Boats, beers and boozers, 5.

I thought I was time poor when I was spending a lot of time with my Mum, but now she has died I have no idea where the time goes every day! Everything seems to be happening at once!! still I have found a window of opportunity,and I am really going to enjoy telling you about this pub, and the area.

From Birmingham we headed west out of the city on the New Main Line. The New Main Line is the motorway compared with the Old Main Lines old A road but the route isn't without interest. After the initial loops you catch a glimpse of the old Soho Foundry works on the right then Smethwick Junction with the Engine Arm passing overhead on it's cast iron bridge. Then comes the Smethwick Pum house that spans both lines as they are so close here. The graceful Galton Bridge with a station platform on it spans the canal next before the individual pleasure crossing under the old main line at the same time as going under the M5. The concrete supports of the overhead motorway were placed in the middle of the New Main Line, fortunately not causing too many problems. After that the canal is dead straight but there are junctions present and disappeared to look out for before turning left into the Netherton Branch and heading towards the tunnel. Before actually entering the Netherton Tunnel you pass under the Old Main line once more.

The Netherton Tunnel I think is the third longest working canal tunnel in the UK and is 3027 yds long. It was the last one to be built and so was made wide enough for two way working with the luxury of having a towpath on both sides. It is dead straight and was originally lit by electricity produced by a turbine on the Old Main Line at a higher level. 

After about half an hour you come out at the southern end and it seems you have been in a time machine or something as you emerge in to the countryside, or so it would seem. In fact Windmill end used to be far from it as there were numerous mines and iron and chain works, together emitting enough smoke to aid painting the Black Country black. The numerous cast iron roving bridges and the several short arms give the country park an air of mystery and of hidden meanings. The shell of the Cobb pumping engine on the hill overlooking the canal hints at the industrial past. It once pumped the mines dry and discharged the water in to the cut.

We moored opposite the Information Centre on rings and had some good walks around the green space that covers the area now. We did go for a walk in to the town of Netherton. After about only one kilometre you get to one of the many gems of a pub in the Black Country and we weren't disappointed.

Fantastic photo by Dayoff171 and found on flickr.com

The Old Swan on Halesowen Road is a Real Heritage pub and is has a brewery on the premises. The pub is better known hereabouts as Ma Pardoe's after a long time Landlady.We never made it past the front bar that is nationally important due to it being unchanged. Apparently they do food that is well thought of and can be had in the back room lounge or the upstairs restaurant. I however was there for the beer. There has been a licensed premises here from 1835 and the present building and brewery have been up since 1863. Brewing on site went on until 1988. Fortunately it was resurrected in 2001 and is mainly for consumption on the premises and not easily found anywhere else. So do not miss out. My first pint was of Original 3.5% session beer. It was all a good pint should be, thick with a good head and smooth with bitter sweet taste and not too hoppy. When you factor in it was £2-20 I am thinking that the 4* I gave it at the time was a little mean. I can still taste it! I then went for a pint of Entire at 4.4%. Wow, it was even better with the same beautiful head and thick taste but now a little sweeter on top of the bitter taste. At £2-70 it gained a 4.5* from me. I reckon if it had been £2-20 it would have been my only 5 out of 5. (I'm loathe to give this score as a typical Yorkshireman I am always hoping for better!). I need fortifying for the journey back to the boat carrying the shopping so I went for a dark beer this time. This time Dark Swan at 4.2%. This is a 'soft' beer, nothing tart of strong tasting here, just a mellow smooth taste that flows across the tongue with alternating bitter sweet tastes. All three beers give you the feeling of 'thickness' as you drink them, probably as they are stuffed full of ingredients. £2-70 again won another 4*.

As you can't get this beer anywhere else, and you will never see a pub like this either it is well worth the walk up from moorings at Windmill end. The natives were very friendly and we had a good chat to go with our beer. All round a must do visit.