A51 – BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking

#365daysofbiking Under the cloak of darkness

Tuesday, October 27th 2020 – Another cycleway, beautiful in the autumn night, but very treacherous as I found out, very nearly taking a spill on a corner.

This is the shortcut between the A51 near Beacon Park and Leomansley, a great way of cutting off the Friary island that pops you out further up the Walsall Road, giving a great route through the park when coming back from Lichfield.

The leaf mulch here was very wet and slippery, and despite taking care, my summer tyres still failed to grip as I skirted the anti-vehicle barrier.

Thankfully I held it and no harm done, but a timely reminder that there’s danger in the darkness.

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December 19th – I’m slain with a cold, and not yet finished work, I woke up to a weekend of pre-Christmas errands and jobs, which I was having trouble raising enthusiasm for. I haven’t felt very festive this year yet, but this weekend before does tend to set me up. This one was no exception.

Full of painkillers and decongestant, I headed out on another grey day and on my way, passed through Lichfield on the A51. It was warm, and the going much better than expected, and I actually found myself enjoying the ride. I had the wind behind me and progress was good, so I took a little time to check out the works by the Lichfield & Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust there – and I was impressed.

There’s clearly a huge amount to do, and this is just a fragment, but in civil engineering terms it’s impressive. There’s water in one of the pounds now, and the famous Borrowcop mallards were still in residence. Volunteers work hard here most Sundays and Wednesdays, gradually ploughing through a gargantuan task.

I wish them well.

December 18th – a half day, and chance to nip on an errand to Whittington. The weather was horrid – drizzly, hot and very windy, so I wound my way through the backlanes of Shenstone and Weeford. Heading up Jerrys Lane, i stopped to look east over the A5 bypass to Tamworth. One of the few decent road projects to spin off the M6 Toll, it has cured the traffic issues on the nearby old A5 and A51 beautifully.

I rode on this just before it opened, but never took any photos. I wished I had – the views from the brow of Rock Hill over Tamworth are extraordinary, particularly at night. But this road is more of a motorway than the M6 Toll, and I wouldn’t dream of cycling it now.

June 14th – The rest of the ride was periodically odd and awe-inspiring. My energy levels were poor and I was suffering badly from hayfever, but throwing the bike down that incredible woodland downhills was a terrific as ever. On the other side of the canal south of Tamhorn, a fallen tree blocked the way in the most beautiful, vine-draped manner.

It’s clearly been a good season to for foxgloves, which are currently showing wonderfully in the hedges and canal banks.

Returning along the A51 and heading for Waitrose, I spotted two practicing unicyclists – these lads were great, and made for a very unusual sight. I could have watched them for ages; they were confident and good riders. I could never attain the balance required to master one.

Later, I emerged from the supermarket to see the adjacent bike stand taken by two clearly well-loved road bikes; a very popular Apollo TDF, and a B-Twin; both looked ridden well. These are low end, but very popular road bikes representing good value for money. The interesting thing about them is that they were both small steeds, and had been very creatively locked using a D lock and cable.

The threading of the cable lock could have been better, but it was clearly thought about. I don’t know who the riders were, but I wish them well.

Hopefully in the next couple of days my hayfever will subside…

April 23rd – Whilst cycling home from Lichfield, I noticed that with the recent rain, everything looked that bit greener, that bit cleaner, that bit healthier. Slightly more alive. The Friary Gardens are often overlooked – poor relation to the Festival Gardens on the other side of the A51, sometimes I think I’m the only person to notice they exist. Today, they looked beautiful with a shock of purple lobelia flowering wonderfully at the edge of the steps. Soon, very soon, the greenery will be punctuated with vibrant splashes of colour. Bring. It. On.

Boxing Day – couldn’t resist a bit of ride footage. This one runs from the top of Wolseley Plain, down Abraham’s Valley, along the A51, hopping on the canal through Rugeley, then a little of Bardy Lane, near Upper Longdon. I touched 42mph, but note I slowed right down for the horse and dog walkers. People, if you have dogs off the lead and a cyclist is coming, don’t call them. The dogs are normally too interested in the smells of the open than the cyclist and won’t cause a problem. The lady calling the retrievers here actually causes them to run in front of me…

October 22nd – Someone asked recently where there were sweet chestnuts growing wild. I found these nuts – not massive, but a decent size – falling from trees alongside the A51 on Gorsy Bank, near Breretonhill, just between Rugeley and Upper Longdon. There’s a fair few around Milford and Tixall, too.