Tag: marina

January 17th – It was a nice day on the canal, and as I came past Lathams Bridge on the way home, I couldn’t resist a couple of peaceful shots of the waterway. The marina doesn’t seem very busy at the moment, I must say, but the view is as lovely and serene as ever. You wouldn’t think you were only tens of metres from a busy, large marl pit and a bustling chemical waste transfer and treatment facility.

The new pond at Clayhanger, this year will be thirty years mature and no longer new is looking stark but beautiful, with the last of the previous night’s snow still hanging on on the shaded bank. I wonder how many times I’ve parked my bike and sat on that bench over the years? At least ten different bikes and it must be hundreds of times. Looking at the rot, I don’t think it’ll stand many more…

January 13th – The cold had really got me. I was damned ill with no energy at all. I slipped out after dark for a short loop of the canal, then came home, shivering and exhausted.

I was pleased with the shots, though, although there weren’t many on this torpid, tortured evening. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

December 22nd – I’d had a day Christmas shopping in Buxton by train, and came home hungry. Feeling the takeaway urge, I headed out for fresh air to stretch my muscles and bag a decent curry.

Where else do you go to recharge late on a quiet, dark Friday night in Brownhills?

I guess the wind blew me this way. The canal was still, the boats peaceful, with just a hint of woodsmoke.

I love how this town can be so unexpectedly beautiful.

August 28th – I’d heard there was going to be a a canal festival/floating market thing at Alvecote Marina in Tamworth, so I took a spin out to check it out – it was a fine event, with what must have been nearly 100 boats, floating traders, food, drink and entertainment. 

It was very crowded and a very hot afternoon, but it was a lovely do.

As ever, the dogs made it. Boater dogs really are characters.

May 10th – I pottered into Brownhills for a mid-afternoon recovery ride to do so errands, and with the warm afternoon sun, everything was beautiful and felt right: the canal at Silver Street is wearing it’s summer jacket of green and blue, the boats and waterfowl were quietly busying themselves and all was right with the world for a change. 

Also busy, but probably busy doing nothing, a black and white resident of the canalside who took up a better vantage point to observe me, observing him.

The canal cats really are wonderful at the moment.

January 8th – A miserable day, to be quite honest. I’d had plans, but I awoke late, and by the time I’d got the day’s jobs finished, the weather had turned drizzly, wet and unpleasant, and my plans for an afternoon riding over to north Warwickshire were lost.

I slipped out as dusk fell on a test ride, instead: I had stuff to do in Walsall Wood and Aldridge, and after a weekend monkeying with a bike with suspension, getting the damping control and lockout sorted, it needed testing, which was a good excuse for some restorative exertion.

On my way back, I passed Aldridge Marina, which looked rather wonderful in the thinniest, most insubstantial of mists. The combination of that, sodium light and woodsmoke made the scene magical.

Not a lost day, by any means, but not one I enjoyed much.

November 3rd – Oh well, I guess it’s time to rediscover night photography again.

I came back to Brownhills, and realised I’d forgotten to make a call in Clayhanger, so looped around. The classic view of Silver Street and the canal is always nice at night, but I’m not sure the TZ-80 is as good in low light as the TZ-70 was, or maybe I have to tweak a few settings. I like night urban shots to be hard and crisp mostly, but I can’t quite get what I’m after with this camera yet.

It’s a shame, really; when I played with the Nikon 9900 it was a great camera for most stuff, but the lack of manual focus made it difficult for night use.

My ideal camera would have Panasonic build quality, a Sony interface and Nikon optics. I guess it’ll never happen, though…

July 31st – A ride on an uninspiring, overcast day actually threw up some wonderful sights, which just goes to show how you can never tell. At Newtown, I spotted the black cat ambitiously stalking mallards from the long grass… And on the rugby pitch at Chasetown, a mature female red deer appeared to be loafing with two generations of her offspring. Unconcerned at my presence, they just carried on snoozing and browsing the grass.

I headed to Barton Marina via Yoxall for disappointing tea and cake, but was pleased to note the Walsall boat and found face; it’s been 7 years since I last tried the place as a cycling stop, and to me, it hasn’t improved – soulless and out of place. 

The rabbit was spotted on the grass on the approach to the marina, and the coo south of nearby Walton.

A mixed bag of a ride, but a decent 45 miles and some great sights. 

July 22nd – A fast, enjoyable 50 mile ride on an afternoon bunked off work saw me calling at Barton and then Rosliston for excellent carrot cake on a hot, sunny day. On the way, I took in a little of the canal near Barton Marina, and spotted the benchmark in the bridge just by Barton Turn. I think that’s the first I’ve ever seen highlighted with paint and it also seems rather high.

It must be genuine, but I sense a story here. Any ideas?

January 30th – Further up the canal on the Aldridge/Walsall Wood border, the canal was also looking good from Northwood Bridge, over the marina there, and in the other direction, up past the brickworks at Stubbers Green. 

The canal here looks so serene and peaceful, that only a vague chemical smell in the air and low background susurration would tell you that nearby there was a toxic waste handling facility, a large landfall, marl pits and two brickworks.

Impressions can be deceptive sometimes.