As well as housing one of my 100 Top Pubs, Walsall is a very underrated place for a short break. We’ve stayed there many times since discovering it with a young family 10 or so years ago, when it provided excellent parks (the Arboretum), cheap Asian food in Pleck, and some family friendly museums, as well as bargain hotel accommodation.
The town has a very different feel to the neighbouring towns of the Black Country, with some surprisingly smart housing to the west.
WALSALL SWEETS
The town rewards the walker, with the colourful neighbourhoods of Caldmore and Pleck providing lots of Asian colour. The town centre itself has some Victorian and Art Deco gems alongside the usual street sculptures.
Since a burst of regeneration 10 years ago, leading to the still excellent New Art Gallery, Walsall has suffered the loss of the annual Illuminations at the Arboretum, but gained some superb places to eat, including the Five Rivers Indian Restaurant and The Bakehouse.
There does appear to be some significant building work going on at the moment which will hopefully continue these improvements.
