Tag: Rugeley

December 30th – I’d been going stir crazy, and the weather was more or less OK when I set out. I went round Chasewater, then up through Hednesford and up onto the Chase. Birches Valley was packed with people, dogs and bikers, despite the drizzle and wind, and so I doubled back up Penkridge Bank to Rifle Range Corner and on to Abrahams Valley for peace, quiet and a chance to do some badger watching in the dusk. Heading back on the A51, I surveyed the floodplains of the Trent. The wind blew me to Rugeley, and over to Breretonhill; but fought me all the way home to Brownhills. A great ride, but the weather was hell.

Hopefully, conditions will steadily improve now.

December 25th – On the way to Castle Ring, weak sunshine mingled with sharp showers. As I was stood looking down at the power station, the air cleared and the view improved. On the embankment near the wood on Holly Hill Lane, a tine waterfall has developed., confirming my feeling that the whole forest seems absolutely saturated. As I left, I noted the view towards the Black Country from opposite the Park Gate Inn; I never realise you could see Dudley Castle from here…

November 11th – Returning via a rather dark and cold Rugeley bypass, at least I had the wind behind me. I stopped at the Bridge in Rugeley and checked out the view before me. I love Rugeley Power Station by night. This is one of the most advanced coal burning generation facilities in Europe, and the fume scrubbing plant, covered in lights, is futuristic and fascinating at night. Built as one of the postwar River Trent behemoths, most of it’s companion facilities have long since gone, like Drakelow and Willington. A stunning, and dare I say it, beautiful thing.

July 21st – Summer is rolling on, and the Himalayan Balsam had started to appear. This prolific, invasive species loves damp, marshy conditions like riverbanks, streams and wetland, and crowds out anything it grows near. Reaching 2 to 3 metres in height, it bears a pretty, white and pink flower, and has a familiar metallic scent that’s quite unpleasant. It’s lovely to look at but an environmental menace, quite unlike the roses I witnessed further down the canal in central Rugeley, growing on canalside waste ground. Aren’t they gorgeous?

July 21st – A spin out to the Chase, then down on to the Canal through Rugeley and the Trent Valley. The journey out was hurried and rushed, but my descent was more relaxed and enjoyable. At Etchinghill, in Rugeley, I stopped to take a look at this field of rapeseed ripening in the warm sun. Although the pods and seeds have formed, they haven’t ripened yet. When ready, the plants are dead and yellow, and the seeds black. They are, however, already heavy in unsaturated oil. Used for a multitude of culinary purposes, rapeseed has a name-related image problem. Look for canola, or as Walkers Crisps term it, ‘Sunseed oil’. This plant is a brassica, and as such, the seed pods make it unusual.

May 24th – I was sad to note today that the Rugeley canal swan brood I pictured on Sunday is down to six cygnets from seven. Probably picked off by a brave fox, mink, stoat or weasel, perhaps even a bird of prey, one must remember that this is why they have large clutches of eggs. Sad as it is, nature red in tooth and claw. A sobering thing indeed.

May 20th – I escaped late afternoon, and headed over Chasewater to Cannock Chase. It was a pleasant, warm afternoon and evening, and the Chase and countryside around it was pretty deserted. Whilst the swans I was watching don’t appear to have had success (although both birds are still hanging around the nest, which seems odd) couples elsewhere seem to be doing well. I noticed a pair nesting on one of the ‘orphan’ pools in Chasewater’s northern lakebed. Secluded by reeds and young willows, they have a very well protected nest, and had the sun not been shining on them, I’d never have noticed. Meanwhile, on the canal at Rugeley, this pair of proud (and surprisingly tolerant) parents allowed me to photograph their seven healthy cygnets.

May 13th – After visiting the MG car show at Chasewater, I headed up the old Ironstone Road over Cuckoo Bank and over to the chase. On the way, I checked out the Hednesford Hills, which I hadn’t been up for a very long time. It was as lovely and deserted as I remembered it. Up on Cannock Chase, I did Birches Valley, but the presence of hoards of mountain bikers was more of a hinderance than company, although the beautiful scenery was as lovely as ever. Returning on the canal through Rugeley, I spotted my first mallard ducklings of the year. Bobbing adrift in the wake of a narrowboat, the flapping balls of fluff found their mum and regrouped.

It was a nice afternoon’s ride, but the wind became increasingly difficult and made for a challenging, draining ride home.

January 28th – It was a beautiful afternoon with a fantastic golden hour. Pottering around Brownhills, then into Lichfield, it was the longest leisure ride I’d had since visiting the Chase three weeks ago. It seemed very cold, but I guess this is just normal January, I’ve been softened by the unseasonably warm spell. Recovering well, I felt great, and I felt like I had some power in my legs. Cruising down Pipe Hill into Lichfield, I noticed that the only significant cloud in the sky was the plume of steam coming from Rugeley power station. Wonder if many folk noticed it and realised what it was?