August 6th – an afternoon visit to a good friend in Walsall turned into an early hours night ride home. It seems ages since I last did this. Flowing liquid through the streets at 1am was a delight and very, very exhilerating. Walsall Wood was eerily quiet, with only the waiting taxis showing any sign of life. I love this time of day. Must do it more often.
August 5th – Ragwort, the bright yellow heathland plant that’s turning every bit of wasteland and field yellow at the moment seems to be having a ver good year. Hear at Engine Lane, the fields are full of the stuff. This must be of some concern to the people who keep horses here, as it’s dangerous to equines. The colour of the bloom, however, is a joy to behold. It’s always a good year for something.
August 5th – The Swan still remains closed, in apparent contradiction to the desire of prospective purchasers to reopen this lost community local. One of several closed pubs in Brownhills, it lies dormant, a symptom of a trade and tradition sadly in decline.
Find out about the unfortunate fate of another lost local on my main blog.
August 4th – Nuneaton Station is a lovely interchange. I really don’t mind being there at all – good lifts, decent coffee shop, clean and tidy. Certainly one of my preferred stations, and when visiting Leicester, I change trains here. Have to say though, that’s one of the most horrific public murals I’ve ever seen. It’s vicious. Careful now, it’ll have your eye out…
August 3rd – Walsall Council seem surprised that the new Tesco hypermarket on Wisemore isn’t leading a regeneration of the town, and instead, seems to be sucking the life out of it. It’s obvious really. As this view from in front of the bus station shows, Tesco couldn’t give a toss about the town. The entire store has been built to face the new ring road, helpfully constructed by the council to deliver shoppers to the retail behemoth and take them away again without ever having to interact with the rest of the town. They haven’t even been bothered enough to put a sign on the rear of the building. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a development where contempt for the host community has ever been so wilfully incorporated in the design.
Presumably, the planning committee looked at the design and thought ‘Yeah, that looks OK.’. Bewildering.
August 3rd – The twin churches of Wednesbury are a landmark for miles around. This view is iconic to me, and one I always remember when thinking of the Black Country. It’s a surprisingly hilly area, are there are many such spots throughout the conurbation, but none with such an old-world, English feel to them. I keep saying it, but man, I love this place.
August 2nd – Today, on the way home, I was stricken by the P*nct*r* fairy. I get relatively few (touches wood carefully) such incidents – maybe 3 in every 3,000 miles or so – because I use a very tough brand of tyre by Schwalbe – Marathon Plus. On the workhorse bike, it’s 26×1.75 Marathon Plus Tour, and on the others, it 700×28 Marathon Plus. They contain kevlar bands to prevent thorns and spikes cutting through the tire and other defensive measures. They’re quite heavy, and probably don’t roll as well as the strips of liquorice the racing boys use, but if you’re below Cavendish level, you’ll never notice the difference.
Correct inflation will prevent punctures, no matter what the brand of tyre. Always check your pressures.
This bike has hub gears and taking the back wheel out is a pain in the arse, and I swore heartily at it in the centre of town. Cursing my bad luck, I found not a puncture, but the heat had lifted an old patch, deflating the tyre. That’ll teach me to be a tightarse.
August 2nd – Stopped for the lights at Rushall Square, I remembered the odd little building on the opposite corner, at the junction of Daw End Lane. I don’t really know anything about it, but the architecture is lovely. Those are chimneys with serious aesthetic intent.
Just then, the lights changed and broke my dream…
August 1st – The canal looks odd at the moment. This phenomena occurs two or three times a year, and people often comment mistakenly believing this film to be pollution of some sort. In this case, it’s fibrous matter shed from nearby plants, but can be anything from airborne pollen to seeds. In areas of high boat traffic, it often gives the water a swirly, stripy appearance.
August 1st – A ride out to Burntwood took me along the Anglesey Branch. I’ve been meaning to mention for a while now that if you’re out cycling, watch out in the dry weather for patches of very dry sand. Deposited by heavy rain, when it dries it’s like hitting black ice and will easily have you off the bike. This patch near Wharf Lane, Brownhills isn’t too bad, but some of the patches that gather in road margins and at junctions – particularly when mixed with gravel and other road debris – can be evil. The motorcyclist term for these hazards is ‘marbles’, because that’s exactly how it feels when you ride into one. Take care.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 