Tag: 365daysofbiking

August 15th – Last spring, every time I came to Redditch, the state of the River Arrow worried me. It had been such a dry year that I feared for the ecology and hydroecology of this little-noticed waterway. The flow slowed to a lazy trickle, the waterfowl and kingfishers vanished. Conditions were bad.
What a difference a bad summer makes. Now, the Arrow is flowing through it’s valley park beautifully, and the sound of flowing water has returned, as have the kingfishers. A remarkable, and most welcome recovery. If you want to know why I was late, it wasn’t the train. I stood for 5 minutes watching the birds and enjoying the spirit of the water.

August 14th -The rabbit population, after being recently ravaged by myxomatosis, seems to be in recovery. EverywhereI go now I see lots of the cute little fellows: this delightful lady was grazing on the bridle way in Arrow Valley Park. Right in the centre of Redditch. There are factories and a main road clanking away not more than 100 yards from here.

August 13th – The proliferation of beans planted as a crop on local farms this year is intriguing me. I’m interested in how they’re harvested, what they’re used for and why, for instance, this field at Lynn, near Stonnall, is being allowed to die and blacken. I know that growing legumes is a valid and effective crop rotation technique to nitrogenate the soil, but letting the crop die is surely a waste, unless they’re used black. An interesting thing, for sure…

August 13th – Out at sunrise and off to Redditch for the first time in a while. Coasting the top of Shire Oak Hill, I noticed the sunrise was looking good from the landfill entrance on the Chester Road. This time of year, the sunrises are usually excellent. Shame the same can’t be said for the weather at the moment – after a few days of warm, welcome summer, it’s back to overcast skies and drizzle. The day turned grey and wet by lunchtime…

August 12th – rounding the bend in the canal opposite Brownhills Canoe Centre, I noticed some debris on the towpath under the hazel thicket that’s grown so well there in recent years. Taking a closer look, I realised that the detritus was partially eaten hazel, or cob nuts, stripped by hungry squirrels. These are a fine, nutritious snack for our furry pals, and birds and foxes will Hoover up the remainder. I always wondered why I’d never seen these bushes fruit…

August 12th – Computer bother kept me busy all day. I’m a mac user,and one of the really great things about Apple macs is that they don’t often let you down, but when they do, it’s a major pain. I spent the day recovering from backups and generally being stressed. At sunset, I ventured out for a ride to let off steam. I took a look around Clayhanger Common and the pond at Clayhanger in a gorgeous, misty golden hour. There was a partial temperature inversion, and a peculiarly concentrated mist hung over the meadow near the old railway embankment. A very ethereal evening indeed.

August 11th – Oh my, the Autumnal signals are coming thick and fast now. Just as Home Farm are harvesting their wheat crop at Sandhills, I notice the hedgerow laden with brambles, both blackberry and dewberry. The dewberries, like those above, tend to come first – their fruit is slightly larger, less firm and has less globes than the smaller, sweeter blackberry. Soon this hedgerow will be laden with black fruit, a feast for birds, foxes and me, too. I do like a blackberry and apple pie…

August 11th – An afternoon recovery ride around Chasewater and Lichfield to keep my legs moving. At the canal by Catshill, there appears to be a film on the water. It always concerns me when I see this, as folk tend to think it’s pollution: it is, and it isn’t. It’s perfectly natural, and not man-made. The film is fibrous seed matter from thistles, willowherbs and other wind-seeding plants. 

An odd phenomena that soon passes.

August 10th – The Weaver Hills are one of my favourite bits of Staffordshire. From the floor of the Manifold Valley at Steeplehouse, to the ruins of Throwley Hall; from the picturesque, weathered beauty of Calton Village to the solitude and fine views of The Walk, they are a fine, pagan place. Hell to climb up from either side, but a heavenly descent. This is Staffordshire, the county I adore, at it’s finest.