Tag: Longdon

December 3rd – A bit of a down day, really – although the evening picked up well. I headed out just after lunch into a grey and lightless day, to try a new cafe. From there, I dropped into Lichfield as a Christmas Market was ongoing, but customer service left much to be desired; I ended up enjoying Christmas Pudding and custard in front of a wood burning stove at Mabel’s in Curborough which was nice, although the craft centre around it definitely seems to have left it’s best days behind it.

I came back via London Green and noted another once closed pub, the Red Lion, seemed to be doing well. Although more of a restaurant now, it still retains a real ale bar and welcomes dogs.

And it’s beautifully lit in a cold winter dusk…

October 16th – I remember when we just used to get plain old moons, but these days every full moon is special for one reason or another – a harvest moon, a supermoon, a hunters moon, which this was – all of a sudden every appearance of this old familiar has to be special.

Which is daft, really, because the moon always is special. Caught from near George’s Hayes, Longdon, it was low and made orange by the atmosphere. 

I never tire of looking at the moon.

August 7th – There were three in total, but ginger scarpered. Judging by their lanky, adolescent appearances, I think they were siblings, and I spotted them as they dashed over the road near Red Hill. They’d clearly been investigating the horses in the field, and been scared, and now there was this guy on a mechanical contraption pointing something at them.

These cats are clearly characters, and living in the quiet backlanes of Longdon, they have acres and acres of woodland, hedgerow, pasture and ditch to explore. 

What a life they have before them.

March 25th – A great Good Friday ride. I slipped out at lunchtime and headed through Caldwell to Longdon, then through Rugeley, Stockwell Heath and Blithfield to a cake stop near Abbots Bromley; then over to Hoar Cross, back through the Needwood Valley and Lichfield. 

It wasn’t a very warm day, and in truth, was very breezy, but the blooming spring flowers, awakening wildlife and sun-bathed scenery made this an excellent ride.

I need more of this in my life.

September 26th – Interested and fascinated to note that the restored windmill at Longdon that I photographed a week ago actually has a sailed that rotates with the wind as required – note the sails are on a different side of the building this week.

That mill has to be a tour de force of mechanical geekery… I love it.

August 8th – From Seven Springs I headed down onto the canal at Weetmans Bridge near Little Haywood, as far as Breretonhill, then back through Upper Longdon and Stoneywell. The canal was glorious on a golden evening, and I drifted lazily past narrowboats, clumps of Himalayan balsam and waterside gardens that were enchanting. At Longdon, I see the refurbishment of the windmill continues well, after seemingly being stalked for ages.
As I came through Stoneywell the dying sun caught the have step fields and rendered them precious.

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.

September 28th – Up on the Chase on a balmy, sunny afternoon that apart from the colour, could have been May rather than September.

I came up through Heath Hayes and over Hednesford, over the site of the RAF base. I loved the new RAF Trail markers with the roundel.

Birches Valley was rammed, and not a hugely enjoyable ride – it’s hard to let rip when around every corner there are kids, or loose dogs… So I headed for Abrahams Valley via Penkridge Bank, and was relieved to see not just a deer fawn, but clear space with few people over there.

The pines are beginning to turn – another week or so and they’ll be gorgeous.

I hopped from Seven Springs to Stepping Stones, over Milford Common and Shugborough, where from the zigzag bridge I watched two horse riders cautiously fording the trent. 

Racing back through Longdon, a familiar patch of cyclamen I forget every year until they flower, and they take me by surprise. Such delicate, lovely flowers.

It’s good to be back on decent weekend rides after so long waiting for the foot to sort itself out.

September 7th – More fungi today; spotted in open pasture near Longdon, glistening ink caps, and lycoperdon puffballs and rhizopogon earthballs (I may have some, all or none of that wrong, I leave fungi to experts). Considering the relative conformity of plant life in the UK, fungi like this looks almost alien and distinctly odd.

I think that’s why it fascinates me so much.