Rugeley – Page 5 – BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking

Boxing Day – couldn’t resist a bit of ride footage. This one runs from the top of Wolseley Plain, down Abraham’s Valley, along the A51, hopping on the canal through Rugeley, then a little of Bardy Lane, near Upper Longdon. I touched 42mph, but note I slowed right down for the horse and dog walkers. People, if you have dogs off the lead and a cyclist is coming, don’t call them. The dogs are normally too interested in the smells of the open than the cyclist and won’t cause a problem. The lady calling the retrievers here actually causes them to run in front of me…

Boxing day – one of the things I like about canal cycling is that many canal side dwellers have a bizarre sense of humour, and construct often elaborate joke displays. This seems a particular tradition along the Trent and Mersey canal, where one can often see odd displays at the water margins of gardens on the opposite bank. I loved this fishing Santa at Rugeley. That must have taken some time to create… my congratulations to the householder.

October 23rd -This is a remarkably dry season, yet not many people – least of all the media – seem to be mentioning the fact, which is causing me some concern. Blithfield Reservoir, north of Rugeley, is only 50% full, and ponds, lakes and streams are drying to a trickle. As a cyclist is pains me, but we really do need a good spell of rain, otherwise we’re in for serious trouble.

October 22nd – Someone asked recently where there were sweet chestnuts growing wild. I found these nuts – not massive, but a decent size – falling from trees alongside the A51 on Gorsy Bank, near Breretonhill, just between Rugeley and Upper Longdon. There’s a fair few around Milford and Tixall, too.

October 22nd – I’ve noticed this tower and chapel lots of times as I’ve sped downhill through Rugeley, but only ever stopped to investigate today. I was always vaguely intrigued by the fact that it sat opposite the parish church, on the other side of the road, yet appeared to be the remnants of a church itself. The structure is sat in Rugeley Cemetery, which I’d not noticed before, and I assume it’s a chapel of rest. The tower itself has gothic touches and gargoyles redolent of that other Victorian Gothic tour de force, Shenstone Church. I must look into the history further…

September 18th – One of the more curious love affairs of my life has been with Rugeley Power Station. This 1950’s temple to the power of electricity and the new technological age looked to have an uncertain future when Lea Hall pit closed, but now fed by Daw Mill Colliery in Leicester, it has been fully upgraded and now is amongst the cleanest coal-fired station in the country. I find this industrial behemoth endlessly fascinating, awe inspiring and hugely ugly. A symbol of the modern age, I never tire of taking in this view.

May 30th – Just as I came down Church Street in Rugeley, the sun came out. After weeks of blustery wind and thin sun, all of a sudden it felt like summer again. The breeze was warm, and scented with pollen. Some great chimneys here, it’s a lovely street with some fascinating architecture.