#365daysofbiking Romancing the stone

January 1st – So me and a companion went looking for something, for another local historian. And we found it!

Old pal and top history writer Kate ‘Cardigan’ Gomez had written a post, published a couple of days before, about a mysterious ‘wishing stone’ up at Pye Green, on Cannock Chase (click here for that).

Since I was finally out of house arrest, we saddled up and went to look.

I won’t detail where it is exactly so it can still be fun to find, but if you know the area the pictures speak for themselves.

The journey was made even better by the remarkable sunburst seen over Huntington.

Cheers to Kate for the inspiration for a great ride! It’s good to be back in the saddle properly…

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August 14th – This one’s for Kate Cardigan, who was admiring the flowers on this very boat, moored at Brownhills, as some point on the day I took these pictures.

I’ve not seen this unusual, cream-coloured craft before, but I love the flowers and tomatoes growing on it.

Just the thing when riding through a dull, wet Brownhills on a miserable Friday.

January 19th – On the way back, I passed Chesterfield Lodge on Raikes Lane. It always looks so peaceful and welcoming at night, but on Victorian maps, this was marked as a workhouse. Whether it was this actual building or a predecessor, I never quite worked out. I’m still hoping Kate Cardigan of Lichfield Lore might weave some of her investigative magic here and find out the truth one day.

It’s an absolutely gorgeous house, that’s for sure.