Aaaaw, the countryside and its invigorating walks. There is no excuse to not enjoy outdoor activities when living in the Midlands.
We are surrounded by canals, parks and tranquil woods to go for a simple stroll now and then. And it’s just better if this walking can lead you to a nice country pub.
That was what we decided to do in the hotter day of Spring this year. The idea was talking the train from Birmingham Moor Street to Lapworth to have a nice Birthday meal at the Fleur De Lys, a pub that we just heard nice things about its food.
What I love most about Birmingham Moor Street is that there are plenty of nice train trips to take and you will always end up in a gorgeous village, like Lapworth for example.
The walking from the train station to the pub is quite straight forward. It starts in the beautiful Kingswood Canal Junction. It’s where the Stratford and Grand Union Canals meet the Kingswood Canal. An inspiring location to start your journey walking by the canal, anyway.
It’s a moderate walking if you are a footpath enthusiast, of curse! Nearly 3.5k of a journey fulfilled with canal stunning views. As it was in the middle of a week, we practically had the footpath to ourselves.
Now and then, a boat passed by to reminds us how picturesque and inviting the walks at the Midlands canals are.
That is my idea of how to celebrate my birthdays nowadays. Some walking, food and drinks as reward in the end of the journey. Sounds pretty good to me!
There are lots of lovely country pubs in this route, but we have chosen Fleur De Lis because its food, especially their pies.
There are 11 different types of homemade pies on the main menu, including two veggie options. All of them as fresh as you can get, made with local ingredients. It can’t get better than this.
This pub is located on the banks of the Stratford Canal. It’s surrounded by natural beauty next to roads that used to be part of the Forest of Arden. Yes, it’s a stunning location. And if the weather helps, like when we visited it, you can enjoy some drinks in its charming beer garden.
Fleur De Lis is not an ordinary pub. You can see people has great passion about what they do there. The pub décor has touches of a traditional pub but with a bit of twist, with a modern and elegant menu too. It’s gorgeous inside and outside.
I was quite tempted to go straight to the pies, but as I needed to eat something less caloric these days, I was quite happy to go through their gluten free menu and find out the Stuffed Aubergine – with ratatouille, melted cheese and salad. A happy birthday meal for a vegetarian that has food restrictions.
It’s a shame I never tried the pie, but my husband did it for us and he fully enjoyed it.
I skipped the desert because I had a nice cake waiting for me at home, but I gave myself two glasses of prosecco and enjoyed the drinks at its beer garden with stunning views from the canal. 
That was a particular hot day in April and it couldn’t have a better reason to enjoy that special day outside.
I can tell you, choosing this pub to celebrate my birthday with a special meal this year was a clever decision.
Staff was friendly enough to fill our bottles of water up before we leave back to Birmingham. Food was absolutely delicious and visiting Fleur De Lis after taking the canal footpath is worth it. It will be repeated, for sure.
