Tag: Green Lane

September 12th – Walsall Council, in their infinite wisdom, have tar and chipped Green Lane in Walsall Wood. This treatment, now known as surface dressing, is evil for cyclists. For weeks, the surface of this road will be dogged by patches of loose chippings, ready to sweep my wheels from under me. I will suffer a pebble dashing as cars pass far to fast for the surface conditions and spit gravel at me. Shingle will gather in hollows and potholes, hiding them ready to catch the unwary cyclist. 

It wouldn’t be so bad if a reasonable attempt had been made to fill all the surface defects before the new treatment was added. As it is, the road is now a mess, and much harder to ride on. The people behind this daft practice must be from the west, as the wise men came from the east…

August 22nd – The cereal harvest is now over, although the maize is still growing tall, and the potatoes are still maturing gently in the fields. On my way to work I headed down Green Lane, Walsall Wood and spotted this great view of the field of barley I’d photographed before. The harvest had been ongoing here for a few days, the trailers and tractors creating frequent traffic holdups. I love harvest time.

August 17th – as I returned home that evening, I noticed that Green Lane in Walsall Wood was blocked by the farmer moving large trailers of fresh, sweet-scented bales of hay. This activity must have been going on here at this time of year for several centuries, only the automation and vehicles have changed. It reminded me of the advancing of the season, and of the fact that although I live in an urban area, I’m never far from the countryside.

July 9th – researching the latest post on the Black Cock Bridge subsidence mystery, my path inevitably wandered toward lunch in Pelsall. Coming back through High Heath, I spotted this lovely, ripening field of wheat on the corner of Green Lane and Mob Lane. I reflected as I cycled down Mob Lane that since I was going downhill toward the old Bullings Heath, High Heath was suitable named.

Funny how you only notice these things peripherally – and who would have thought such a beautiful sight were possible in such a post-indurtial place?

June 16th – This is a first for me – Red Deer at Jockey Meadows. I know  I’m late to the party, since warning signs have been up for a couple of years, but these two young ladies are the first I’ve spotted close to Green Lane. They weren’t too timid, and seemed to be enjoying the lush grass and deep cover the meadow provides. I just hope the drivers on Green Lane take care. Hitting a deer is often fatal for the driver as well as the unfortunate animal.