Walsall in General

Well, what can I say about this old market town, I have lived on the outskirts of it all my life and I don't think I have once been proud of it. Twenty, thirty years ago I was assured it was a pleasant market town which did quite well and was generally considered a nice place to visit if you were passing by. Now it really has gone down in the dumps.

I try not to venture into this town as much as is humanly possible but as it is the nearest town to me with places I need to go I sometimes find I have to go into the devil's pit. This unfortunate event occurred almost a week ago after not being in the town for over 3 years. Well not much had changed. Walking down the street you can't help really but feel intimidated from the gangs of teenagers hanging about, cans and cigarettes in hand, waiting to give you a scowl if you even look their way. The people are so unpleasant; I accidentally bumped into one man, said I was sorry and thought I was going to get my head ripped off!

The actual town in itself would not be that bad if it wasn't for the people. The buildings I think are quite old and do give a nice sense of tradition to the town. The market is just like any other market in the world, if you need something cheap and cheerful, then this is the place for you. The let down of Walsall really is because of the people in it, this being the litter. There are probably hundreds of bins around Walsall and still I saw people just dropping their litter to the ground just because a two foot walk is a bit much for them. One of my pet peeves also comes to haunt me in this town that being the amount of cigarette butts on the ground. It doesn't look pleasant; it looks disgusting and really just gives the image of Walsall a boost in the negative direction.

Ok now that I have had a good old moan about the people and the town's attractiveness its time to get onto the shops in Walsall. This is the main reason so many hundreds of people go to Walsall, the fact that it has all the main high street shops. Debenhams, W H Smith, Woolworths, Argos, Boots, Topshop, New Look and many more. For someone who needs something you are bound to find it in Walsall as everything you could need will be in one of the main shops or even in the many individual shops that Walsall boasts.

The Saddlers centre holds many unique shops that you are bound to find what you need. Music, gift shops and all kinds of services lay in here for the shopper to find and all at quite a reasonable price. Also in Walsall is the wharf which is home to Asda living, HMV, JJB sports, Next, Mothercare, Pizza Hut and the one that draws me into Walsall, Blockbuster. This is probably where Walsall gets most of its visitors from as the stores are all mainstream and have a large car park at a good price.
So overall I have to say for shopping Walsall is quite a good place to go as it has all the main shops that everywhere else has plus a few more.

The reason I think Walsall is quite a busy place is for one the shopping that you can do there, but also because it is the centre of transport. You can travel to many places from Walsall town centre either from the bus station which has over a hundred buses going through it in an hour or the train station which can take you to Bescott all the way to Stafford or the other way to Birmingham New Street which is the portal to go anywhere in the UK.

Education in Walsall is extremely good, with private education for children aged 6-16 in the city centre, Queen Mary and King Edward's grammar schools and the University of Wolverhampton all close by, Walsall has easily accessible education for children.

Nightclubs, couldn't talk about Walsall without mentioning its nightlife could I? Having the University of Wolverhampton very close to the city centre, Walsall is the best place to be as a student. Cheap drinks, cheap entrance fees and great clubs, Walsall is a hive for the antics of the nightclubbing scene. I have only been to Walsall on the night a few times so I can only mention the places I have been to. WS1 probably has to be the biggest taker in business with three floors, each dedicated to a different musical theme and cheap drinks, and this is the place hundreds of people flock to, especially if a famous face is making an appearance. The Imperial is a nice place to go to start off your evening with a drink. A quiet atmosphere with plenty of tables, and amazingly the ability to hear the people next to you speaking this is a good place to go if you want a night out without the ringing ears in the morning. With other bars such as The Varsity, Sports Bar and especially the Wharf, Walsall is the place to be when your young and fancying a night out with your friends. Prices typically end up the same wherever you go and I would say a good night out with your mates would end up costing you in the region of £20-30.

The arboretum is also a place where many people flock to in Walsall. A green bit of land in the middle of town with a lake, trees and wildlife it can be a nice place to walk around in the sun, again if you don't run into any chavs hanging about. The arboretum is also home to the Illuminations which are held every year from September to November. This is where lights are put up to portray different shapes, people and animals along with food, rides and shows. It is definitely something to do once as it is quite nice to walk around at night. The price is one of the things that make it only a one time event. Open from around 6pm the prices are £6 per adult and £4.50 per child. For something that takes you half an hour to walk round it is a bit of a disappointment for adults, but for children the lights and rides can be fun so I would recommend it for families with young children. Park and Ride is available as parking can get a little hectic.

Well I think I have mentioned everything to do with Walsall. To get there take the train as I have said before or catch any of the buses that can take you there. The 51 from Birmingham can get you there in about 45 minutes. A couple more things, food shopping in Walsall is easy as there are two large supermarkets, Morrisons and Asda. Morrisons is easily accessible from the Arboretum Island and Asda is just up the top of the market. Parking is available on Morrison's car park for paying customers.

So overall Walsall is an old town with history which has everything you could possibly need, but only if you dare venture into the town. It would be such a lovely place if it wasn't for the people who seem mostly to be teenagers missing school and Chavs who have nothing better to do than hang around shop entrances. The litter is also a big problem with me and really does bring down the town in overall attractiveness. So go if you really need something desperately but if you can go somewhere else.