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.
June 18th – Another fine, high summer day and this time I headed out to North Warwickshire, going from Stonnall to Bassets Pole, on to Middleton, body moor Heath, Hurley, Baxterley, Grendon and up the canal back to Tamworth with a speedy run down the old A5 home.
It was a lovely ride on a gorgeous day and the scenery showed itself well. Merevale Hall still sits imperiously over the plains beyond the Watling Street, and over the former mining communities on the ridge, which apart from the memorials and odd preserved building, you’d never guess had ever existed at all.
It was also a day of languid animals, from the ambling rabbits who unusually didn’t have a rush in them, to lounging cats hunting shadow, rather than sun.
Bernie the boater Birman was going for a walk with his dad at Polesworth, on a lead as he normally lives at home. He was perfectly content and a lovely cat.
A word of caution, though: if you’re planning to ride the Coventry Canal between Grendon and Polesworth, choose something agricultural to ride. The towpath is non-existent and was seriously challenging to ride.
May 28th – I got to the floating market at Fazeley about 3:30pm, when the sun was out and conditions were good. It was a much smaller event than the year before, but still quite lovely, but I was struck by the lack of visitors. I have no idea why folk weren’t here; maybe the local advertising was poor. Perhaps earlier showers had put them off. Perhaps previous years had been disappointing.
Whatever the cause, it was sad as it was a nice event that I think potentially could have been larger and better attended. As usual, the boater dogs were the stars of the show and were charming and funny.
The boaters too were welcoming and friendly and I’d love to see this event prosper, but serious work is going to have to be done somewhere to make it happen.
May 1st – A couple of unusual cats noticed while visiting Middleton Hall and returning via the canal and Tamworth. The black and white puss nervously observed me from the scrub as I crossed the old quarry. Miles from anywhere, I couldn’t help wondering if he was feral. Certainly not into people, but it looked in good condition, maybe the side effect of living in a bird sanctuary…
The other cat looked genuinely like it might steal my soul. Clearly a pedigree with huge ears and a remarkable coat, it was eating scraps left out for it on a canalside patio. It seemed more fox than cat, to be honest.
I guess it’s momma loves it, but I found it quite haunting.
April 9th – The canal through Tamworth is very underrated. Living in the shadow of the River Tame that bisects the old town, there’s a major junction here and some remarkable architecture.
It’s a shame that nobody’s found a long-term use for the old mill yet. It’s a remarkable building.
March 26th – Amongst the animal life spotted in Tamworth, two canal cats watching me from the opposite bank. The black one was a sleek, young-seeming and alert garden-panther. The black and white clearly older, more – ahem – generously proportioned – and shall we say a little cuddly.
Both shared the same utter contempt for me.
I adore cats, but often it’s so very much unrequited.
March 26th – Another long ride, this time out to Middleton Hall, then onto the canal, up to Tamworth, then out to Alvecote, Shuttington, Seckington, Clifton and back via Hademore and Whittington. A colder, less sunny day, it was still lovely to be out.
Sometimes, the animals you see make a ride, and so it was here. The Alpacas at Canwell were a delight, as was the feeding station at Middleton. The woodpecker at Tamworth was a lovely spot, too. All around, nature was busy and animals were enjoying the air.
One thing puzzled me though. At the bridge in Footherley, someone had spread seed on the bridge wall, clearly to feed this beautiful pheasant, which doesn’t seem like a normal bird to me: it shimmered and was almost bronze on the back, and his blues were the loveliest colour.
I wonder if he’s a domestic escapee someone’s trying to recapture?
January 2nd – Well, this is it – the fifth anniversary of my continual cycling. Every day for the past five years – that’s 1827 consecutive days (2 leap years, don’t forget) – I’ve got on my bike and rode it. Maybe to work, maybe to the shops, or on a long ride. Often, when commuting, I ride more than once.
Of course, this isn’t the anniversary of the journal – I actually started in April 2011 as my contribution to 30daysofbiking, egged on by the lovely Rene Van Barr; but a dodgy pie laid me low with campylobacter at new year 2012 and I missed two days. So I started the clock again.
I believe I’ve shown it’s possible to ride a bike in all conditions, to all manner of places, and still find interesting stuff both local and distant.
I’ve got to the point where doing this is part of my daily routine, and I enjoy it – so I intend to continue. If you think it’s stale, old, or uninteresting, please tell me so, and I’ll consider your views.
I do enjoy sharing the ride, and love that people seem interested. I love being able to show you the things I find – like tonight, we passed through Fazeley Junction in the dark, and the Weighmaster’s house, old mill and beautiful moon – photographed by balancing the camera at full zoom on the bridge coping stones and leaving it on timer – made for wonderful, seasonal photos.
Thanks for having this odd little journal in your life. For everything I do online, this is probably the most heartfelt.
October 23rd – The pigs of Packington Moor are always entertaining. Their fields move around the area, from Little Hay to Hopwas as due to their impact on the ground they need to be relocated regularly. Free range, they dwell in pig arcs and huts in good sized pens, and seem happy – their bacon is certainly amongst the best locally.
I was amused to note the pigs – right now up on the Moor and near Hopwas Hays Wood – tolerating crows perching on their backs, pecking mites and bugs that would otherwise irritate them. I watched that for ages.
Nice to see well kept, apparently happy, content livestock in the fields.
October 2nd -It was a gorgeous autumn day – chilly, but still and the the sun shone, it was warm on the face. I finally solved a pressing technical issue on the bike, then headed out to Middletn Hall for tea and cake, then up the canal to Tamworth and back through Hints and Weeford.
It was the kind of ride that makes you realise autumn isn’t that bad after all, and in the golden hour travelling through Shenstone, with the church occupied and a service ongoing, even the looming dusk seemed magical.
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