Tag: bridge

#365daysofbiking Into the murk

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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#365daysofbiking Decent exposure

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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#365daysofbiking I dream of wires

January 4th – A stop on the way home on the North Street Bridge, the crossing point between Walsall’s Butts area and Birchills. The view from the railway bridge to the new college and town has always been great at night.

But sadly, no more.

The welcome electrification of the Chase Line railway below has had an unfortunate side effect of ruining the shot, with the overhead gantry stealing the foreground. But I don’t mind – I’d rather have the more reliable commuter service.

The college anyway was dull and in darkness, clearly not open yet from the Christmas break, and Austin House with it’s peculiar white halo was stark in the darkness.

Ah well, change is what happens while you’re not looking… There are other aspects on this view, I guess…

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#365daysofbiking Time is


January 2nd – I’ll start this with a note about this journal. Older readers will know I started this journal on 1st April 2011after being encouraged to do 30daysofbiking by ace cyclist and top Dutchperson Renee Van Baar. From the moment I agreed, the die was cast.

Sadly, I was very ill with food poisoning the following New Year,  so never rode a bike on 31st December 2011, and 1st January 2012. But I steeled my resolve, and I carried on, and I never missed a day since. Every day from 2nd January 2012 I have got on a bike and ridden somewhere.

From 100 mile plus rides in one day, to trundles to the shops, I have recorded my daily life as a cyclist, in all its ups and downs. That’s 7 years, or 2557 successive days (including 2 leap years), and about 63,000 miles.

I adore keeping this journal – both writing it, and creating the photos.I welcome feedback. If you have something to say – that I should stop, continue or do something differently, please get in touch by commenting or mailing me – BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com.

Today was my first day back at work and on my way back, I headed up the canal to Newtown. I had forgotten to charge my camera, and it was flat, so these are actually photos from an iPhone, which just shows how much phone camera technology has advanced.

When I started this journal in 2011, my phone would not have been remotely capable of images of this quality.

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#365daysofbiking And then…

December 29th – Also a view from a bridge, but a very underrated one; Down the Lichfield Road toward Walsall, in the same sleepwalk half-light. Busier looking, even when not; the mixture of traffic, streetlights, factory floodlights and sky is magical and it’s a joy to view.

One of the best bits of going up The Wood…

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#365daysofbiking Bridge to my heart

#365daysifbiking Bridge to my heart:

December 29th – Still busy doing other things (bike maintenance, mainly) I had to nip up Walsall Wood to Screwfix in that magical interregnum between the sun setting and it not being fully dark.

Bullings Heath on the flank of thelack Cock Bridge looked superb, as did Hollanders Bridge.

I love the quiet, sleepy feel of the days between Christmas and new year; like the world world is snoozing off its lunch.

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#365daysofbiking Blue

December 23rd – A ride out on a wet day on pre-Christmas errands: Getting game, cheese, mince pies and other bits and pieces in the pouring rain. On my way from Whittington to Lichfield, I came over the A38 junction at Hilliards Cross near Fradley South an on the otherwise unremarkable flyover, a flash of blue caught my eye. I stopped, backed up and spotted a blue plaque.

I’m not sure if it’s an official English Heritage plaque, but somehow I doubt it: but it’s a fascinating thing and a real bit of local culture.

The Ride to the Wall is a charity mass motorbike ride to the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, and you can find out more here  – it’s a real spectacle and a great fundraiser for charity.

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#365daysofbiking Going with the flow

December 18th – I’d been in hospital for medical tests, which went OK. I came home, uncomfortable, headachy and disorientated, but a cup of tea, some food and peace and quiet and I was ready to ride.

Sadly it was still raining heavily.

In a short spin around Brownhills the bike was coated in mud and I noted the overflows were in spate. It’s really been quite wet the last week and it’s not registered quite how bad it’s been.

Some dry, cold weather would be nice for Christmas I think…

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#365daysofbiking Endless rain

December 16th – Delivering Christmas cards in Chasetown, the light rain turned to a downpour, and although the Headquarters of Chasetown Civil Engineering and the nearby pub The Uxbridge looked beautiful with their lights reflected on wet tarmac, the rain had me low.

I tried long exposure photography on the Chasetown Bypass footbridge, but the weather was determined to wreck my plans.

I returned home wet, cold and despondent. This time last year, I think we had snow. Which at least is fun.

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#365daysofbiking A small kindness

December 16th – Another grim, blustery day, but I had a lot to do. Errands were undertaken all afternoon and crossing the Silver Street bridge in Brownhills, I noticed someone had spotted Dora the Explorer had probably been dropped by her friend and popped her for safekeeping up on the handrail.

A small act of kindness like this always warms my heart: Some bereftl child is probably missing this soft toy desperately, and hopefully they will be reunited by now (I posted the find on local Facebook to catch anyone looking).

Thank you to whoever rescued Dora: Your kindness was not unnoticed.

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