h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Completely agree with Moose on his review of Sutton Coldfield. I have lived there all my life too, it's a nice enough place - "mostly harmless" to coin a phrase !

One added bit of info : Sutton Coldfield and Solihull have been fighting for the right to be "the nicest" for many years. Despite my obvious bias, I am afraid to say that Solihull seems to have pulled ahead a bit. Oh well, perhaps we can blame it all on Birmingham City Council ! "It would never have happened if we where still part of Warwickshire !"...

I have to concur Solihull town is just a bit better than Sutton Coldfield.
However Solihull Borough has a mad,bad and dangerous to know offspring that it tries to keep hidden,an offspring by the name of Chelmsley Wood.

In sutton coldfield's defence i have always found solihull more confusing to drive around.

Is there a town called solihull, and also an area called solihull?

And does one contain the other or not?

Whatever it is, i've tried to get to chelmsley wood to there, and on a seperate occasion, from there to chelmsley wood, and have consistently driven around for hours.

On my map, Chelmsley is in a seperate box to the rest of birmIngham. perhaps this has thrown me off.

In response to '8 Mammoth Cheeses',people in the more affluent and pretentious areas of Solihull Borough (mostly those closest to Solihull's town centre and those affiliated to the local rugby and cricket teams,'The Old Silhillians') call themselves 'Silhillians'.
However,most of the rest of the people in Solihull Borough (encompassing Chelmsley Wood,Olton,Sheldon and Shirley) are fairly normal and couldn't give a sh*t.
As for getting from Solihull town centre to Chelmsley Wood,best bet is to head for the N.E.C. via Catherine-de-Barnes,then straight between the airport and the N.E.C.,past Marston Green then,following the signs,Chelmsley Wood should be just in front of you.

Let it be known that although I have friends who come from both Sutton Colfield _and_ Solihull (and am indeed a decendant of a Silhillian) I actually come from Smethwick, so all I can do is gaze on in awe...


Ah, Smethwick, the no-man's land between Birmingham and the Black Country, where several of my generation (myself included) are fortunate enough to have the accents cancel each other out.

PS: I'm happy to discuss all things Brum, to the exclusion perhaps of Perry Barr.