April 12th – And of course, the flowers continued to captivate me. Magnolia, various blossom, primroses, forget me nots, pieris (is that a flower? Don’t know) and green alkanet all entertained and gave me solace in this most unusual of rides.
You can stick the coronavirus where the sun really doesn’t shine but I can handle countryside to myself like this for as long as possible, please!
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April 12th – Easter Sunday was so quiet as I slipped out on a changeable afternoon. Mindful of the exercise only diktat, I figured a ride around the backlanes to Little Hay and back would be acceptable.
I was shocked to note very few people about at all. I pretty much had the lanes to myself – and how beautiful they were.
The blossom, green shoots and beautiful skies made for a refreshing, rejuvenating ride that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I really do feel like I’m beginning to get that old spark back.
It’s been gone awhile, washed away in the rains of the winter, I think…
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December 30th – The long exposure experiments continue, this one from the cycle and equestrian bridge over the A38 between Weeford and Little Hay.
The hope was to catch a vehicle turning off to Little Hay to the right, but time ran out.
A good excuse to return for another go. I’ve missed being out so much.
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December 31st – At last, a decent if rain-sodden ride. Going stir crazy on a wet New Year’s eve, I slipped out at 3pm determined to test the loan cameras on something decent. Instinct had me head for Hopwas Hays Wood near Tamworth.
Both cameras are excellent. At the moment, the GX7 has the edge but the user interface is bizarre to me. I’ve never had much joy with Canon kit before, but this was a revelation.
I didn’t use flash once, just the bike headlight. I’m quite pleased with these.
Oh, and happy new year!
July 17th – In spite of some grim mechanical problems and slow initial progress, I made it to Rosliston for tea and cake, and then pootled back through Coton in the Elms, Lullington, Clifton Campville, Haunton and Syerscote, calling at Hints and Weeford in the golden hour.
The villages glowed in the summer evening warmth, and even though I was battling a keen westerly, my England was right here – in a view familiar to Peter Cutler, in the flower-adorned villages, and in the sad but tranquil churchyard at Haunton, with it’s ranks of gravestones to nuns from the nearby convent.
It doesn’t get much better than this.
May 15th – The ride to and from Fazeley was nice, too. I sped there, running late after some bike maintenance prompted by the previous day’s tribulations, but cutting over Little Hay was lovely. I left the market heading south to Middleton and the conveyor Bridge, and came out to the rear of Middleton Hall, so I came through Drayton Basset for a change, forgetting the grinding uphill run past the vineyards to Caraway Head.
Drayton Basset is, of course, the resting place of Sir Robert Peel, creator of the British Police Force, and who died surprisingly young, at 62.
The scenery was beautiful, there was a bit of an insistent headwind on the way back, but a pleasing 30 miles.
December 20th – Oh man, am I unwell. Really grim cold, headaches and even my jaw hurts. Hopefully, it’ll blow itself out in a day or so.
I got out at lunchtime, again on Christmas errands – over to Weeford and Packington via Stonnall and Shenstone, then back through Whittington, Fradley and Lichfield. Setting off on a bright, cold day, it felt like winter at last. The scenery was good, the light excellent and only a headwind honed on Satan’s oilstone dampened my enthusiasm.
I do like the wind turbine at Curborough – considering how many people, including the local MP, were losing their minds over it at planning, I think it’s rather elegant.
Sadly, at Packington, the heavens opened in a series of short, sharp, heavy showers, which continued for the remainder of the afternoon. Battling home from Curborough into driving rain and a headwind was not fun.
Still, I have been asking for some proper winter weather, and that was definitely it…
Be careful what you wish for.
September 19th – I darted between villages in the borderlands of the plains of east Staffordshire – Coton, Lullington, Netherseal, Chilcote, No Mans Heath, Syercote, Wigginton. The weather and light were gorgeous. The riding was fast and easy.
Really surprised to see juicy, sweet strawberries still ripening in Chilcote’s polytunnels, and Ladybird Cottage in Netherseal was a gem I’d not spotted before.
Honey Hill, at the furthest eastern outpost of Staffordshire, was as demanding to cycle as ever, but the climb is always rewarded with beautiful views.
A wonderful ride on a fantastic day.
March 22nd – Spotted just off Camp Lane, between Little Hay and Canwell, a small herd (is that the right term? Flock?) of alpacas. I love the colour variations. Gorgeous animals, that never fail to raise a smile, and I was quite shocked to discover how stroppy they actually are.
September 27th – Having visited the farm shop, returned via Weeford and Little Hay. Autumn is really kicking in now, and even on this very dull, overcast day, the colours were lovely. By the drainage lagoon at Thickbroom, you’d never realise you were less than 15 metres from the A38.
The rooftops of Weeford – John Wyatt’s exemplar village, built as an advertisement of his architectural prowess – still fascinate me. From the high cemetery near the community hall, the view is commanding and beautiful.
I noted that the land north of Park Lane, between Shenstone and Little Hay is now almost totally given over to free range pigs, snorting and rooting through the brown earth. They must outnumber local residents by a healthy number, and their produce – a quantity of which I’d just bought – is fine and tasty.
I couldn’t help thinking though that if they ever got together and rose up, we’d be under porcine rule within a matter of days… perhaps Animal Farm wasn’t a satire after all.
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