.

They discuss the life of a West Midlands Widow - Eliza Tinsley.

Eliza Butler married Thomas Tinsley in 1839 and they had six children. Their home, The Limes in Sedgley, was built for them shortly before Thomas died in 1851, along with their eldest daughter Elizabeth. Eliza was then widowed and took over the family nail and chain-making business. She expanded it into a major Staffordshire manufacturer, employing around 4,000 people by 1871 and producing nails, chains, rivets and anchors for markets in Britain and overseas. She lived at The Limes until her death in 1882.

Sedgley - the obvious target for a walk and to find what remains on the ground. Getting there might be easier when the tram extension is created. For me it's bus, rail replacement bus, train, train and a 2 mile walk from Coseley station. The walk is through houses, although I do find a medieval lane over Turl's Hill. 

The Limes is the obvious target. The grounds have been donated as a public space. There is a filthy notice board telling the history of the building. Information on that board can be used to plot the co-ordinates of the only Geocache on route.

Italianate Tower no longer present 

Now executive flats

Who need to show as much civic pride as the Victorians

There are other potential locations. The Leopard, a pub owned by the family, is just down the road. Alas, demolished and replaced by Lego houses. Their main factory was at Cradley Heath. But the Victorians were great at celebrating civic success.

Now located in St Andrews Church

And although not her final resting place, a large memorial cross at All Saints Church.

Easy Find

Walk Details

Distance - 4 miles

Geocaches - 1

Walk Inspiration - History West Midlands Podcast

30/07/26 - Lammas in Halesowen

Early Harvest

I may be two days early for Lammas, but the strange weather makes a mockery of the calendar. All the conditions for a pilgrimage walk seem to have fallen into place. The farmers are already bringing in the harvest, and I find an oak beneath which to eat my ham sandwich. I have neither loaf nor companions to complete the ritual as tradition prescribes.

August brings Lughnasadh (or Lammas), the ancient Celtic festival of the first harvest, celebrated on 1 August. Lammas, from the Old English hlaf-mæsse ("loaf mass"), marks the baking of bread from the new grain and giving thanks for the harvest. This is the time for bread baked from new grain, for gathering berries on hedgerow walks, for songs of John Barleycorn, the spirit of corn who must die so we might live.

Pilgrimage at Lughnasadh is earthy and practical, when you can bring a loaf, break it with your companions beneath an oak, and share it together.

Harvest Special

I'm in Halesowen with plenty of plans - a new Adventure Lab Cache, a local walk in Country Walking Magazine and a lunchtime visit to CAMRA's Cider Pub of the Year (Stourbridge and Halesowen Branch).

It's a walk I know reasonably well but there's always something new to discover.

The remains of Halesowen Abbey - built 1218

A new waymarked walking trail

I knew that Leasowes Park was a Dudley Geosite but the new trail, with fresh waymarker signs is a bit of a mystery. A Google search and the only reference is an upcoming Ramblers Walk that follows a route from Halesowen to Waseley Hill Visitor Centre. Considering the effort they have gone to on plotting the walk on the ground, they could do with a little more advertising on the route it takes. And saying it is Geotrail 1 suggests more Geotrails are coming. I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Perhaps the most intriguing feature of this walk are the remnants of the Halesowen Branch Line.

Old Hill to Longbridge

The map shows the course of the route from Old Hill to Longbridge, but offers no clues to the engineering feats involved in its construction. Fallen trees forced me into the woodland, where the surviving brick piers can still be found. These once supported a lattice ironwork viaduct that rose 100 feet above the valley floor and stretched for 700 feet. Built in 1883, it lasted just over 80 years before being dismantled in 1965. All that effort, but would it have passed today's health and safety tests? It looks rather delicate!

Reclaimed by nature

10 mph speed limit. Unsure if it ran when windy

The route - unusually for this summer, completed in rain - is back to town via Leasowes Park and the disused number 2 canal.

Post walk refreshment has to be Roberto's Bar. For daytime drinkers, this means arriving on a Thursday/Friday or Saturday - when it opens at midday. Come on a Sunday and it opens at 2pm, but selling the most extraordinary looking Bloody Mary's - made in a vat and sold until gone.

You know what day it is! Don't miss out! I'm away next Sunday so you'll have to get your fix today! Cheers! pic.twitter.com/pTiaTVqXcA

— Roberto's Bar - Halesowen (@RobertosBarHale) July 26, 2026

No "Breakfast of Champions" on this Thursday afternoon but the electronic menu does demand some attention. Two pages of ciders were expected. About a dozen different meads wasn't. But there was only one choice for me. Not often I see the laughing abbot on draught.

Straffe Hendrick Quad chaser also available

Walk Details

Distance - 8 miles

Walk Inspiration - Country Walking Magazine, April 2026, Walk 12

Geocaches - 10

Previous Celtic Pilgrimages - Imbloc, Spring Equinox, Beltane, Summer Solstice

14/07/26 - Rail Trail - Smethwick Galton Bridge to The Hawthorns

Quadruple Inspiration to Find "Sand Well"

A lot going on for a simple walk between two West Midlands Railway Stations.

History West Midlands Podcasts

My monthly listen is the opening podcast about the Black Country, focusing on the post WWII glory years. Full employment, workers rights, massive house building. Setting the boomers up for a life of good luck unavailable to the future generations. 

There is nothing specifically mentioned in terms of people or places to base a walk on. The Bentley Estate in Darlaston a possibility but I doubt it offers much in the way of walking or pubs. The GKN factory in Heath Street long gone. Inspiration was found from the former mining works in Sandwell Valley Country Park. A walk - the Miner's Trail - was found and adapted into the walk.

Sandwell Country Park - a pond hiding former mine works

The real interest here is from a much older age. Three information boards tell all you need to know about the spring that gave the area its name, a priory and a later hall. Only some foundations - and the unattractive, sandbagged spring remain.

Tucked away in Sandwell Valley are the remains of Sandwell Priory, a small Benedictine monastery founded in the late 12th century beside the Sand Well, a natural spring believed to possess healing qualities that gave both the priory and the modern borough their name. Following the priory's closure in 1525, the site later became home to Sandwell Hall, a grand country house built by the Dartmouth family in the early 18th century. Although the hall was demolished in 1928, archaeological excavations have since revealed the foundations of both the medieval priory and the later mansion, allowing visitors to trace more than 700 years of history in a single peaceful corner of the valley.

Priory and Hall Remains

Sandwell, bubbling up

Pub Walks in the Black Country

My next walk from this book is in Sandwell Country Park. Only two miles, and covering the afore-photographed pond, Swan Pond and the priory remains. Two miles cannot justify the public transport costs for a separate visit, so I simply add most of the loop into the walk. And the pub? The Churchfield Tavern, Little Lane is recommended for Banks Bitter and Mild.

Demolished in 2013

From the photo, it looks a mishmash of extensions, with a rather oddly positioned chimney. Research shows that somewhere there was a both a bowling green and a petting zoo for goats, horses and rabbits.

High in the list of google results was Alan Winfield's epic (aren't they always) 1988 pub crawl of West Bromwich. Added to my to-do list to see if anything still remains in this fast changing pub ticking world. 13 pubs are listed, my betting is there are no more than four remaining. 

I will report back.

Dudley Geosites

Sandwell Valley Country Park and Smethwick Galton Bridge are both Dudley Geosite locations. 2 more knocked off.

Rail Trails

Of course, there is no official route from Smethwick Galton Bridge to The Hawthorns. An unofficial one from Railwalks.co.uk is only 1.2 miles (but the next stage is perfect, downloaded and ready to go). It's down to me to work out how to cross the bridge and get to Sandwell Country Park. A decent enough urban walk on properly marked walking/cycling paths. I learn just how close the Vine is to SGB station, which I am sure will come in useful. Handy twirly footbridges allow for safe crossings of dual carriageways and an interesting way to access Dartmouth Park.

SGB, 1829 and once the highest single span bridge in the world. Looks better from the canal below.

A view of Turner's Hill from a twirly footbridge

Dartmouth Park leads to Sandwell Country Park, where Park Lane can be avoided by a parallel, unmarked footpath that avoids death-by-hatchback. Into Handsworth Cemetery, where a handily placed exit leaves you opposite the Hawthorns, stadium, not station.

Proving just how much of a community club West Bromwich Albion are, they offer a lovely Garden of Remembrance. Loved ones' ashes can be left looking at the stadium. It has been my dad's home for the last 11 years.

Of course, I popped in. 

"Gone for a shout"

Walk Details

Distance - 6 miles

Geocaches - 2

Previous Stages on the Wyre Valley Line - Worcester to Droitwich, Droitwich to Hartlebury, Hartlebury to Kidderminster, Kidderminster to Hagley, Hagley to Stourbridge, Stourbridge to Cradley Heath, Cradley Heath to Old Hill, Old Hill to Langley Green, Langley Green to Smethwick Galton Bridge

17/06/26 - Rail Trail - Langley Green to Smethwick Galton Bridge

Back to my roots

A combination of sources for today's walk, which is possibly the most personal one undertaken.

This month's History West Midlands Podcast is about racism in 1960s Smethwick and specifically Malcolm X's 1965 visit to the area. The next leg of my "rail trails" series is between Langley Green and Smethwick.

Peter Griffiths became Smethwick’s Conservative MP in the 1964 general election after running a notoriously racist and anti-immigration campaign, winning against the national trend and displacing Labour’s Patrick Gordon Walker. A few months later, on 12 February 1965, Malcolm X visited Smethwick at the invitation of Avtar Singh Jouhl and the Indian Workers’ Association to see the discrimination faced by Black and Asian residents, including the colour bar at the Blue Gates pub, where he was not served. He described the situation in Smethwick as even worse than America, and his visit became a powerful symbol of international solidarity against racism. Malcolm X was assassinated in New York on 21 February 1965, just nine days after the Smethwick visit.

I was born in Birmingham and spent the first two years in Smethwick. In a street very near and similar to where Malcolm X visited. My parents - white, working class, moved away in 1971. I never heard them be racist but their reasons were "they didn't want their kids to be in the minority at school".

With this as a backdrop - I trace a route between the two stations, taking in key locations to the story and from my life. It's an urban walk - so certainly not pretty.

Mappiman's First House - Remembered only through photos

There's not that many pubs in the area. The first seen, the Merrivale - a burnt-out shell that is bound to be demolished soon. Most in the area are "Desi-Pubs" - a perfect blend of beer and Indian Food, mixed grill platters a speciality. The Old Chapel is a surviving traditional pub and also the oldest non-secular building in Smethwick. Long been of interest, as we drive past it from the Albion. My mom tells me stories of sharing half a cider with my dad, unable to afford a drink each, having mortgaged themselves to the hilt to purchase the two-up, two-down.

I was hoping to visit today, but it appears to be going through a change of ownership. Stonegate has it up for sale and Facebook has an enthusiastic post suggesting a new chapter is starting soon. 

Old Chapel - I can claim a tick from my pram in 1970

Blue Plaque

Lunch and an interlude at Smethwick Heritage Centre in Victoria Park. A tiny room celebrating Smethwick's industrial past and West Bromwich Albion's former glories.

Picnic in a Park

The Red Cow - Peter Griffiths, the Racist MP, used to campaign from there. Now Desi

The Blue Gates - Visited on my Metro Pub Crawl Walk

My acting career died a death before it had chance to flourish. In Smethwick High Street - where I was busy photographing the mosque, I was approached by a film producer who needed white Caucasian males to appear as extras in a movie being shot. Photos taken and paperwork part completed until I asked how long I would be needed for. Alas, shooting was between 2pm and 8pm. I couldn't commit.

A statue to Sikh Soldiers in WW1

Marshall Street - not far from Smethwick Galton Bridge - is the logical conclusion to the day's activities. A blue plaque marking Malcolm X's visit to Smethwick.

A street of terraced houses

Malcolm was here

Walk Details

Distance - 5 miles

Geocaches - 2

Previous Stages on the Wyre Valley Line - Worcester to Droitwich, Droitwich to Hartlebury, Hartlebury to Kidderminster, Kidderminster to Hagley, Hagley to Stourbridge, Stourbridge to Cradley Heath, Cradley Heath to Old Hill, Old Hill to Langley Green

06/06/26 - Walsall to Cannock on the McClean Way

Arrow Straight to a Broken Boulder

Walk Midlands is such an excellent resource. Subscribe to their mail list and as regular as clockwork on the 1st of the month your inbox will be filled with wonderful ramblers inspiration. I had my eye on today's walk as it ended in the never explored before Cannock. As usual, I ask AI what there is to do there. Let's just say ChatGPT is not going to get employed by the Cannock Tourist Board.

If you're expecting a picturesque market town full of historic buildings, Cannock itself can feel a bit underwhelming.

As surprising as that sounds, it's quite a fair assessment. Who says we need to worry about the veracity of  AI?

Still, its probably better than Walsall. In the rain. I look to make my escape as soon as possible and pick up the McClean Way. A former railway line, its arrow straight, offers no views and makes canals seem exciting.

It's like this for miles

Until you escape at Pelsall

Cadman's Lane offers little to lift the boredom - a green lane dividing cow pastures. There's an oddly placed blue plaque in a thicket and even this is a memorial to something that no longer exists. John Wesley, founder of the Methodists, preached from a large sandstone boulder near Fishey. The boulder no longer exists. Kind of fitting for the walk, somehow.

Unexpected Plague

Impossible to say where Great Wyrley ends and Cannock begins but the last couple of miles are along the A34. At least there are three pubs for needed refreshment. I picked well at the first - The Star Inn. A community pub trying to be all things to all people. Food, entertainment and sometimes both. The upcoming England World Cup games can be enjoyed with a half time chip butty.

Well kept beer - HPA, Butty Bach or Timothy Taylor

Over two horrible roundabouts - and then I am in Cannock. A town where the planners really don't want the pedestrian to make it into.  

Three Good Beer Guide Ticks await.

Walk Details

Distance - 10 miles

Geocaches - 1

Walk Inspiration

 

28/05/26 - West Midlands Metro Pub Crawl - Stage 5

The End, Again

The plan - testing AI to see the nearest pub to a West Midlands Metro stop, alighting at every third station. For the second time, I have reached the end of the line. 

Plenty (too much) variety, as I attack some of the stops in central Birmingham. Things learned? Broad Street doesn't open until the evening. And neither does St Chads.

Number	Station	AI Recommendation	Actual Nearest
18	St Chads	The Gun Makers Arms	The Gun Makers Arms

The Gun Makers Arms had been closed for a short while. Unsurprising, really. There were never any punters in there during my previous visits. Even with the Good Beer Guide recommendation, keen pricing and being a brewpub. Looking at Google now - it is labelled Mason Newman's Gun Makers Arms. Which seems a mouthful. Hidden in the small print is the fact that it doesn't open until 4pm. I'll have to wait for a weekend to determine what Mason has done with the gaff.

So the next obvious choice is the Old Contemptibles. A Nicholson pub that really could do with the patronage of a resident artist.

Tommy on the right has too much on his spoon

This is a much improved pub, beer-wise. The last couple of years it's quite rightly been endorsed in the Good Beer Guide. The beer selection is also rotating and you are never sure what to find. Keeping a perfect pint of Bass in this heatwave is something that should be heralded.

One of Birmingham's Best

There is no point catching the tram to The Town Hall. It's quicker to walk up Colmore Row.

Number	Station	AI Recommendation	Actual Nearest
19	Town Hall	The Victoria	Pure Craft Bar and Kitchen

I'm unsure which Victoria AI is suggesting, but if it's the theatre pub next to the Alex, then that is an awful long way away. There are a few contenders for the closest pub to the Town Hall. Across the road from Pure Craft is a Pieminster, with "Pie and Mash" emblazoned on the door. This might be a good idea, when the heatwave breaks.

Handsome

I've never really got on with the inside of the tap room for Purity Brewing. It's cavernous, all exposed ducting and completely soulless. Yet in the sunshine, it's a fine spot to people watch. I particularly like counting the number of people drinking who should be at work. And jealously wondering if they are on expenses. The one thing I miss during retirement is asking for receipts. I can do it in four languages.

A fine (expensive) Purity Helles.

Onwards to Five Ways - the far end of Broad Street. 

Number	Station	AI Recommendation	Actual Nearest
20	Five Ways	The Distillery	Barbara's Bier Haus

I don't know who Barbara is, but looking at Google Maps Street View, she used to be called Heidi. I don't suppose I will ever find out. A Germanic themed fun pub that opens at 4pm. I wasn't against a visit. They sell Lowenbrau by the stein.

Instead, I have a little backstreet pub called the Vine saved in my "Google Want to Go" list. With no description on why I want to go. 

Protect Ladywood

And everything about it is weird. It looks like a traditional Victorian corner pub - which has had a new build added to the top of it. The architecture is at odds with the rest of the street - which looks like a 1960s housing estate. I can't tell whether the area is commercial or residential. It would certainly be handy for Birmingham's nightlife and could save someone a fortune in Uber.

Inside, it's very traditional. Wood panelling, sports TVs and a pool table, being put through its paces by the bar staff.

The outside A-frame promotes Real Ale but I wasn't forced to make a choice. Both pumps off.... not that I would have trusted it in > 30 degree heat.

Sshh... please don't tell anyone

Next leg? Back to Wolverhampton.

Walk Details

Previous Metro Pub Walks - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Pubs - 3

Total Number of Metro Station Pubs - 20

07/05/26 - Dudley Geological Heritage Trail

Rock and (beef and onion) Roll

My latest West Midlands History Podcast is not really suitable for going on a fact-finding walk for. It concerns the improvement in household living in the Black Country home.

I could have gone to the Back to Back Houses in Birmingham, but have already visited. The Black Country Living Museum falls into the same category, but next door is the free Dudley Museum and Art Gallery.

This is the first listing in Black Country Geosites list and there is a Good Beer Guide Tick up for grabs. A day out is possible, although we're going back further in time than the podcast.

Would have more apt

I'll look at plastic dinosaurs, instead

I did manage to get all the leaflets I needed for future Black Country Geo-sites walks. Including a heritage trail around Dudley town centre, where 23 interesting rock locations are highlighted. I enjoyed the statues and priory, Poundland and the Halifax less so.

What retirement holds in store for you

Duncan Edwards - the best statue in town

Priory Park is lovely

Nothing says tourist more than a man struggling to unfurl an A1 sized leaflet in a town centre. And Dudley doesn't get many tourists. It was best that I repaired to the unvisited GBG Tick at the Malt Shovel.

Former Banks

Should you be able to zoom in on the external chalk board - it says they do have Real Ale. Not that this was encouraging my fellow lunchtime drinkers, all on Carling. Comfortable enough and my Pictish Brewing Blue Moon was perfect, even if it was from Rochdale, rather than Scotland, as informed by the bar staff.

A cob lunch, perfect.

A two phase lunch

The Fellows is highlighted on my Google Maps as being part of the Holdens chain, but my spider senses were instantly alerted to this being fake news.

Too smart

Online, its still listed. It serves a perfect Golden Glow. And Holdens scratchings. Yet it has been sold and is now an independent concern.

Lunch - Part 2

A walk back to Tipton Train Station (evidence that the future tram extension may make getting to Dudley slightly easier). Long closed pubs, ruined vans with repossession notices on the smashed windscreens and celebrations of the local celebrities.

The Tipton Slasher

Walk Details

Distance - 6 Miles

Geocaches - 12

Walk Inspiration - West Midlands History Podcast and the Dudley Geological Heritage Trail