February 1st – By the time I neared home in Brownhills well after 8pm that evening, the ice on the canal was considerable.
At Silver Street from the pedestrian bridge, it looked beautiful in the orange streetlight.
It was clear, and my bike computer read -4. It was a relief to get home and warm up.
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January 23rd – The journey home was not so enjoyable. The snow had thawed, but it had gone cold again, and there was a lot of ice. I made an awful decision to try the canal between the Black Cock Bridge and Brownhills, and the towpath was barely ridable: The thawing snow had frozen hard and the problem was not the ice, but the ruts in it which were numerous when they took your wheel.
Almost worth it though for my regular muse Clayhanger Bridge at night, with a very different appearance for a change.
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January 21st – Heading out for a meeting in Birmingham, I had a little extra time in the morning, so I rode to the station via the backlanes – taking me past Little Aston Forge.
The precarious hairpin bend and hump bridge here are a remarkable feature of the lane, and I’m surprised there are not more accidents.
The cottage and countryside here are beautiful though, I must say.
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January 20th – The McClean Way, the trail that follows the former South Staffordshire Railway out of Walsall and is now being extended by volunteers up through Brownhills is beautiful, even on a cold, grey Sunday afternoon.
Clayhanger Marsh, which the trail is embanked above, was brooding and deathly quiet, and I didn’t;t see another soul. The only colour was from the graffiti on the old railway over bridge at the Wyrley and Essington Canal near the Pelsall Road.
This is a fairly unique bridge and is actually a listed structure. I note it’s had it’s number re-stencilled recently, indicating that Network Rail, the ultimate owners, still regard it as an asset.
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January 18th – A very cold, hazard-ridden commute as I got used to riding on ice – all be it with ice tyres – again. It takes time to reassure yourself that they actually work.
The road gutters and towpaths had some lurking black ice and it was rather cold.
Still only an IC1 on the fabulous Dry Marland canal ice scale though….
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January 16th – I was tired, it was late and cresting the Black Cock Bridge wearily I suddenly realised there was a hazard about: Hitting the higher ground towards Brownhills coupled with the semi rural nature of Green Lane, I could see in places the familiar sheen of frost.
The road was gritted well. But towards the kerbs and in places the grit hadn’t yet reached, ice lurked.
A warm winter has made me complacent. Time to be careful.
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January 15th – Long exposure photos continue to fascinate me, and at Catshill Junction the night sky looked a gorgeous, reflected-sodium oranger in these 30 second images taken by popping the camera on timer and sitting it on the bridge rail.
This is a classic and favourite local view of mine but I never tire of photographing it.
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January 14th – And on my return that evening, it was similarly cold but still.
The ‘new’ Silver Street pedestrian bridge fascinates me. I love the shapes in the framework, the views it offers and even the sound it makes as you walk and ride over it.
Although it’s. 11 years old now, I never tire of photographing it at night.
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January 10th – A grey, damp and misty day made for trying journeys to and from work, with frenetic, inattentive traffic and poor visibility with a somewhat patchy, unpredictable kind of fog.
There was no escape, but diving onto the canal at the Black Cock Bridge for the last run to Brownhills was a welcome respite from the tension.
Clayhanger bridge wasn’t terribly mist-shrouded, but the hazy air made for a great twist on one of my favourite local muses.
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January 5th – I had intended to go for a long ride – but the weather was grey and miserable and it was cold, so I stayed indoors until darkness, then slipped out on some errands.
Some long exposure photos on the canal between the Jolly Collier and old cement works bridges came out really well – thirty seconds with the camera on timer held solidly to guard rails gave excellent results in what was otherwise pretty much urban darkness.
Sometimes the short journeys turn out to be the most rewarding.
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