November 2nd – The mist and horrid weather continued throughout the day. Patchy, it would be relatively clear one moment, and quite dense the next. Commuting was a challenge – it’s amazing to see people driving and riding around in these conditions without lights.
Fog is horrid to ride in. It drenches you and gets into your clothes and hair. It’s cold, and the extra vigilance it requires is mentally exhausting on a long commute.
Hope it clears up soon.
November 2nd – A hard commute to and from work, but I wasn’t the only local whose activities were restricted due to fog.
This buzzard, hunting curtailed by the poor conditions, was loafing off the Mellish Road in Walsall.
He looked well fed.
March 17th – Heading to work on a misty, smoggy morning, the sun trying desperately to break through the murk and light up the day, but not quite managing it.
Spinning down the canal over Bentley Aqueduct, the twin sisters of Wednesbury on the skyline were as beautiful as ever. This view fascinates me.
February 15th – A grey, lightless day, but still atmospheric. I popped out at lunchtime, not wanting to go too far as I was still resting and in recovery mode.
I slid up to Chasewater on the canal, and my favourite tree at Home Farm looked skeletal against the mist. The canal itself was deathly still, and I saw few people around. A tough day to take photos, and not a great riding day, either; but I did enjoy the spin.
Hopefully the weather will brighten and we’ll get a touch of spring soon…
November 26th – A dreadfully weary, damp homeward commute in heavy mist that soaked and deadened everything. Trapped on the right of a dithering vehicle at the Spring Cottage Lights, I headed straight over and through Walsall Wood for a change.
Even on this dark, horrible night, there was a kind of insular, glowing beauty in the murk.
November 15th – By rights, I should have felt miserable. At work early in the morning, still dog tired and sleep deprived on a dreadfully damp, murky day. But I headed over to Pelsall to catch up with a friend mid afternoon, and the colours in the grey mist were actually brilliant. There was an eerie, otherworldly quality to Green and Mob lanes, still in their autumnal jackets; on my return via Ryders Mere and the old railway, the marsh was ghostly, silent and deserted.
An unexpectedly good ride on what would otherwise have been a horrid day for it. You never can tell.
October 12th – It was a beautiful misty morning, and there was nothing for it but to head off for a ride. I couldn’t go far, so settled for a spin around Chasewater. It was gorgeous. From the mist lifting from the canal to the cobwebs on the bridge rail, everything was precious. But the sun was warm, and soon, a tipping point was reached: the mist disappeared in about 10 minutes, to reveal a beautiful sunny autumn day.
Good to see the valves finally closed, too: Chasewater has been quite low of late and it would be good to see it fill up a little.
March 8th – There’s not much, photographically, you can do with a day like this, except record it as it was. For the second day running, it was wet and foggy. The traffic was still acting strange, and I was glad to get home. It’s not really cold, and the cycling was surprisingly good due to the still conditions – but the flat, grey outlook, devoid of decent light, is relentless.
Please, spring, come back! What on earth did I do to scare you off?
March 5th – A beautiful, late winter/early spring day. I left when the morning fog was thick and cold, and headed to Telford. As I got nearer the station, the mist was gradually burned off by the sun. I came back to Tyseley later, and it seemed the colour of the day was gold. The mist lingered, and made for beautiful skylines.
This spring thing? I think it could be a goer…
January 9th – I’d been working indoors all day, and ended up working late. I’d not seen the sky or daylight since 9:15am, so when I sped away from work at 8pm, I was shocked to find Birmingham wearing a low, thin mist. As I headed northwards home, the mist thickened, until, upon alighting the train at Shentone, I realised it was quite a serious fog. It was patchy, and in the country lanes through Stonnall, in places very dense indeed. I rode on my nerves, straining to look for headlights or unseen hazards, water vapour condensing in my hair and on my face.
Riding in heavy fog is hard work and uncomfortable. Hope it’s gone by morning…
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