Dudley to Sedgley by 229 bus

Our first journey on the Diamond 229 bus was from the Black Country Living Museum (BCLM) to Woodsetton with a circular tour of Tipton's Victoria Park and a glimpse of Mad O'Rourkes Pie Factory en route. On Sunday 26 May we needed protection from the rain to reach the bus stop from the 'Dudley Town Centre' Travelodge.

The Park Inn, the tap for Holden's Brewery was our destination and thankfully the rain had stopped by the time we got off the bus.

The front rooms were busy at the pub so we found a table in the extended part of the building which has a roof light and views of the bar to the front and the conservatory and garden to the side.

A simple choice of drinks included Celtic Marches Abrahall's AV Vintage cider and three Holden's beers.

Tim's Black Country Bitter and Meg's Golden Glow were served sparkled and in lovely condition and were as pale as usual for beers from the Black Country. With the 229 bus an hourly service on Sundays we had less than an hour in the Park Inn before returning to the stop for the next 229 bus to Sedgley.

A short walk brought us to Mount Pleasant, featuring a hotchpotch of building styles that extends backwards for quite a distance. The entrance looked well worn and we decided to sit in the quiet front bar area as the bar behind sounded quite noisy. 

The Stump is the local name for Mount Pleasant. A blackboard at the bar lists details of the cask ale range with a good range of beer styles. Tim's half of Butty Bach was served in a Hobsons glass.

There's an interesting selection of bottled fruit wines under the blackboard.

Like many Black Country pubs, there are cobs behind the bar to satisfy anyone with an appetite. An interesting collection of ceramic tankards was ranged above the line of spirits bottles. Since January 2024, the pub is managed by Tracey Arenare, the former barmaid.

A visit to the toilets at the rear gave an opportunity to see the extent of the pub which has multiple rooms.

With the Beacon Hotel opening at 7pm on Sundays, we were soon on our way to get there in case it got busier later. Now out of sync with the 229 bus that stops outside, we walked along tree lined back streets instead. There were still several free tables in the long back room and it was nice to sit in familiar surroundings for the first time this evening.

Dark Ruby, Surprise and Pale Amber were the three Sarah Hughes ales available from the small bar area between front and back rooms. Tim relished his half of the award winning 6% ABV Dark Ruby mild on this short visit. Once again out of sync with the 229 bus, we walked downhill to our fourth and final pub earmarked for serving food later than most other establishments.

The Clifton (J D Wetherspoon) was once Sedgley's cinema. We enjoyed pints of Salopian Crash & Burn pale ale with our meals.

There was still some light in the sky as we returned to our Dudley hotel via Woodsetton and Tipton on the 229 bus.

JD Wetherspoon pubs are shown in blue in the rough map above. 

Black Country Living Museum

On Tuesday 28 May, it was a short walk from our hotel to the Black Country Living Museum (BCLM). We met up with Mark Geeson and CAMRA friends at the entrance after their journey from Wolverhampton. With the benefit of advance planning we used pre-printed vouchers combined with rail or bus tickets to get admission discounts. 

There are now two relocated pubs at the BCLM and we visited the Bottle & Glass Inn, the original one first. 

It stocks beers from Black Country Ales and we enjoyed the Citra Sublime pale ale in the room on the right with a real coal fire in the grate.

There are several other rooms with sawdust on the floors and candles on the tables. 

After our beers we left the cosy pub and walked the short distance in the rain to the 2022 addition, the Elephant & Castle. 

Originally built in 1905 in Wolverhampton and knocked down in 2001, it is now set in the 1960s and serves Banks's beers and Westons Rosie's Pig cider. 

By now the pub was busy with people of all ages sheltering from the rain, including children who amused themselves by repeatedly playing the piano in the main bar room despite our attempts to deter this by closing the lid!