The rain was persistent all day in Kidderminster but during my last quarter mile heading back to the station it rapidly increased to deluge. Fortunately, the King & Castle pub was warm and dry and open for me to kill the half hour until my ride pulled in.
Indecisive, it was good that they offer flights of third pints for four quid. I didn’t know nor care what they were and to be honest I couldn’t really tell much difference.
The barmaid (and probably landlady although so young you wonder if her parents know she’s hanging out in a bar) at Ye Olde Seven Stars was behind a very small bar when I arrived with my lunch (they allow you to bring in outside food here). Without a word, she redirected me to the larger bar in the next room with a seemingly boneless twist to her arms.
I wasn’t impressed with the music (the 00’s leave me cold) but the taps were righteous. And, it is tempting to return for a pork pie and/or a scotch egg to see what their kitchen turns out.
Whilst planning my day in The Swan, the name “Home of Souvlaki” leaped off my computer monitor. I MUST have a gyros, I decided and the next couple of hours left me anticipating it.
And, it is wonderful fare I have to admit. I took mine around the corner to Ye Olde Seven Stars which welcomes punters to bring in their own eats and got the distinct feeling that I must have done something good to deserve all this bounty.
I had the day free and decided to hit the big town of Kidderminster having never stopped there before (skirted it once on a trip to North Wales from Bicester ages ago). Typical for a day off, the rain was heavy, the wind fierce, and the temperature chilly even for mid-September. I stopped in the first pub that was open, which is also typical.
There were five old farts — older farts, I should say — at a table near the door fawning over these dogs helping their dad decide on his beer (they all agreed on stout several times while I nursed my cider and made notes on my tourism-to-be.
The weather notwithstanding, The Swan made for an auspicious start to the outing.
The first pedestrian subway I met in Kidderminster surprisingly didn’t smell like a urinal: surprisingly because of the quality of the graffiti and the young couple drinking beer at 8 in the morning.
However, the graffiti improved as the day progressed from the politically eloquent to some sublime Republican sentiments.
It was new TrigPointing territory, as well, and I found my first on Exchange Street as I hiked between the Swan and the library (helpfully highlighted in yellow chalk):
Peckish, I headed toward the Home of Souvlaki for a gyros and stopped by an old Telephone Exchange to bag another Cut Mark. But, I was also treated to a quite special post box (yes, I’m still doing THAT, as well):
The building also had a lovely Blue Plaque for the ‘instigator’ of Penny Post (so I got to triple dip at this tourism site):
The mark itself was somewhat anticlimactic:
Lunch done and the rain chucking it down, I worked my way back to the station withonly a modicum of exercise under my belt. Only one of the four Cut Marks on my list still exists, the one at 31 George St.
Soaked but safely back at the station, I noted an old horse trough (how 19th century of these people).
There is also an old but still operating Bundy clock there. When still used, there was a spool of paper inside and the bus drivers reaching this point would stick in a key unique to them and the time of arrival would be stamped on the paper spool.
Likewise well preserved was this Victoria Regina post box, on the short walk to the King & Castle pub in the Severn Valley Rail (historic steam trains here) portion of Kidderminster Station:
Endless British Pub Crawl (Part 3) 