Tag: Brownhills Common

#365daysofbiking Early one morning

January 29th – I had a short window in the morning before I took the next batch of medication when I could get out – so in the early gloom, I left for a circuit around my beloved Brownhills.

I’m not used to Engine Lane and the cycleway to the old Cement Works Bridge in the early morning. Foxes and other furry residents of the common were busy, and I disturbed their activities. Birds were awakening, and the darkened woods were full of life. I could hear horses in the paddocks snort in the dark and deer grumbling as they tend to.

Normally rides at this time of day are strictly fast commutes to work.I don’t normally stop to look at what’s around me at this time of day.

It was actually an unexpected joy to be out. I must do this again.

This journal is moving home. Find out more by clicking here

from Tumblr https://ift.tt/316VS6C
via IFTTT

April 8th – It’s all about the cows, lately. Cattle have been introduced to the heaths at Chasewater for a few years now. They were brought in to manage the heathland – cows hooves churn up the soft earth, and their grazing and cow pats stifle the bracken and more voracious plants , giving the heather and more delicate specimens a chance to grow. The brown an white Chasewater animals – five in total – are supplied by a local farmer, and the young beasts look in fine condition, and don’t seem to mind the public too much. 

Today, I also noticed someone was keeping a small herd of black cows in the field on the common behind the derelict Rising Sun pub. This is a new development, and I haven’t seen cows here for years. Wonder whose they are?

January 29th – On the kissing gate at the entrance to the new pond at Clayhanger, I spotted this notice. Thought I’d feature it here, as anyone making such an effort to get the community together in any activity deserves a little support. I wish Garry and Jackie all the best in their venture.

I noticed also that the kissing gate had recently been expertly rebuilt by (I assume) the countryside and estates guys at Walsall Council. I also observed that the common itself was again spotless, and it appears that some coppicing is in progress. People have been working hard on the greenspace locally for a while now – there are refurbished boardwalks over on Brownhills Common and some brush cutting and thinning there, too. 

Thanks, folks, your work is much appreciated.

August 13th – Bracket fungus, in this case Birch Polypore, are a common sight in woodlands and scrub around the common at this time of year. They don’t seem to die as quickly as other fungi and often acquire a sheen of algae and detritus as they age. They regenerate by scattering spores from their undersides as animals and the wind come into contact with them. I think there’s three generations here.

July 8th – Cycling after really heavy rain is a life-affirming experience. It was time the bike got a wash, anyway. It was warm and humid, and the roads shone in the welcome sunlight. Greens and sky blues mingled in the reflections on the wet asphalt. I spent an hour or so bombing round the common and canals, just getting wet for the hell of it.

I’m just a big kid at heart.

June 19th – First decent long ride in some time saw me shoot 45 miles over the Chase, with a particularly exhilarating run down the Sherbrook Valley from Pye Green to Milford (video coming later). I started by checking out the honeybee swarm I’d noticed a few days before. To my surprise, they were still there. Less dozy now, clearly with purpose, they were defensive and busy. They appeared more organised and seemed to be dragging vegetation into their seething, humming morass. This is fascinating me.

May 19th – An evening ride around the common failed to reward me with a sighting of deer, but the welcome stillness after weeks of quite gusty wind was refreshing. I could hear delicate birdsong again, and the rustling of small animals scurrying out of sight. Everything on the common is now a clear, vivid emerald green, and save for a fisherman on Marklew’s Pond, I was alone. I love cycling along this boardwalk… covered by a green canopy, it feels otherworldly, and makes great noises as one rides over it’s ageing timbers.

May 13th – Finally break the longstanding deer deficit. At the rear of the old Rising Sun Inn, on Brownhills common, I come upon this old doe. I scared her, actually, coming around a blind spot in the track. Clattering feet, snapping saplings, she headed for the thicket where she glared at me, my infernal bike, and chewed solidly.

She looks a bit mad, actually. Since that heron, all the wildlife I see seems to have a vague look of mental instability. Is it a sign of something?

May 8th – a late afternoon escape and another grim wind. I took the easy option and went looking for deer on the common – I’ll find the buggers if it kills me, not had a sniff for weeks. Sadly, there were too many dogs about and too many kids making too much noise. I investigated the old Slough Arm canal branch that used to run parallel to the old rail line and take the coal from the pits on the common, and noted the bridge was still in decent condition. A trip up round the tracks on the common ensued; Marklew’s Pond – named after the farmer and tommy shop proprietor who lived nearby – was looking gorgeous. The woods are dotted with yellow and orange poppies, too. On the north common it was quiet, and buzzards were mobbed overhead by crows. Not a bad couple of hours out and about, all in all.

April 29th – The former railway track that ran over the common at the end of Engine Lane is now long gone, but the sturdy trackbed it left behind forms a gorgeous, wildlife rich greenway. Sadly, it’s plagued by offroaders and scramblers, which the police do a fine job of apprehending.

Thankfully, today it was peaceful.