Dudly Canals and Cadbury Tour

Friday 20 December 2024

Not another Skoda

We picked up the hire car on Friday morning so that we could explore the area before Olivia needed to go to work. We were given a Skoda. Debbie likes Skodas.  She isn’t with me on this trip but I felt a secret pleasure in driving ‘her’ car. 

It ran quite well, but the fuel and planet saving feature – automatic engine cutout – nearly got me into smashes more than once. UK drivers take the lights turning green very seriously. Lights turning red – not so much. The engine restart took longer than their patience or reaction time.

Although he was really only promoted to the role the next day, here is our little green frog dashboard mascot.

More canals than Venice

Apparently, Birmingham has more canals than venice.(To be fact checked!). We parked near one of the Dudly Canals and walked as far as we could.  The day was a little overcast, but not cold, and except for the litter everywhere, enjoyed a nice relaxing walk.

The original Bournville

No visit to Birmingham is complete without visiting the original location of the Cadbury’s Chocolate factory.  After they merged with Fry’s in 1919, they decided to expand overseas, and Claremeont in Tasmania was chosen as the newest factory location.  The significance of Cadbury’s to the history of Hobart is not lost on locals. The Cadbury founders were Quakers (supporting the consumption of drinking chocolate in preference to alcohol) and in my primary school years at The Friends’ school, I was in the Cadbury House complete with brown house colours.

They stopped running factory tours in Hobart many decades ago, so it was hardly surprising that they also didn’t offer the behind the scenes of the manufacturing process here either.  It was not quite like we expected, but a mixture of history, fun rides and taste tests.

It was interesting to hear that that Cadbury’s have just lost their Royal Warrent. King Charles, unlike his mother, clearly doesn’t like a glass and a half.

With a bit of time to spare we tried to visit the Geolgical Museum in the Universsty of Birmingham, but the weather and a lack of appropriate parking put paid to those plans – so instead we went on the scrounge for carboard boxes to pack up Olivia’s bedroom. 

We rounded the day off with a visit to the gym where Olivia works and meeting all her colleagues.  I went home to fiddle about, and Liv worked until 8:30pm.

Tomorrow, we head to the Welsh border.