5 Christmassy Things to Do in Wombourne This Weekend

The kids are going crazy. The dog is trying to rip the presents off the wrapping under the tree.

As if that weren’t bad enough, Aunt Edna is on her way over for pre-Christmas lunch!!!

So if you’re looking for an escape, or simply wear out the kids before Santa arrives on Tuesday, here’s our guide to the top 5 Christmassy things to do in Wombourne this weekend (many involving food!)

1. Walk with Dinosaurs on the Wombourne Trail

Get the kids on the bikes and start at Himley Station (free parking by driving past Sandiacre Farm Shop) – great for your Christmas veg – then turn right after the railway bridge, up the short driveway).

Make your way under the Bridgnorth Road Bridge (you’ll need wellies).

Marvel at the sand-banks either side as you walk through the railway cutting.

You’re now looking back 252 million years! This is Triassic sandstone, laid down about the time that dinosaurs were just starting to walk the Earth.

If you look carefully you will see the ‘wisps’ of sand lines where the sand was blown on the dessert wind!

Now carry on under the Common Road bridge. You’ll be passing on the edge of the hamlet of Blakeley. Did you know that Wombourne and Blakeley were two different settlements, and for some a trip to or from Blakeley and Wombourne was considered a ‘day out over the fields’?

Keep on going and you’ll pass Wombourne Common on your right hand side, turn off here to walk into the village centre.

You will eventually pass under Planks Lane Bridge and then under the Ounsdale Road bridge. Again you will be walking back through time as the sandbanks appear on either side.

Make your way under a further bridge and then out through the Orton end (Orton was another of the three hamlets which now make up Wombourne). The Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal is on your left, otherwise known as ‘Bridnley’s Ditch;, so named after James Brindley, the engineer who built it. The canal was dug with picks and novels and was an immediate success when it opened in 1772.

You’ll eventually come to the Railway Station Cafe. It’s open from 9.30am to 2.30pm this weekend and is ideal for that hot bacon butty and cup of tea after your bike-ride and walk.

2. Drink coffee and eat cake

If you need caffeine and cake then head into Coffee 212 on High Street.

Open every day through the festive season, except Christmas Day and Boxing Day (Jess, Mac, Tom, Keith and everyone else need a rest some time!).

Coffee 212 is the perfect place to stack up on hot chocolate, tea, cake, sandwiches, toasties and coffee. It’s always warm inside and there’s always someone to chat too (if you need an escape from the family!)

3. Eat (again) this time fresh and with a farmer (and their friends)

Another superb place for the pre-Christmas treat is Farmer and Friends. Located on Maypole Street and open 8am to 5pm open Saturday, 9am to 4pm on Sunday and then 8am to 4pm on Christmas Eve, hot food is always on offer.

Why not grab a bacon or sausage sandwich (they are yum!), a full English breakfast, or treat yourself to Smoked Salmon & Scrambled Egg.

But it’s not just breakfast, there’s treats on offer for lunch too. Oh, and the coffee and loose-leaf tea are thirst quenching.

At the top of Windmill Bank is Fresh. Martin and his team will make you feel very welcome here. It’s perfect for breakfast on Saturday morning or for that lazy Saturday lunch.

4. Buy your Christmas Meat and Veg

We’re so lucky in Wombourne to have such superb shops. As we found out in the snow last winter, our shop-keepers make sure we can get the supplies we need, even if we have to walk!

And luck strikes again because we have two superb butchers in the Village; Adrian at Boxley’s and Clive at Bromley’s on Common Road are masters at their trade.

Yes, you know they sell turkeys and other Christmas favourites, but why not try their ‘extra’s too. Baghis and samosa, pork pie and black pudding, it’s all on offer.

They are open right through the run up to Christmas, including Christmas Eve.

So, instead of that tasteless mass reared meat, go back to the old fashioned ways and try some meat that’s been reared with care, then treated with care by your local butcher. You’ll never look back!

You’ll need veg for the Christmas dinner table too. And where else but Taylor’s Debbie and David do so much for the Village and are true supporters of Wombourne.

They will be open right up to, and including Christmas Eve.

Early in the morning David and David travel to the veg markets to get the very best of what is on offer to make sure us Wombournites have the very best. They’re sacks of potatoes make the best roast spuds, and sprouts off a stalk are so much better than frozen ones.

5. All Going Swimmingly

Work off those breakfasts and cakes with a trip to Wombourne Leisure Centre. It’s open all weekend for swimming (check the times).

The gym is open too, and what’s so good about it is that it’s small and there are no ‘muscle heroes’ on show. Just do a free induction session (book in advance) and off you go.

So there is plenty happening in Wombourne this weekend to get you out and about and in the Christmassy mood!

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Written by Simon Keeling.