Coventry out and about

The other day, an old school friend rang me, and said "I've got the day off tomorrow, so I thought you might like a trip out somewhere. Anywhere you like - your call, and I won't even question it". "How far can we go?" I asked . "Far as you like. I thought I'd give the oldie (an XK140 Jaguar) a run before I SORN it for the winter. " "Coventry", I said. "What!?", he replied, "People get sent to Coventry, they don't go there." "Look, you said it was my choice, besides I was born in Coventry." "I've known you for fifty-two years and never knew that. I remember you working there. Coven-bloody-try it is then." So the beautiful red XK appeared on my drive at 8.30 the following morning, and we started off for Coventry. It was a bit of a squeeze for my useless leg, and once in, it was really quite comfortable. This XK has a 3.4 litre six, with three SU carbs, which had been tuned and fully rebuilt by a Jaguar specialist in Kenilworth back in the 80s. The noise was glorious and with the top down and brilliant sunshine, I was on cloud nine. So we went via the M1 to the M69, then through Brinklow, where we stopped for cup of coffee in a pub called "The Raven", then burbled on towards Coventry via the back way, through Brandon. Before long we were parked outside 71 Sewall Highway, the house where I lived the first 7 years of my life. Although I worked in Coventry for nearly 15 years in the 80s and 90s, I had not visited Sewall Highway since the day we left Coventry to live in Stretton-on-Dunsmore in 1954. On the day we left, which was in icy cold weather, I remember looking down the street, and there was a thick pall of smoke hanging over it, smelling of coal, and I remember my eyes running, either from the atmosphere or sadness. I remember my father saying to me "Take a good look and smell the air, boy, this is where you'll always have come from". It would have been easy to forget that in the much more affluent years that followed, but I never did. Sewall Highway had changed really very little, different road markings maybe, upvc windows, and Japanese cars were the main differences. On a clear day in 1953, you could see a factory chimney belching smoke in the distance. That wasn't there anymore. I got out of the car and hobbled around the back of the house, via what we used to call "the entry". Again, it was much the same, although the garages, which when I was a child, were mostly asbestos and timber, were now brick or concrete sectional. Jeremy, a Brian Blessed like character, with a loud voice and similar physique, said it was just like the house he lived in until he was five in Doncaster. I never even knew he came from Doncaster, as when we were at school, he lived in West Haddon, in considerable luxury. So, after a little poke around, Jeremy suggested we have a look at where I went to school, which was Wyken Croft primary. Again I was amazed to find that it was really quite familiar. The building was broadly as I remember it, but looking a little older, and I think, bigger. As I looked, names came flooding back into my mind, Roger Winter, Mark Peabody, Barry Adams, Hilary Knight, Robert Woodhouse, Royston Groot, and others. I was suddenly able to remember and picture teachers, the head was Mr. Adams, there was Mrs De Mellor, my form teacher, and several whose names I can't remember. The school was a happy place in those days, with a lovely headmaster and nice teachers. I hope it is still. We then decided to visit town. Jeremy, like myself, is an amateur historian, and wanted to visit the Herbert and the Transport Museum. We had lunch in The Whitefriars Old Ale House, where I drank my first pint of excellent beer for two years, then, armed with an old map, toured the sites of motor factories, most of which are now gone, of course. As a finale, we visited the Jaguar Heritage Museum, where Jeremy bought a number of toys. Too soon it was time to go home, and the old Jag cruised up the M42 towards home. As he dropped me outside my house, Jeremy said "What a brilliant day! I haven't enjoyed a day out this much in years. I take back all I said about Coventry. How about you?" "I never said anything bad about Coventry".

Hi all Today, officially the first day of spring for gardeners & after early morning fog it has lived up to being a spring-like day. I started a thread on this topic last September, of getting around & about, in & out of Coventry. Hopefully, the problems with regard to the introduction of the new Coventry transport revisions will settle down. Coventry remains a fabulous centre for getting around any part of the midlands. Those of you with a Centro issued bus pass, can use any train within the West Midlands county, free of charge. In addition to that, to travel further there are over ninety rail-rover type tickets, not cheap, but good value if you are able to use them well & even better with a discount card which gives about a third off. For the over sixties costs £28 for a year. Rail Rover Guide The above is a selection of what is available. So, if you are fed-up with traditional stay-away holidays, living in Coventry does not mean that you cannot get out & about. I & my family have used railrovers for most of our lives & have enjoyed some fabulous day away breaks. Some of the rovers are day, some weeks or so many days out of seven. We departed once on a sleeper from Coventry station & when we awoke, it was seven in the morning & we were in Inverness. That was 1988. No sleepers from Coventry now but it is still possible to utilise the rover tickets for longer breaks away. Coventry is a good place to live & even though retired, I have no notion of moving away. So you are stuck with me! National Express Coach travel with a £10 over sixties card is another way to get about. ps. The fact that Coventry is such a good touring base is a good reason for others to come here & stay. When you do come home, it just might be that you think that Coventry is not such a bad place after all. I often think that!

I know that I'm pushing my luck on a Coventry forum but please don't forget that the dividing line between Coventry and North Warwickshire is the Ricoh traffic Island. With another of my hats on (have lots) we launched the 2012 Northern Warwickshire Tourism guide earlier this week, copies at the Bedworth Heritage Centre. Visit Northern Warwickshire The NWTA does not recognise county boundaries (visitors certainly don't) so members range from the Ricoh to Tywcross Zoo and up to Drayton Manor and Middleton Hall. The website also has a good events page. Always happy to welcome Coventry tourism businesses.

Hi Heritage. Those that live in the county do not get the free rail travel. It's only the passes issued by Centro which are valid. It is very sad & nothing short of an administrative fudge, that the passes are issued in such a way. Edit add-on There are two reasons for me posting this topic. One is that we have our own local members who might not be aware that they can get around without having to pack a suitcase & stay the night, but the other is for people coming to Coventry for the Games, who might drop onto our site whilst surfing, who then might think about staying here.

For those of us that live in the 'no mans land' of CV7 the lack of free rail travel is annoying to say the least. To have a Coventry address, although I do like being in Warwickshire, and pay the 'rates' to Nuneaton and Bedworth is very frustrating

Hi all Please make the most of todays fine weather, as sadly, the weather nose dives for the weekend. I am off to view a bit of Coventry's transport heritage in Bedworth. Where I live, I only have to walk to the either end of Roland Ave, to have access to a multitude of even more frequent buses than before the timetable changes, either into Coventry, or out towards Bedworth & Nuneaton way. I am not in any mood to move home.

Hope you had a nice visit Philip. Did you manage to get to the butchers.

Hi Tricia. Just posted a reply on the hundred years of Coventry Transport thread. We already had a delivery of Faggots. What a pip.

It must have been the attraction of Phillip being in the town, we had 41 through the door of the exhibition this morning. A nice day always helps. Nice to meet you Phillip and thank you.

Hi all. Whilst in Coventry yesterday, I snapped these outside of the motor museum. The Hillman built in Coventry & the Ford is owned by a Coventry citizen. My mum had a black one in the fifties. Hope you like. It was a delight to meet the owner of the Ford, along with his son who live in Hillfields. What ambassadors for our city & if you are watching this, thank you very much.

Hi all A RAILROVER UPDATE Further to my earlier post on this, I have today ordered my senior person railcard, which I had previously stated was £28 for one year. To my delight, a better offer is £65 for three years. I just hope that I live that long to use it well.

Hi all I have bought an East Midland railrover ticket today, £62 where Coventry is on its south western boundary. It extends up to Doncaster in the north, down to Milton Keynes in the south & everywhere east as far as the coast. Today & this week, I just intend to get a bit of a feeler for it. So I went to Sheffield via Leicester & got there at noon. I only spent an hour at Sheffield, enough time for a ride on their Metro' & a light bite. I then returned to Coventry via Northampton. Home for 5pm. Tomorrow I hope to go to Boston, as I do not need to be home quite so early. I am posting this to make the point of how good Coventry is as a base for getting out & about. There is another rail-rover where Coventry is right at the centre, but I will post about that in another post. I am researching this East Midland rover now, as it gets us to the coast, the only regional one with Coventry on that does so. I have travelled well over two hundred miles today, without effort. I have received my monies-worth in just one day, the ticket is for seven days. Any of you who are single & mobile, need never feel as though you cannot get out & about. I will post a link to the rover map showing the area covered. MAP Also the reverse is so equally true for any of you who have friends living inside of this area who can so easily get to Coventry. ps. I do not intend just to see how far I can travel each day, tomorrows trip to Boston, should give me at least six hours there.

Great pictures Philip, thanks! A friend's dad used to run us around Cov in a black Ford Pop. It was okay for short journeys but long ones were horrendous.

Hi all A pic from my travels today. If ever you go to Woburn Sands, don't bother taking your swimming costume as there is no sea or sea side. It's old sand quarries where London brick obtained their clay from at one time. Over half the houses built in Coventry have London Brick company bricks in them. This must be about the last of this sprinter class of DMU. In spite of its age, it was in very good condition, inside & out.

Looks as though you had a good day out Philip.