May 6th – I got back to Brownhills at sunset, but couldn’t get anywhere to get a good view of it, sadly; but it did look nice from the canal over Clayhanger Common.
It was nice to be home; I was worn out. Some days, you don’t know which way up you are by the end of them. Your legs turn the pedals, and your body knows which way to go, but mentally, you’re knackered.
April 7th – It was a gorgeous golden hour tonight. I rode home along the canal through Goscote, and then for a change, down Walsall Wood High Street. It all seemed so peaceful.
I guess it was quiet for the Easter break – but anyone who says there’s no beauty here just isn’t looking. After a winter that seemed as endless as ever, this is just what I need.
March 19th – Then, there was the city in a golden, very golden hour. I met a companion, had a good meal and a natter, and we rode back through a gorgeous evening, out from the city centre on the canal to Smethwick, then back through the Sandwell Valley. A gorgeous ride.
It was smoggy, and the air quality was poor; even the air conditioning at Gas Street was belching steam into the air. But it made for such a soft, golden light that kissed and flattered all it touched in this varied, architecturally eccentric city.
Man, I love this place.
January 17th – Rotate ninety degrees sunwise from the bell tower, and there’s Darwall Street in a precious golden hour. This is the risibly named ‘Civic Quarter’ which, as home to several large bars, is more properly thought of as the centre for Walsall’s night time economy.
Ignoring the odd aberration, most buildings here are historic and repurposed; an old cinema – The Imperial – is now a pub, as is the former Registry Office. Walsall swapped certificate and celluloid for a pie and a pint.
Apart from the jarring paving and hideous street lights, this is a nice spot, with plenty of history and physical geography not too far away.
Behind the buildings on the left, the Ford Brook leaves cover and skulks through town in the open for a short while, often stinking the place out. It’s a major tributary of the Tame, and will never lead to Walsall threatening the tourist trade of Bourton on the Water.
It’s not a bad town, really. Just badly misunderstood. Sadly, most grievously by many who live here.
December 28th – A ride out on a frosty, hard and crisp day to Hints and Hopwas, returning via Whittington, Lichfield and Burntwood. The views were wonderful, the air clear and the golden hour seemed to last all day.
The roads were very icy, however, and even with the studded tyres, I felt wary. It was cold and my feet were numb, but this is the kind of icy ride I missed last year. Hopefully the cold weather will continue for a few days yet.
I climbed Crows Castle near Hints, and the views were stunning. The rolling countryside west of Tamworth has never lost its beauty.
December 20th – I came back up through Longdon and Farewell as I always do. It was a chilly day with a crisp wind but the sun was lovely, and the views over the village of Upper Longdon were gorgeous. Good to see the renovation of the old Windmill coming on now, too.
Nearby at Red Hill, the houses clinging to the hill are still beautiful, but stopping to photograph them I noticed I had an audience – one large, disapproving cat and a pair of prize pigs.
A great ride. Really enjoyable.
December 6th – Out in daylight for the first time in a while, and the afternoon was hard and cold. Over to Burntwood for some shopping, I hammered it up the canal in a harsh but golden hour before dusk. The huge black and white smug cat was a gem at the back of Milfield School, and that dog… I could just take it home. Gorgeous.
Returning over Chasewater,I was snagged by the moon rising over the motorway – I’d forgotten the night-time beauty of the distant windy sweep of cars as they passed.
November 27th – A difficult day. I had to dash back from Walsall and I’d forgotten my camera, so had to use the phone. This one doesn’t take too bad pictures, to be fair.
As I left work, the sun was trying to come out, and it caught the glass of the Walsall Housing Group offices on the ring road, and made it golden.
A patch of beauty on a hectic day.
November 22nd – Despite occasional heavy showers, it was a lovely day. Not cold at all, and blessed with a gorgeous golden hour with a clear sky. I headed back to Brownhills via the canal, and the wonderful light set everything aflame.
There are loads of what I think might be imperial caps growing where the embankment has been recently mown at Clayhanger. Damned opportunist fungi…
A fine time to be out, despite an unpromising, damp start. Those autumn colours were wonderful.
October 4th – Another enchanting golden hour, and I needed something important. Having had no luck at the big Sainsbury at Cannock the day before, I struck gold at Reedswood.
Progress was slow, but I wended up the canal and down the cycleway to north Walsall in the most gorgeous light, and back in a equally gorgeous but cold sunset.
The weather really is great at the moment.
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