02/08/20 - Edgbaston - The Physician

Distance - 6 Miles
Walk Inspiration
Geocaches - 4
Good Beer Guide Tick - #481

Not too many Good Beer Guide pubs in Birmingham left to knock off, but one is The Physician.  Not every day you have the chance to lose your Brunning and Price virginity.

I've had my eye on a walk from Alltrails.com, which promotes the pub as the starting/end point.

Perfect.

It's a typical 2nd City Ramble.

• Some fine houses in Edgbaston, where I learn the 8 course tasting menu at Simpsons is £95 a head.   Save that one for a birthday.
• The Worcester and Birmingham Canal - from Edgbaston to Gas Street Basin
• Mainly dodging the runners and bell-dinging cyclists
• The Birmingham Canal from Gas Street Basin to Summerfield Park
• Mainly dodging hobos
• A first circuit of the Edgbaston Reservoir - a feeder system for the canals - of which Birmingham has more than Venice.  Damn, I nearly made it to the end of the blog without an obvious cliche.

Here are the photos from a pleasant 6 miler;

Worcester Birmingham Canal - at Edgbaston

Through the Edgbaston Tunnel

Gas Street Basin

Edgbaston Reservoir

Onto the pub.

Not sure this is going to be my cup of tea

Its an immaculate building - formerly belonging to the British Medical Institute but now with added Chesterfields.   It's the sort of place for first dates and meals out when someone else is paying.

In this post (first) Covid lockdown world, I shouldn't be moaning about any pub but lets just say that I started queuing from 11:57am, received conflicting advice on how to get a drink from four different bar staff that ranged from "sit down and someone will serve you" to "you need to scan a QR code and download an app".  "Wash your hands" was the only consistent advice.

The fifth member of staff eventually took pity on me - explaining the two ales on (a Brunning and Price Bitter and a selected Hop Kitty from Animal Brewing) and bringing my post walk reward along with the card machine to avoid app bloat on Android.

It was 12:18pm by the time I took my first sip.  It was very, very good.

Its the lacings that get you in the Good Beer Guide

01/08/20 - Ashby-de-la-Zouch - The Tap at #76

Distance - 7 Miles
Walk Inspiration - CW Magazine, August 2018, Walk 10
Geocaches - 7


I remember when driving to Leeds from the Midlands, you had to go through the centre of Ashby-de-la-Zouch.

This explains the high number of coaching houses that line the high street. Ironic that the only entry in the 2020 Good Beer Guide is a history ignoring new Micro Pub.   I also have the chance of  a tick to get to from a different publication - Britain's Strangest Pubs. What wonders does the White Hart hold?

First, a walk. Finding one is harder than expected. Despite every issue of CW Magazine and two bookshelves groaning with walking books - my on-line database contains a single walk from the town centre. Maybe the National Forest is not that geared up for decent rambling?

I will say this for the NF - there's a decided lack of trees.

I head North East along the town's high street - eyeing up boozers, failing to spot the castle.  The Ivanhoe Way running along green lanes, past factories.  A navigational error at Western Old Parks Farm, where I was seduced by the first decent views and missed my turning.

Do not head this way

This is the required path

Smisby village is an absolute delight - the Smisby Arms looked like it was just getting ready for the day - at 11:57am, it would not have been the end of the world for me to have waited three minutes but its a little early into the walk.  Instead, I admire the Smisby Lockup - a temporary jail for drunkards - and the pretty church, perched on high.

Should Have

Smisby Church

The Lockup

Heading South West to Blackfordby, I encounter some exotic Leicestershire wildlife at Scam Hazel Farm but miss out on the Black Lion - getting home to read about it in the Good Beer Guide.  This could have been a two tick walk.

Hard as Nails - I stroked him, he butted me

Llama (or Alpaca)

Nothing to record, as I come through fields, the new builds and back into the town.

So first off - the White Hart.  I think the author of "Britain's Strangest Pubs" was running out of ideas when he included this one.  Strange, because it has a stuffed bear somewhere inside.  A greeter explains the rules of this Marstons house.  Scan the QR code to register at a website that hadn't loaded by the time I finished my lemonade.  I ask him if the bear is still here.  He says yes.  I fail to find the bear.  To be honest, I was getting confused by the one way system of arrows painted on the floor.

Dick Turpin's Favourite

Beerwise, I was saving myself for the Tap at number 76.  I'd checked it was open.  Hadn't noticed that it was only for take outs.  First time ever greeted at a pub with the shout "One at a time please".

Tap at #76 - next to the Market Hall

There were other pubs - the Bulls head, looking suitably ancient, the Queens Head looking like you could stable your horses.  Instead, I had another go at finding the castle.

Found!

25/07/20 - The Thames Path from Lechlade

Distance - 9 Miles
Geocaches - 9
Pub - The Plough at Kelmscott
Walk Inspiration - Walks along the Thames Path - Walk 4

Back on the Thames Path, following a route from a  lovely little Guide Book that details walks from the Source to Greenwich.  This is Walk 4 and is notable for the point at which the Thames ceases to be navigable by boat and the first lock.

The route is a tiny 3 miler - not worthy of the journey down - so I extend it to walk into Kelmscott.  This transpires to be a genius move for reasons that I will detail later.  Surprisingly, I would have taken in three counties (Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire) even if I had stuck with the original route.

Starting point Lechlade.  I can feel the town's history as I make my way up the high street.  The centre point is its church with a little market square in front.  As always, the Mappiman eye is on the post walk watering hole.  I spot the oldest (the Swan), the biggest (the New Inn Hotel), the first Lechlade micro brewery (The Crown) and a closed down former Arkells House (now unnamed, but was an Italian restaurant on Google Maps).  Decisions will be made on my return.

Oldest

Biggest

First Micro Brewery

The first part of the walk is a there and back diversion to Inglesham Church. There must be a reason the guide wants us to go there, especially as no one likes re-tracing steps. It's right next to the Thames, where the first crossing of the day is made and then across a couple of fields - complete with a guard that gave me quite a shock when I noticed him out the corner of my eye.

First Thames crossing today

I really have no words

The church is not too much to look at from the outside but unusually for me, I try the door, finding it unlocked. Inside is quite amazing - 400 year old wooden box pews, wall murals from the C12th and a 1000 year old carving of Mary and Jesus.

Church Exploration

Ancient Texts

And Carvings

Suitably humbled, its back to the River and back into Lechlade, walking under the Halfpenny Bridge, with its little toll house on the side.

Halfpenny Bridge - the Toll Cost

The Thames all the way to Kelmscott now, with the course of the river seemingly unable to make up its mind in which direction it wants to flow.  Much snaking, passing many WWII pill boxes and the first lock, St Johns. Here is a statue of Father Thames, originally created for the 1851 Great Exhibition, before moving to a couple of places along the nascent Thames.

Preparations for the German Land Invasion

Father Thames

The OS Map shows the Big Blue Cup of Joy at the tiny hamlet of Kelmscott.  And this, blogfans, is why I love my walking adventures.  For once, the map holds true and the a more delightful village pub I could not have hoped to find.  12:03pm.   Of course, I pop in.

Village Cross no doubt beheaded by Cromwell

New rules are followed - hand sanitizing in the garden before entry, paying by card but old habits die hard.  I probably broke the rules by returning my empty Hook Norton glass.

To get back to Lechlade, its agricultural field walking through wheat crops.  The Trout Inn offers a break point, should you so desire, but I press on, with the clouds looking increasingly ominous.

The storm broke 10 mins after I finished the walk

The Plough was indeed an inspired choice - the Crown was all locked up, the Swan reopens in two days time and I was more seduced by the chipper than the New Inn.

18/07/20 - Chiltern Chain Walk - Stage 7 - Chesham

Distance - 12.1 Miles
Geocaches - 14
Walk Inspiration
Previous Stages - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5, Stage 6

More Chiltern loveliness on the Stage 7 of the Chain Walk. 

Stage 7 starts in Chesham.  Wikipedia says its known for its four B's - Boots, Beer, Brushes and Baptists.  I'll let you guess which 50% I take advantage of.  I know it more for Chess Valley Walk and being the terminus of a branch of Metropolitan Line.  I also know that a wonderful pint of Fullers ESB awaits at the Queen Head - if its survived Covid.

This part of the Chilterns offers superb walking but rather boring pictures.  The paths are broad, mud free and through a variety of terrain - wheat fields, ancient green lanes and mature woodland.

Broad Paths Agricultural Fields

Ancient Green Lanes

Mature Woodland

The river Chess is briefly kissed at Latimer - a pretty little village centred around a square.  No refreshments to be had there, that joy is available 8 miles into the walk at Lye Hill. I wait for ages for a pub and then two come at once.

Pretty Latimer Cottages

The Swan and the Crown - Ley Hill

Despite the Crown being open, I chose to walk on by. I have my sights set on the Black Cat in a little hamlet called Lye Green.  Two reasons - its in the Good Beer Guide 2020 and according to that bible, Timothy Taylor is in permanent residency.

But a hard decision needs to be made.  I am back in the Geocaching Chiltern 100 territory and there are another 32 to find.  They may be currently disabled, due to unnecessary pressure being put on the CO for maintenance when there are bigger problems in the world, but I have been granted permission to log my finds.   Heading to this pub means missing out on three. 

Never in doubt - despite the warning from Google Maps that its is temporarily closed, a half mile diversion was made.

The Black Cat, Lye Green

It would appear that google was only half correct.  Talking with a local dog walker, the pub has seemingly permanently gone.   Their website has the FA Cup semi finals listed on the "What's On?" page - so we can only assume it's an auto-feed.  Either way, it leaves me with a conundrum as to whether covid affected pubs can be ticked.

More worryingly, I am lunch-less, but rising mirage like at the next main road is a posh gastro pub.  After an 18 year rambling career I have my first mid walk pizza.

Rambler Friendly

Spirits are raised enough to check if Albion are consigned to another season in the Championship.  We need an unlikely Stoke victory against Brentford to keep destiny in our own hands in the last game of the season.  They pull it off and the rest of the walk is spent singing "Deliah".

The most scenic part of the day's walk comes on the Chiltern Link path along a dry chalk stream valley, leading me back into the town.

Finest part of the day's walk

The Queens Head is found and found to be opening in four days time - so the elusive ESB remains untasted post lockdown  Instead, I work out how Greene King's track and trace and one way systems work in the unworthy of recording Red Lion.  Stella Artois reassuringly better than GK IPA.

Chesham's Best