August 17th – A spin through a damp Brownhills wasn’t feeling terribly picturesque, but as I sped down the cycle route that follows the old railway line from the canal to Engine Lane, I noticed how green and lush the vegetation was, how perfect the track, the light.
Even dull days can be beautiful in their own way.
April 10th – I saw something remarkable today. It’s usual for the red deer hinds to congregate in groups at this time of year, and I’d been missing them at Chasewater. I actually set out to find them there today, and disappointed, headed back down the old railway line towards Engine Lane. it was on the way that i struct gold. in a meadow between the former track and Marklew’s Pond, a herd of about 30 hinds were loafing, unpeturbed by the cyclist guy. I’ve seen large groups before, but rarely this big of a single sex. I found it a bit odd there were no young, though, although one or two of the ladies here seemed to be looking rather rotund. The general condition seemed a little poor, although this could be just the moult. They hung around watching me for about 5 minutes, before being spooked by something, whereupon they moved over toward the pond, before crossing it a disappearing into the scrub. A fine sight, and one I never, ever imagined seeing here as a young man. We are privileged indeed.
November 20th – Spinning out this afternoon on what must have been the most un-photogenic day of the year so far, I took a snoop up round the top of Engine Lane where local riding instructor Stevie Ansell is preparing fields for use by her riding school. She does a huge amount of good work for kids in the community, and I welcome the move. Hopefully, more human presence will help moderate the behaviour of some of the illegal off-roaders around here, too. It’s nice to see Stevie has posted explanatory notices to tell passers by what’s going on. I wish her, her horses and pupils well.
September 21st – catching up on the news feeds on the train on the way home, I picked up an interesting fixmystreet report about a field in Engine Lane, Brownhills being cleared of scrub. Since I had to pop into Tesco anyway, I thought I’d swing by and take a look. I was quite surprised to sees the field had been efficiently cleared and all the vegetation was now in a pile. There’s a blog article speculating on the possible reasons for this on my main blog.
August 13th – Spotted parked in the lay-by in Engine Lane, this venerable old Reliant three-wheeler caught my eye. I’ve never been a fan of these quirky, unstable vehicles, but there was something wonderfully nostalgic about seeing this one. It must be a labour of love keeping it on the road, and require a very thick skin to drive it…
Edited shortly after posting:
Thanks to keen reader and local history whizz Julian Ward-Davies who points out that this isn’t actually a Reliant at all, but a Bond Minicar – a vehicle I’d never before been aware of. So there you go, you learn something new every day. Cheers, Julian!
August 5th – Ragwort, the bright yellow heathland plant that’s turning every bit of wasteland and field yellow at the moment seems to be having a ver good year. Hear at Engine Lane, the fields are full of the stuff. This must be of some concern to the people who keep horses here, as it’s dangerous to equines. The colour of the bloom, however, is a joy to behold. It’s always a good year for 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.
May 7th – A spin up the former railway off Engine Lane, Brownhills, took me under the A5 and heading for Albutts Road, I spotted this fine Laburnum in full bloom at the rear of the Wilkin Estate.Sadly, these beautiful ornamental trees are becoming a rare sight due to their highly poisonous seeds, which children have been known to eat.
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.
April 29th – A late afternoon escape found me spinning round Brownhills Common in a fruitless hunt for deer. I pottered on up to Engine Lane, and remembered the shaft located on a small mound by the old level crossing. Brick-lined, capped about six feet down with old railway sleepers, I think it must have been an air shaft for a nearby colliery. It’s not really wide enough to be a working shaft, and it’s termination at a considerable height above surrounding ground level suggests that the constructors wanted to avoid surface water draining down it.
A conundrum indeed.
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