21/05/22 - A Wolverhampton Ring - A Summary

Distance - 27 Miles

Stages Walked - 3

Pubs Visited - 10 

Geocaches Found - 11

The Wolverhampton Ring is a 27 mile circular walk around the City.  All stages are easily accessible by public transport and with a high quantity of Good Beer Guide recommended pubs on route, I decided to take my time.  Completion was made over three stages.

Stage 1 - Coseley to Busbury - 8 Miles

Stage 2 - Busbury to Compton - 6 Miles

Stage 3 - Compton to Coseley - 11 Miles

The walking was better than expected.  Surprisingly rural and when in satellite towns, sticking to canals and hidden pathways.

The pubs were excellent.  Some real destination old school pubs, such as Sedgley's Beacon Hotel and some inner city Marston's gems that both surprised and delighted.  

And at Wolverhampton Station - the timeless Great Western, where a taste off between Bathams and Holdens must be held.

Photos at a Flickr Album.

21/05/22 - A Wolverhampton Ring - Stage 3 - Compton to Coseley

Distance - 11 Miles

Geocaches - 4

Pubs - 4 - Good Beer Guide Ticks #678-680

Previous Stages - Stage 1, Stage 2

Third and final stage of the Wolverhampton Ring. A reminder - it's an unofficial, unmarked path that completes a 28 mile circular walk around the City. It's been a fine way to tick off less obvious Good Beer Guide Pubs and this stage is no exception. Four on route - two more close by (I'm not that greedy) and three that are new to me.

An epic, but painless 2 bus, 2 train journey to Compton. The route runs along the canal but alas, the towpath is currently barricaded for repair works. There's not even a gap in the fencing to break through. The Smestow Nature Reserve, running parallel to the canal along a disused railway, providing a suitable alternative.

Look at that lovely new towpath

Former railway line, now well signposted.

Easy walking, which leads to some urban streets until the countryside is found at Penn.  Proper countryside. With cows (out of shot, use your imagination).

Walking in Wolverhampton

Ignoring the first pub available - a Miller and Carter on the Stourbridge Road - I arrive at the Barley Mow, Penn Common - a regular in the Good Beer Guide. I needed to be on my planning toes, as it's in Staffordshire. This is a two county, Good Beer Guide Ramble.

A former farmhouse dated from 1630, where the ceilings are a health hazard for anyone above hobbit height.  

Tricky to find... shared drive access with the Golf Club.  Lucky Golfers

Proof of Age.  We can always trust dates on pub signs.

Beer choice required a test of my loyalties. Sensing the betrayal in my eyes, they poured my Three Tuns Cleric's Cure into a TT Landlord Glass. For the record, I'm also a big fan of HPA and Enville Ale.  It was a win-win-win-win visit.

With much ticking to do, I only had the one.

More countryside through Park Hill and the heights of Ettingshall Park.  If I had stuck to the road, rather than the infinitely superior countryside, I could have had ticks at the Mount Pleasant and Clifton.

Six pubs on a walk is pushing it.

A different approach to Sedgley civilisation but I am soon reminded of my bearings.

Its only the Beacon Hotel, home of Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild

A repeat visit, so blogged there with plenty of photos.  

More or less directly opposite the Beacon is another Good Beer Guide Tick, the White Lion.  From its unassuming exterior, its hard to know how they can compete with such an iconic, destination pub.

Put preconceptions aside

The answer?  How about Thornbridge Jaipur on cask through a sparkler. Superb pint.

Modern Classic

Not much further to the finale at Coseley Train Station - along hidden lanes - to a final Good Beer Guide Tick.

Old Chainyard, Coseley

A cash only, community pub that has an eclectic customer base but covering most of the Black Country boozer bingo card.  

• Pensioners discussing upcoming Benidorm holiday plans.  Tick.
• Old boy coming off the puggie to check his racing winners. Tick.
• Black Country's Number 1 Stiff Little Fingers Fan. Who'd been on the Jukebox.  Unexpected.

Digging out my emergency tenner, I was able to choose one of the two Salopian real ales on offer.

Pub Life:  Black Country

Two minutes to the station and that's Wolverhampton walked.  Not a bad way to spend three Saturdays.

22/01/22 - A Wolverhampton Ring - Stage 2 - Bushbury to Compton

Distance - 6 Miles

Geocaches - 1

Pubs - 4 - Good Beer Guide Ticks #643-646

Previous Stage

Oh the irony!  My plan was to get back on the Heart of Wales Line walk - but a travel check revealed that there were rail replacement services from Llandrindod Wells. 

Not wishing to make things more complex than they need to be, I head back on the rails for the next stage of the Wolverhampton Ring.  Where the journey home - 19 miles - takes 3.5hours on Public transport due to a signalling failure that wipes out all Kidderminster bound trains for 24 hours.

England is starting to appear a little 3rd world.

I do manage to get to Bushbury - North Wolverhampton - with just the 1hour delay.  An 11am start meaning that all planned pubs will be open by the time I reach them.

This stretch is more urban than stage 1. A couple of miles of housing estates until I reach the Staffordshire/Worcestershire canal.

Crossing the Canal

This canal wins the prize for having the most distant tow path, as I work my way south to Autherley Junction.  More housing estates and the OS Map markers have detailed in their historical font a dovecote.  At ground zero, it's not so easy to determine what they are on about.

GPS Arrow Bang on the first "e" of "Dovecote"

There is a C17th round brick building, if you look hard enough.  I wasn't hanging around to take more photos.

A golf course and the delightful village feel of Stockwell End and I pick up the Smestow Valley Nature Reserve.  A choice between canal or railway line walking can be made.  Or a bit of both, if you cross the very American looking rail bridge.

Smestow Valley Walk

6 miles and I'm at Compton.  I can't help but think I will regret bailing out on the walk at this point, but there is much Good Beer Guide Ticking to complete.

The Swan, Bridgnorth Road, Compton - Wainwright

1780 Coaching House

Firstly, I am initially surprised that Marstons ever trouble the Good Beer Guide.  Banks Amber, Wainwright and Sunbeam - the choice here - are hardly setting the beer world on fire.  Places like this will make me re-consider.  I don't think I have ever had such a good Wainwright.

Was that a pint?  There was no Pedigree

Certainly a bar for banter.  I am joined in my corner alcove by a former sailor and a man that pays £68 every 6 weeks to have his cockapoo groomed.

I just have to keep my wits about me as to what I reveal about myself.

Deep in Bandit Country

Chindit, Merridale Road, Wye Valley HPA

With not a single person in the front bar, the lights off, I thought the pub was closed.

Door ajar, a sign of life

There is a lounge to the back.  Four people inside and from the conversations, I think 3 lived here.  Difficult to review when it felt like I had burst into someones living room and demanded refreshments at the swoosh of my plastic.

Royal Oak, Newton Street, Marstons Sunbeam

The Royal Oak

Another locals pub, but unlike the Chindit, packed.  I think a football team were in for post training recovery.

I'd noticed that everyone in the Swan was drinking Sunbeam - so gave this a first try.  Again, local CAMRA had got it right.  It was in perfect condition.

Combermere Arms, Chapel Ash, Timothy Taylor Landlord

The final place actually took some finding - and I don't think I can wholly blame it on being 3 pints in.

Its on a main road.  Google maps was telling me I was right in front of it.  It looks more house than pub.

Clue available, side on.  Grade II listed

The landlord looks at me like I am a bit of mentalist when I mention this to him at the small bar in the front room.  Two other tiny rooms to explore and to avoid eavesdropping, I head to the back room for splendid isolation.

Then I can look at horror with what I have been served.  I am a veteran of 57 Landlord Untappd Checkins and I've not had one looking like this before.

Not so sure.

It did taste OK, otherwise I would have enhanced my nutter reputation by trying to get it changed.

Instead, there is a conversation starter in the gents.  

A still sprouting tree

A unique feature?  A direct twitter quiz message to @NHS_Martin and he came back with the answer before I had finished battling the Landlord.

06/09/21 - A Wolverhampton Ring - Stage 1 - Coseley to Bushbury

Start - Coseley

Finish - Busbury

Distance - 8 Miles

Geocaches - 6

Pubs - 2

Proving that there are no new ideas, someone in the Ramblers recreated the Capital Ring for Wolverhampton.

I myself had executed the same idea for Birmingham.  I setup a website.  It faired slightly worse than this bog.  8 years in existence and 1 comment.  With Ordnance Survey rescinding the API to use their maps on private websites, its hardly going to increase in usage.

Still - it was a good idea.

And so is the Wolverhampton Ring.  I can break the 27 mile walk down into three stages and use public transport (I am a patient man) and make maximum use of the Good Beer Guide Pubs that are undiscovered.  Or the Great Western, should I be able to remember how to get there.

Phase 1 sees me alighting at Coseley and instantly picking up the Birmingham Canal for a geocache laden stretch of easy walking.

A pleasant start to the Wolverhampton Ring

The canal is left at Bilston.  To be exact, on the OS Map it's marked as Freezeland.  Some urban walking past East Park Speedway Stadium and then we have to get through Neachells Industrial Park.  

I'd love to meet the route designers.   There must have been a way around it :-)

This is the good bit.  It gets narrower and totally overgrown

Let's put that behind us, for once you have been ogled at by bemused overall wearing panel beaters having a lunch break (why do they all drink Monster?), you are delivered to Wednesfield.  With hindsight, I shouldn't have worn my tightest walking top.

The Vine, Lichfield Road, Wednesfield - GBG Tick #584

The Vine

Its a rare, untouched inter-war community pub, built in 1938.  And it's gorgeous.

A warm welcome

The Lounge.  The Bar was packed.

West Midlands boozehounds will recognise it as a Black Country Ales Pub from the TV Screen listing a bunch of beers that you may have heard off, but possibly haven't.  They have their regular, brewery own beers but the guest ales can be totally random.  What is not, is the cobs.

My Wantsum Dynamo golden ale added to a perfect lunch.

Lunch, Wolvo Style

On with the walking - the crystal clear Wryley and Essington canal leads to the Monarch's way and a lane that time forgot.

The Monarch, losing his pursuers at Wolvo Ring Road

Hampton Lane, no more

Pass through Northycote Farm  and have the only navigational problems of the day at the Corporate Art in Bushbury Hill Cemetary - where a bridle path simply disappears, replaced by fencing.  

A good place to call it a day and the number 33 whisks me back into town.  I embarrass myself by dinging the bell just before it pulls up in the bus station.   Have you ever heard a bus full of people guffaw? 

SJ 929 027 - where an experienced rambler lost the bridle path

If you are at the stations of Wolverhampton (bus or train), then there is only one place to go.  Note to future self - if you get to the taxi rank, you are on the right path.

The Legend that is the Great Western

It's beyond good.  An oasis of joy.  With many great beers to work through.

I chose the opportunity to do a taste off.  Which is the best Black County Bitter - Bathams or Holdens?

Results to be published after Holdens Special Bitter is tested on stage 2