... Or not, as the case may be. Those who are keen walkers or who just enjoy a stroll in the country are probably familiar with Shustoke Reservoir. It is on the left-hand side of the road as you enter Shustoke from the direction of Coleshill. There are toilet facilities, picnic tables and there is ample space for car parking. An active sailing club is also located there and the walk round the reservoir is very pleasant, with plenty of wildlife interest. Walking up a thirst (and an appetite too) is also a good excuse to visit the Plough (almost opposite), a friendly hostelry serving three real ales and reasonably priced bar snacks. There is also a separate, non-smoking restaurant at the rear of the pub, offering a varied menu for those wishing to enjoy a good meal in pleasant surroundings. The pub changed hands shortly before Christmas 2006 and the real ales on offer were Banks' Bitter, Bass and Highgate Mild.

A bit further along the road, on the left-hand side at Church End, can be found the Griffin. This pub has been listed in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide for a number of years and is a Mecca for local real ale fans, providing six regular beers and four that change constantly. Regular beers include Hook Norton Old Hooky, Marston's Pedigree, Everard's Tiger, Theakston's Old Peculier, and RCH Pitchfork. Again, good food is served Monday to Saturday lunchtimes and is reasonably priced. A spacious conservatory overlooks the garden, with fine views over the Warwickshire countryside. Be warned, though, the pub is on a sharp bend in the road and there is a potential traffic hazard when leaving the car park.

Finally, beyond the Griffin, down the hill in Furnace End just before the crossroads, on the right-hand side stands the Bull’s Head, a charming pub offering a good range of reasonably priced food and a constantly changing range of real ales. There are three handpumps on the bar and the landlord is very keen on providing a choice of quality beers, having gained Cask Marque accreditation last year. Ales from Jennings' brewery often feature, with Golden Host, Cocker Hoop, Crag Rat and Tom Fool all having been offered, along with Thwaites' Lancaster Bomber, Young's Bitter and Special Bitter, St. Austell Tribute, Bateman's Valiant, Shepherd Neame Spitfire and Brains' Rev. James amongst other real ales that have been available.

All in all, the Shustoke/Furnace End corridor is a haven of Real Ale and good food for those who wish to seek it out, so why not try the hostelries mentioned above. You should not be disappointed. You can always walk it off afterwards if you wish!

Chris Lloyd

Stratford and Grand Union Canals Real Ale Ramble (4.5 - 5 miles)

This is a pleasant walk mainly using canal towpaths, but with some road. Remember that canal towpaths can be muddy.

The B4439 (Old Warwick Road) runs through Lapworth. Turn into Old Brome Hall Lane (grid reference 186711) and take the first left hand turn into a parking area among trees. The walk starts by dropping slightly downhill through the trees to the canal. Turn right onto the towpath, so the Stratford Canal is on your left hand side. Do not cross the bridge, but stay on the towpath heading south. You soon pass a barrel vault roofed lock keepers cottage on the opposite side. Continue to the small split bridge - bridge 37, just past lock 22 (all the bridges and locks are numbered). Cross to the other side of the canal and turn right so the canal is now on your right hand side.

Continue along the canal. At Dicks Lane lock you come to another barrel vault roofed cottage. Look out for the old road sign on the left hand side just before the cottage - it shows the weight restrictions for the split bridge when it was built. The barrel vault roofs are particular to the Stratford Canal. They are this shape as the workmen who built them were the same as those who built the bridges and they used the same barrel vault technique. The curved roofs are literally extended brick arches covered with roofing felt and bitumastic.

Continue under the M40 and on for another half mile or so when you pass a disused railway where the bridge has been removed. Shortly afterwards you reach bridge 40 - go down the steps and under the bridge. You will soon see the Fleur de Lys pub on the right hand bank. Don't worry, as you will soon be able to have a drink here. Bridge 41 is only a short distance away. Pass under this bridge and take the path up to the left (do not walk through the lock keepers garden before the bridge) onto the road. Turn left and cross the bridge. Bear right into the village of Lowsonford and the pub is about 50 yards on your right. The entrance to the pub is in the car park at the rear.

The Fleur de Lys does good food and serves three real ales. The two standards are Flowers Original and Flowers IPA. There is a regular guest ale (Titanic at the time of my visit).

From the Fleur de Lys turn right out of the car park and walk along the road to the first right hand turn (Mill Lane), signposted to Rowington and Coventry. The old village pump is on the green here. This is the boring part of the walk as it involves walking along the road for about a mile, over the canal and the M40, generally uphill until you reach the Grand Union Canal and the Tom o' the Wood pub just across the bridge. This pub also does good food. Its regular beers are Bass, Speckled Hen and Greene King IPA. It has regular guest beers from Wyre Piddle.

On leaving the pub retrace your steps across the bridge and turn left down onto the towpath and double back under the bridge, so the canal is on your right hand side. After about a mile you reach the short spur canal that connects the Grand Union to the Stratford Canal (Kingswood Junction). Here you go straight on, across the humpbacked bridge keeping the Grand Union Canal on your right hand side. Just in front of the next bridge (number 65) take the towpath up to the road and cross over the bridge and the road where you will find the Navigation pub. The Navigation also does good food. Its regular beers are Brew XI and Bass. It has a guest beer (Stockport Arches at the time of my visit) and a guest real cider.

From the Navigation retrace your steps across the bridge and back down onto the towpath in the direction you came from, keeping the canal on your left hand side. Walk back towards the connecting canal spur (Kingswood Junction) and recross the humpbacked canal bridge (do not turn right before the bridge as this is a dead end) and turn right, with the canal on your right hand side. Continue toward the Stratford canal until you reach four steps in front of you. Go up the steps and turn right across the small split bridge, down four more steps and straight on with the canal on your right. Go across another split bridge and you are back where you started next to the trees where your car is parked.

Ray Cooke

Cycling Your Way Around the Local Pubs

Three years ago my wife and I rediscovered the joys of cycling. I don't mean anything too serious - just leisurely rides around country lanes and off-road cycle routes. Often these days we load the bikes on the roof of the car and disappear to the backwaters of the Cotswolds or the Peak District for the day - discovering villages and country pubs that we would not normally have come across on a car journey. Closer to home, I will describe a route we have enjoyed that takes in a number of the pubs in the Solihull CAMRA area and revisits many of my old haunts as a Warwickshire lad.

The starting point for this adventure is the extremity of Blossomfield Road, at its junction with Longmore Road and Widney Lane. Cross the Traffic Lights and proceed down Marshall Lake Road, passing the Retail Parks and crossing the busy A3400 (soon to become a Red Route) into Blackford Road (B4102). Continue on the B4102, passing the Pickwick (which if my memory serves me right was once called the Three Maypoles) on your right. Quite an imposing pub, it somehow lacks character - it has a large garden at the rear.

After passing Salter Street church, turn left at the bend and you will come to the Bull's Head at Warings Green. Once listed in the Good Beer Guide and known for its very high bar, this pub is now owned by Thwaites, and serves three of the brewery's beers. In pleasant weather, one can sit outside and enjoy a pint of Lancaster Bomber (a legacy from the take-over of the Mitchells brewery).

Immediately past the Bull's Head is a lane on the left that takes you down to the nearby Blue Bell - a thriving canal-side pub that usually has an interesting guest beer alongside its regular ales. I am old enough to remember when this pub brewed its own beer - the locals used to swear that the water for the brew was drawn from the adjacent canal! Despite its somewhat isolated location, this pub is always busy with regular quizzes and other events going on. It was known for some years as the Cider House, but reverted to its original name.

From the Blue Bell car park we turn left and proceed straight across an offset junction, across another junction, then up and over the M42 Motorway to Birchy Cross. We proceed straight over this cross roads, down Tom Hill and up the other side into Tanworth-in-Arden, the village that I was fortunate enough to grow up in when it was a real community. The Bell Inn stands opposite the Church and village green - once an endearing pub, it has now lost much of its atmosphere and character inside, but it still serves three real ales, and you can sit outside on the bench and enjoy acceptable refreshment. There are now plans to turn the bar into a coffee lounge/post office/shop. I spent many nights in that bar playing darts under the watchful eye of Jack Hood, the Landlord. His Londsdale Belt was proudly displayed (as a possible deterrent to trouble makers) and a number of Boxers including Johnny Prescott trained there under him.

Down the hill to the right of the Church takes us to Danzey Green, and the little railway station from where I used to catch the train each morning to School at Stratford-upon-Avon. I recall often frantically shoving my bike into the cycle shed and tearing across the footbridge clutching my satchel as the train drew up on the opposite platform! We continue over the newly re-enforced railway bridge and past the farms where we used to build muscles to die for - helping with the harvest in the summer holidays (if you were lucky you got to drive the tractor occasionally, too). Down the hill and turn right towards Ullenhall, and the Winged Spur - a pub that has retained much of its character despite refurbishments. This was, like the Bell at Tanworth-in-Arden, a Whitbread / Flowers house until recent years, but now has a regular guest beer and serves good food.

On from Ullenhall to Henley-in-Arden, where the choice of pubs is considerable (a Henley Ice Cream may prove a tempting alternative on a hot day). The best is probably a matter of personal choice, but The White Swan has character and was formally featured in the Good Beer Guide, though the management now seem more restricted in their choice of real ales. The Blue Bell, Black Swan or the Three Tuns may be reasonable alternatives.

At the Stratford end of Henley High Street we turn left towards Claverdon and Warwick (A4189). At the top of the hill take a left down the lanes to Lowsonford, where we find the pretty Fleur-de-Lys with its canal-side gardens. This was the 'birthplace' of the now famous Fleur-de-Lys pies. Every time my Father had a new car, for some reason we came here to 'christen it' - a tradition which still survives in my family. Then you could buy the pies fresh from the oven at the servery behind the pub. Now owned by Laurel Inns, they feature regular guest beers from independent breweries, courtesy of the Beer Seller distribution.

Up the lane again and turn right to Finwood, and the Tom 'O the Wood, which usually has three real ales, one of which is of the Piddle variety (once brewed at Wyre Piddle in Worcestershire, but now brewed by Highgate). From Finwood on up the lane, over the M40, and turn left on the B4439 to Lapworth and the Navigation - my Father's local when he was a lad. Popular now for Andrew Kimber's good food and large helpings, this pub has featured in the Good Beer Guide for over fifteen years, and still has regular guest ales.

From the Navigation car park, turn right on the towards Hockey Heath, but just past the water tower take a right to Packwood, passing through the grounds of Packwood House (in the stewardship of the National Trust) with its famous Sermon on the Mount topiary layout. Take a left and then a right into Windmill Lane, and on up to join the B4101 on the outskirts of Dorridge, where will be found the Railway Inn. Regularly featured in the Good Beer Guide over the years and still serving real ales, there is now a new heated patio area to the rear of the pub that might be quite pleasant as the nights draw in.

Through Dorridge village and turn left at the island, past Bentley Heath to the island by the new cemetery, where we turn right towards Solihull, passing over the M42 once again. At the bottom of the hill we take a left past Widney Manor Station, and climb into the Monkspath estate. Just off the island is the Fieldhouse (formally the Chequers), which is now an Ember Inn. Usually 3 or 4 real ales on offer here if you are still thirsty.A short ride up Widney Lane takes us back to our starting point, though you could divert down Cranmore Boulevard to collect some supplies from Bernies Real Ale Off Licence to sustain you through the evening and revitalise your aching legs!

Roger Dipple

Fringe Benefits - The 57 Bus Route

Five intrepid members recently accepted the 'mission' of visiting the pubs on the 57 bus route to see what real ale was available. Whether this 'mission' was possible, impossible or downright improbable, read on...

The 57 route goes between Birmingham City Centre and Solihull Town Centre, going along the Coventry Road and then into Solihull via Old Lode Lane/Lode Lane, or via Lode Lane if you get the 57A variety. We started at The Shooting Star on the Coventry Road, just on the Brum side of the 'border'. This hostelry has been, in former lives, The Good Companions pub and then a short-lived guise as a Harry Ramsden's. It has been in its present incarnation for (I think) a few years now. It is a Tom Cobleigh pub, the slogan of the company's pubs being 'Nice Pubs for Nice People'. I'm not sure if Tom Cobleigh is actually part of a bigger chain, but anyway, the pub is, shall we say, the typical family-orientated pub complete with Wacky Warehouse play area. The décor is standard wooden, with a lot of room in the open-plan interior, plus a few benches outside.

We were surprised to see that, on a Friday night, two of the pipes were being cleaned, so neither the Tetley Bitter nor the Pedigree were available, so we had Hobson's choice in Wadworth's 6X. I know a lot of people don't like this beer, is it because it's widely available? Well personally I like it, I'm attracted by its interesting smell, but on this occasion it was a tad too cold: there seems to be a 'lager' mentality in some pubs of serving all beers at 4-5 degrees.

Another thing to mention here is that the price of a pint was £2.30 for the 6X, with the other two being over £2!

Anyroad, we then caught the bus to The Harvester - not the one on the Coventry Rd in Sheldon but the one in Tanhouse Farm Lane, Solihull. This is a 'community pub' and is an ex-Good Beer Guide entry. There were three ales offered, namely John Smith's Bitter, Greene King Abbot Ale and (ditto's) Old Speckled Hen. All three were in good nick, although as (again!) they are widely available perhaps the choice wasn't staggering. Nevertheless I'd personally recommend The Harvester as a good old-fashioned pub: yes, families are welcome, food is available, there is outdoor seating and a play area, but the drinker is also catered for.

The next port of call was The Red House in Redlands Road, Olton. This establishment is one of the few Thwaites' (of Blackburn) pubs in the West Midlands. To tempt our taste buds were Bitter and the stronger Lancaster Bomber, both pronounced drinkable if not outstanding in their taste. Once more we were in a pub where food is important, but again drinkers are welcome either inside or on the wooden benches outside.

Then we set off for Solihull Town Centre. Firstly we went to the Hog's Head, which was full of mainly teenagers and twentysomethings. Fuller's London Pride was sadly not available, but the remaining real ale, Deuchar's IPA was in excellent condition. What a shame though to see so many young people drinking lager: maybe they couldn't hear the bar staff say that real ale was available, on account of the noise level of the decibel heavy loud, conversation-denying music! The Hog's Head is, I suppose, what one calls a 'fun pub'...

Next was the Saddler's Arms which has achieved recognition for its ale by its inclusion in the soon-to-be-published 2004 Good Beer Guide. Everard's Beacon was not available, but we enjoyed the delights of Highgate Mild and Adnam's Broadside, both being in top-notch condition. The Saddler's is similar in feel to the Hog's Head, i.e. over-loud music of a night, but it caters particularly for those in their 30s and 40s.

We then went to Bar Co, the erstwhile Golden Lion. Wychwood Hobgoblin and John Smith's Bitter were on tap, but the former was not in a very good condition, which left one wondering how much they sell: looking round and seeing the sparse 'crowd', probably not a lot. Again, lots of loud music, but strangely not very well populated.

As it was still not time for last orders some of us decided to head back to The Saddler's, which is arguably the town centre's premier real ale pub.

Martin Collinge

From the Fringe - the 900 Bus Route (or Three Merry Men in Meriden?)

Once again Solihull & District CAMRA took to the road, courtesy of Travel West Midlands, this time embarking on the 900 route. Keen readers of past Drinkers will know we have reported on the 57 route both ways, each time starting in The Shooting Star on the Sheldon/South Yardley border, firstly going into Solihull and secondly (at a later date) heading into Brum.

Time prevented me from starting off drinking at the said pub, but I did catch the bus (yes, the 900!) that took me to Birmingham Airport. There I had a rendezvous with Steve and Steve, Messrs Dyson and Wood. We started off at The Abraham Darby. We had a choice of M&B Brew XI ('Beer of the Month'-!), Highgate Saddler's Bitter or Worthington's 1744. Unfortunately the latter was not at 1744 prices, costing £1.35 a half (or £2.70 a pint if you're not quick on mental arithmetic). It was actually my first try of this beer, supposedly a flagship beer 2 or 3 years ago to counter Bass, but I've rarely seen it. It was a bit sweet I thought, but drinkable. The jury was out on the condition of the Saddler's, I was more convinced by it than my colleagues I think.

Then we went up the stairs to The Dragonfly, the other 'landside' pub, which is a Wetherspoon's. But alas, none of the usual Wetherspoon's range, nor the cheap prices. Available were Boddington's and Bass, each occupying two hand pumps. A Marston's Bitter hand pump was also in view but with none of that beer. Hardly holding up your flight for, and at £1.25 a half it is almost the same as the £1.29 a pint offer you can get at some Wetherspoon's as part of their Monday night offer (Acock's Green, sadly not Solihull!) Being a Mancunian by birth I had to have the Boddies, a sign of solidarity with a beer from a brewery that is under threat. Not the Boddies I knew in the 80s, and none of us were enthusiastic about the beer. There is one pub 'airside' at the airport, namely The Shakespeare Inn, but having recently returned from Barcelona and having surveyed it Steve D assured it was keg only.

On then to Meriden. Well, before we get there, just as short note about the super-duper new bus shelters-or not. There is gap between the roof and the side, so the rain came in on us. No design award there, methinks!

So, now on to Meriden. We decided to forego the obvious 'charms' of The Bull's Head, as when we did the 'Real Ale Ramble' earlier in the year the choice was not very inspiring, Bass and Brew XI I seem to recall. Instead we went into The Queen's Head, which was until this year a Good Beer Guide entry. Well, inside it is like a traditional pub, i.e. beams and brass but without the fake nature that a lot of modern identikit pubs have. As well as Bass and Brew XI (again!) there was a guest, Steeplejack from Lichfield Brewery. Cheaper at £2.30 a pint, and not bad, but the beer seemed to be served too cold, thus robbing it of some of its flavour. Shame!

Our next port of call was Allesley village, just off the A45. The obvious destination was The Rainbow, a brewpub. In addition to Courage Directors', Highgate Dark Mild and good old (?) Greene King IPA, we could choose their very own Piddlebrook. Only £1.50 a pint, this their own brew, and it was, by common, consent, the best beer of the evening.

Onwards towards Coventry itself. We alighted at The Holyhead Inn on the eponymous road. They were not only in the throes of a quiz night but also an Ember Inns' Beer Festival, Oct 15th-Nov 28th. A bit disappointing, though. In their helpful leaflet they stated that up to 60 beers would be on offer during that period, with 3 or 4 being available every week, but a lot of the festival beers were from Nationals or big Regionals, with only the odd micro brewery getting a look in. As well as Marston's Pedigree and Brew XI the festival beers on then were Everard's Original and Marston's Wicked Witch.

I found the latter palatable and would have gone back for another but I was keen myself to make our final staging post The Nursery Tavern on the outskirts of Spon End. I admit I stop off there normally once a week on my way home from my job in Cov and have a couple of haves. As per usual there was a wide choice of ales, some pretty standard, some more interesting. On offer were John Smith's Bitter, Charles Wells' Bombardier, Courage Best Bitter, Highgate Dark Mild, Deuchar's IPA, Wychwood Hobgoblin and Highgate Breacais, a self-styled 'whisky beer': being a lover of that spirit I could taste a bit of a wee dram in there even if my colleagues couldn't. The Deuchar's IPA was pronounced in good form, so the pub showed once again that they know how to keep their beer. In fact we could have also had a cider, as Thatcher's was available, but sadly we had to wend our merry way back.

An interesting and enjoyable evening, even though a lot of the beers were somewhat ubiquitous. Many thanks to the two Steves for their company, 'Wood' one of them only take the plunge and start his own brewery... (sorry, an in-joke within our branch!)

Martin Collinge