Tag: 365daysofbiking

October 16th – An very strange weather day. We were expecting severe storms in the afternoon, and in the morning, to a gradually increasing wing, the sky and light turned pink. Not just a light, gentle pink, but a deep, strong pink that suffused everything and made one think the end was coming.

It actually turned out to be pollution and sand dust in the upper atmosphere caused by the oncoming, dying hurricane, but the effect was bfar better than any eclipse I’ve ever seen. 

For an hour or so on an otherwise unremarkable October morning, the world went a little bit strange for us all.

October 15th – Sometimes, all you want to do is tear up the trails and get rid of the pressures of the previous days, and on a borrowed 29er, that’s exactly what I did.

It’s amazing how, late on a Sunday afternoon with dusk encroaching, the Chase is deserted, as if most of the bikers, dog walkers and explorers are only fair-weather friends. But this period – with empty trails, beautiful subdued colour and a wealth of fungi, flora and wildlife, is a magical time.

I crossed Rainbow Hill to Birches Valley, then up Penkridge Bank to Rifle Range Corner, down Abrahams Valley to Seven Springs, back to Stepping Stones, up the Sherbrook Valley and back via Brindley Heath, much of it in peaceful darkness.

Flowing down the trail, hearing owls, dear and startling rabbits and badgers, a fantastic evening ride that was just what I needed to refresh my jaded mind.

October 15th – And then came a new day, and a restorative, happy ride to Cannock Chase – but before that, a quick call to check out Brownhills Parade, where the avenue of roadside trees is an autumn favourite.

Not quite at their peak, this spot will be a favourite with local photographers for weeks now, and rightly so, it’s a magical, beautiful reminder that the town I live and in and love is actually surprisingly beautiful.

I remember when these trees were planted.

October 14th – A terrible, awful down day marked by frustration, local tragedy and blustery, unfavourable weather. A late ride our to Chasewater taking in a loop of Brownhills rewarded me with suitably sombre views, the gathering dark gradually enveloping the town. 

Some days, you’re just glad to make it back to bed in one piece.

October 13th – Chester is always a delight from the cormorants loafing on the Dee like old men on a park bench to the chimneys and remarkably diverse architectural threads, and in autumn, it’s amplified, particularly on a day with such dramatic skies.

I love the central shopping area with the ‘rows’ – upper tier walkways, bridges and balconies that weave and dodge, reminding you of Pratchet’s Ankh Morpork.

A great afternoon.

October 13th – I had a morning meeting near Middlewich, Cheshire and after the customary John Wyndham/Cuckoo jokes, drove up with a colleague with my bike in the car. Finished at Lunchtime, I rode to Chester for an afternoon exploring. 

I used to come here a lot when I was younger, but hadn’t been for years. It’s still a fantastic place – the walled central city with the mixed architecture and the amazingly intact wall linking everything together.

I took time to go see a house I’d admired for years. Just look at the details here – even the open balconies between bays,

A fabulous afternoon.

October 12th – In Darlaston Green on a sunny day, outside the old Charles Richards works, I spot a small but amusing bit of whimsy. The owner of the land rover that parks here – which has an ingenious and wide range of interchangeable rear bodies for different tasks – clearly has a log burner and is preparing for winter with some good logs and a cutting trestle. But also here is a chainsaw-cut carving of a large toadstool from what looks like an ash log.

It’s well executed and mad me smile.

October 11th – Spotted on the way to work, again on the rich, undisturbed grass of an industrial estate verge, some kind of tricholomo – probably dingy. These medium sized, grey and almost downy toadstools were really pretty in their way and I’ve not seen them before.

Every year seems to throw up new fungi to me. I love to find them and puzzle over what they might be.