Bewdley

I wish.

We drove round Shropshire in a bijou car, Bewdley, Clobury, Mortimer, Ludlow, and the map of England was a toy bazaar.

Uh, places I know well.

It, it slightly reminds me of Betjeman in a way.

Kidderminster upon Stour River, twelve miles toward northeast from Worcester.

Bewdley, the sanctuary town, hath hard by it the King's Manor of Tickley, standing on a hill.

Castles in Worcestershire.

Worcester.

From Mahon Cliff to Llandidlas, a good village, to Newton, and so runneth within a mile of Montgomery to the Welsh Pole, and thence passeth within half a mile of Pontesbury College to Shrewsbury, to Wrexham, alias Wroxeter, to Bridgnorth, to Worcester, to Tewkesbury, to Gloucester, etc.

Avon, Arrow.

Dowles Riveret riseth, as I learned, in Clee Hill in Shropshire, and cometh by Cleobury, a poor village, and cometh not far above Bewdley into Severn.

Forests and Chase in Worcestershire.

And I think that really adds to it because it's, there's so much history to it, you know, in, you know, played there so many years and, and every time I go there, it's, you know, when you see the familiar faces, you know, you see on away days as well.

That's what I love to see because, you know, you don't, Even in normal, if I'm going around Piddy or if I'm around Bewdley, my hometown, I see some of the locals I see at the ground and we always say hello to each other.

And that's nice because it's that close-knit atmosphere.

But then when you're at the ground, just the support, and it goes either way as well.

Paddy Range is out on a record-breaking commuter journey, the shortest branch line in the UK in Stourbridge in the West Midlands.

And we hear from Matt Hall, who spotted the first day of service for steam-hauled autotrain being used as a commuter service, the Bewdley Express, on the Severn Valley Railway.

Alistair visits Romania to catch up with developments at the Sibiu and Agnita Railway.

And Laura happens upon a familiar loco to Making Tracks Railway podcast, Chevalier, at the Welsh Pool and Llanfair Railway.

Thanks Paddy.

Now traveling southeast for an hour and a half, we find Matt Hall who tells us a story about a very different commuter service.

So over on the Severn Valley Railway at the moment, there is a very exciting initiative called the Bewdley Express currently going on.

Basically what it is, it's a temporary eight week trial along with West Midlands Railways to operate a trial commuter service between Bewdley on the Seven Valley Railway and Kidderminster Town Station, also on the Seven Valley Railway, which, if you don't know, has an interchange with the line between Worcester and Birmingham.

And he's fitted in very well, as you'd expect, because the man is a bass genius, played with more prog bands than you care to shake a finger at.

Well, you may remember, you may recall that the band played at St. George's Hall in Bewdley a week ago last night, the 12th of September.

And it was a wonderful evening indeed.

Very well attended.

Why a forest whereof some part is set in Worcestershire, but the most part in Shropshire, and stretcheth up from Holt upon Severn unto Bridgnorth.

Bewdley is set in the marches of this forest, and stretcheth a two miles beyond to a water called, missing words.

Wyre is more than twenty miles compass.

Fakenham Forest totally, as I here say, is set in Worcestershire, and is of less compass than Wyre.

I'm a fellow enthusiast.

Have you heard the news from Bewdley?

Uh, is this the commuter shuttle?

Yeah.

... but-

What's the problem here, mate?

Well, interestingly, you can't buy the ticket from Bewdley to Birmingham.

You have to buy one-

Kidderminster upon Stour River, twelve miles toward northeast from Worcester.

Bewdley, the sanctuary town, hath hard by it the king's manor of Tickley, standing on a hill.

Castles in Worcestershire.

Worcester.

From Mangcliff to Clandidless, a good village, to Newton, and so runneth within a mile of Montgomery, to the Welsh Pole, and thence passeth within half a mile of Ponsbury College, to Shropsbury, to Wrexham, alias Roxeter, to Bridgnorth, to Worcester, to Tewkesbury, to Gloucester, etc.

Avon, Arrow.

Dowels Riveret riseth, as I learned, in Clee Hill in Shropshire, and cometh by Cleberry, a poor village, and cometh not far above Bewdley into Severn.

Forests and Chase in Worcestershire.