please empty your brain below
Moria furnace!

Peter | 05.03.23 - 7:33 a.m. | #

The Leasowes!

Grade 1 listed park designed by the poet William Shenstone.

twolf | 05.03.23 - 7:53 a.m. | #

The art gallery at Walsall with its special collection of Jacob Epsteins

dg writes: see Walsall 2019

Moor St station for its 20s ambience

dg writes: caught the train back from it.

Chrispy | 05.03.23 - 8:29 a.m. | #

Wythall bus museum. A superb collection, well presented. Entirely volunteer run. Check website for a special event.

Malcolm of Kent | 05.03.23 - 8:31 a.m. | #

Stafford is perhaps one of the larger towns reachable on an easy day trip which you’ve not blogged about - a fairly attractive town centre destroyed by out of town retail parks and ‘car is king’ planning decisions. There is a nice park, a 16th century timber house and a connection to Isaak Walton.

Along with most of my school friends there in the 1980s I left as soon as I could, but I’m sure you could get 2000 interesting words out of a jaunt there.

(Of course it’s not technically in the West Midlands county, but neither is Lichfield)

Mike on a bike | 05.03.23 - 8:57 a.m. | #

https://www.moirafurnace.org

Shame, I was hoping it would actually be Moria Furnace :-)

Joho | Homepage | 05.03.23 - 9:18 a.m. | #

Birmingham museum has a small geology museum and an art gallery.

dg writes: and they’re both very good.

Simon Waters | Homepage | 05.03.23 - 9:57 a.m. | #

Was going to suggest Turners Hill, the highest point in the West Midlands, as I couldn’t see it on the map. But the first paragraph says you went last year. So perhaps a jaunt on a narrowboat?

Andrew | 05.03.23 - 9:58 a.m. | #

How about an exploration of that 18th century expressway, the Birmingham Canal Main Line?

Steve | 05.03.23 - 10:05 a.m. | #

Cannock Chase
The National Memorial Arboretum, (although this is not very accessible by public transport)
this lovely walk used to my escape to the countryside when I lived in Birmingham [pdf]

cjw714 | 05.03.23 - 10:06 a.m. | #

Weavers cottage, Coventry. Free, but very limited opening.

Peter B | 05.03.23 - 10:37 a.m. | #

The new stations under construction on the camp hill line. If you can talk about the environs of a tram stop, here are 3 opportunities more.

Fat_boy_pete | 05.03.23 - 10:58 a.m. | #

A quick search of your blog suggests you visited Warwick university 40 years ago. Time for another look?

Alan | 05.03.23 - 11:02 a.m. | #

Himley as a whole could make for interesting material - you've got Himley Hall and its adjoining park (the walk into the park from Baggeridge is excellent), the Crooked House pub (one side of the building sits about four feet lower than the other due to mining subsidence; the building was condemned, but rescued and made safe in the 1940s), and it is believed that somewhere within Himley Plantation is where Guido Fawkes was captured after bombing Parliament

Raedwald | 05.03.23 - 11:17 a.m. | #

You came close to my home town of Stourport when you visited Bewdley and Kidderminster in 2019. It is about a five mile walk along the canal from Kiddy, with a bus service to get back.

Marc | 05.03.23 - 12:21 p.m. | #

The Cannock Chase Heritage Trail runs from Rugeley Trent Valley station to Cannock station via the town centres of Rugeley and Hednesford.

Al | 05.03.23 - 12:52 p.m. | #

Avoncroft, including the National Telephone Box Museum.

David B | 05.03.23 - 2:40 p.m. | #

The back-to-backs are interesting.

dg writes: blogged 2015

Jonathan Wadman | 05.03.23 - 2:42 p.m. | #

I was going to recommend Avoncroft.Instead seconded..however there's not a bad art Gallery and museum in Wednesbury either; easily reached by tram...

dg writes: ...but closed in February and March, otherwise you'd be reading about it today.

felix | 05.03.23 - 4:14 p.m. | #

In Coventry, Herbert Art Gallery and the Motor Museum.

dg writes: see Coventry 2008 and 2018.

Phil J | Homepage | 05.03.23 - 5:12 p.m. | #

The rock houses of Kinver Edge.

Toby Jenkins | 05.03.23 - 6:33 p.m. | #

Another vote for Stourport (because though Marc mentions it, he doesn't really sing its praises). Canal and river, deep locks, the rather lovely vibe of an inland seaside resort, and (at least when I was last there) the Tontine Hotel.

I'm assuming you *must* have been to Stratford on Avon but that also has some excellent canal / river interchange stuff (there's some famous bloke from there too).

dg writes: blogged 2007

Sarah | 05.03.23 - 6:57 p.m. | #

Kinver, just along the canal from Stourbridge, is a fascinating little place, a key destination for beer tasting trips years ago. Not far west is an inaccessible triple point between Staffordshire, Shropshire and a strange sliver of Worcestershire. Good walking too on Kinver Edge.

felix | 05.03.23 - 7:11 p.m. | #

Alas the excellent Tontine in Stourport succumbed to the apartment blight 20 years ago.

David B | 06.03.23 - 8:02 a.m. | #

Thanks for all your excellent suggestions.
No promises...

diamond geezer | Homepage | 06.03.23 - 8:13 a.m. | #

The rock houses at Kinver are, without proof but with plausibility, suggested as Tolkein's inspiration for hobbit-holes.

David B | 06.03.23 - 9:44 a.m. | #

You've been to Coventry twice, but how about scoping out specifically what might be found if/when its Very Light Railway is installed?

Chris | 06.03.23 - 2:06 p.m. | #

Bridgnorth doesn't appear on your list. There's a cliff railway.

dg writes: See Severn Valley Railway.

tops | 06.03.23 - 3:58 p.m. | #











TridentScan v2.10.0 | Privacy Policy