Tag: staffordshire

##365daysofbiking Cold return

January 1st – The ride was continued through beautiful soft half light up to Brocton Field, down into Sherbrook Valley, then over the hill and down Pepper Slide to Abrahams Valley, returning down the A51 to Rugeley then home over Longdon, Stoneywell and Hammerwich.

The Chase was as beautifully cinematic as ever, and filled with hardy souls in new anoraks enjoying the outdoors, many with stoical expressions.

A good sunset, then the beauty of Rugeley from the main road was a real restorative. It was so cold, but I didn’t care: It was just great to be in my beloved Staffordshire outdoors again.

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October 7th – I was also hacked off I was without a functioning camera when I witnessed this – something I’ve never seen before. Female deer, arguing.

At Chasewater, my light scared a group of red deer off the dam path down on to the dam itself. They were all females of varying ages, and there was some jockeying for position as they hurried away. 

In these three photos you can see the two deer of the left square off, one refuse to defer to the other, then they both buck and kick each other.

It was over in an instant, but the sound of their feet clattering against each other is something I’ll not forget.

Neither is the spectacle of two female red deer, bickering.

August 3rd – Spinning up the canal towards Chasewater, I noticed these signs have very recently been put up around the Wharf Lane Bridge area next to the canal, south of Anglesey Wharf, and also around the sandy area adjacent where local kids have made their own BMX track, which they confusingly call ‘The Sandhills’ – which isn’t to be confused with the area of the same name near Shire Oak.

The land was seemingly orphaned by the M6 Toll being built, and local youths have claimed it for their own. 

I really am puzzled as to why all of a sudden Lichfield Council is asserting ownership.

July 29th – Following all the brouhaha over the leak at Little Bloxwich and the dispute between the owners of Chasewater, Staffordshire County Council and the people who rely on it for water, the Canal and River Trust, it’s interesting to see the valves are open at Chasewater, resulting in waternflowing into a full canal and draining away via it’s overflows.

I guess they have their reasons, but it seems odd to be wasting the water at the moment, with conditions having been so dry. Perhaps they’re trying to keep up flow into the Ford Brook. The level of Chasewater itself is, of course, steadily falling now.

Nice to watch and listen to the water though – very relaxing on a dull, cool wet afternoon.

July 21st – After rising the Barton Gate steam rally, I pottered over to Dunstall and road the track from Barton Gate up to the village. A lovely run, it gives the very best views of a really pretty, little known village on the hill above Barton under Needwood.

A lovely, mellow Saturday evening was really enjoyable – not pushing it, just ambling and stopping to smell the flowers. 

A great restorative for mind and spirit.

June 30th – At Hints Ford, the water was cool and the air shady and still, and I spent a good 30 minutes just enjoying the relaxed, verdant scene and listening to water.

Sometimes, after a long ride, that’s all you really need.

I’ve been coming here since I was 12. It’s not really changed much, thankfully. This place is in my heart.

June 9th – Saturday meant the Clifton Campville Country Show which I first visited by accident the year before. I was a little late but there was still lots going on and it it was a typically English summer event, with an Classic cars and trucks, arena events, hot bewildered and bothered dogs, cakes, beer and a selection of bizarre things going on, including the local hunt that gave the security team – the local police cadets – a bit of a nightmare.

I didn’t find this one as good as 2017s – no jam or country produce at a country fair? But it was a lovely stop off on a sunny afternoon.

I love a good fete.

June 2nd – Coming back from Longdon, this was a good chance to see what Dark Lane was like this days. Dark Lane runs from Borough Lane to Thorley’s Hill near Goosemoor Green, and was a lane that always suffered from storm silting, being a remarkably deep holloway.

The bottom end of Dark Lane serves a farm, but further up the hill, it’s closed, and for several hundred metres it’s now been reclaimed by nature and coated in thick mud and vegetation.

It was a lovely place to explore, and brought back memories of when it was open. But if you go and look, be prepared for the mud. It’s deep.

May 19th – At Pipe Ridware, the former St James church, closed in 1983 became the charming and well-loved Ridware Theatre for a further 20 years before finally shutting around 2015. This tiny performance space barely held 60 but put on some great shows.

Sad to see it closed and decaying. I hope a new use can be found for it.

May 13th – I was still feeling groggy but it was a lovely day and the outdoors beckoned, so I headed tentatively for a ride, not expecting to get far.

It was a lovely 52 mile ride, actually, fluid and enjoyable, but sadly dogged with mechanical issues. Time to break out the spanners and do a little maintenance I think.

I headed out to Hints through the backlanes of Stonnall and Shenstone, then on to Hopwas, Wigginton, No Mans Heath, Netherseal, Overseal, Coton in the Elms, Catton and back home through Huddlesford and Lichfield.

I haven’t visited the church at Wigginton for a very long time – it’s a remarkable place: Foursquare, built of very red, red brick. The main church dates from 1777 but the Spital Chapel dates from 1272. This is a very historic place.

The flowers are out, hedgerows are verdant and the landscape a patchwork of gold, white and green.

Hard to think that just a few weeks ago the Tame in the same spot was filling the flood channel.

David Oakley will be pleased to see Chilcote Pumping Station remains pretty much unchanged as viewed from Honey Hill. I adore that view.

A great ride that was much better than expected.