Images

March 19th – The thaw was thankfully quick, and the day felt positively warm and sunny as aI zipped about the Black Country on errands.

I was only when I got back to work and the bike started to dry out did I realise the toll the snow had taken.

That bottom bracket won’t be long for the world now with all that grit. My bikes will need some real TLC when the better days arrive.

March 14th – Returning home after a long day as dusk fell, I’d hit the canal at Walsall Wood, but the towpath was very muddy so I decided to hop back on the High Street at Anchor Bridge and continue by road.

Stopping near Chandlers Keep, I noticed the swan couple feeding, and they seem in separable at the moment. I’m hoping they might get the urge to nest build soon. I think they’re youngsters, so if the do nest, it could well be a dry run, but I’m always keen to see swans nesting locally.

We never saw swans on the canal when I was a kid. They’re still a treat.

March 6th – Passing through Walsall as dusk fell, I passed by Town Wharf. Whilst the paving and general infrastructure is looking a little tired here these days it’s looking a lot more active in recent months. Now the Wharfinger’s Cottage is occupied, and there’s more on the waterfront, it’s becoming quite a nice place to be.

There are still derelict buildings here though: to the left the old factories still cast a long physical and economic shadow.

March 5th – With warm weather and the snow disappearing, I couldn’t resist a visit to Kings Hill Park to gain some inspiration from the daffodils there, which I have to say were looking splendid.

Hopefully, that will now be the last of the cold weather and we can fully welcome a verdant, colourful spring.

However, one must never forget that the heaviest snows for years came in 2013 at the very end of March…

March 5th – Heading to work on a bright, sunny and very warm morning, with the snow melting heavily, I was enjoying the warmth and thaw, with the icy remnants of the weekend now confined to the verges.

Looking over to Jockey Meadows, I noticed a herd of red deer grazing the goat field. Sadly, I couldn’t get closer due to the wet ground, but what a lovely way to perk up a Monday Morning ride to work!

March 1st – I took the chance to check out the Ogley Bridge renovation work, as I feel sure it must be close to reopening soon. As I suspected, if you approach the works from the Chasewater side it’s possible not only to enter the work canopy, but leave from the far end, with less hauling of the bike – just a bit of a throw and clamber around some sectional fence. 

The scaffold cross-members that originally blocked the bridge deck have gone.

I note that the painting now seems to be over and that the deck has been surfaced with a nicely grippy texture, so as I suspected, reopening cannot be far off now, which will reopen the route for less adventurous cyclists and walkers.

This renovation has been much more thorough than I anticipated.

February 24th – An abortive ride out to Lichfield from which I planned to arc back around to Chasewater and catch the sunset, which looked like it would be a cracker. I got as far as Ogley Junction Footbridge and discovered the camera battery was flat. 

I was very annoyed, but investigated the bridge restoration, and was pleased to note that they’ve replaced the bolt whose absence was irritating me. And the replacement looks authentic, too.

Nice work. Terrible phone photo.

February 23rd – If the mist of the previous evening had been beautiful, it was nothing compared to the beauty of the following morning.

I passed through Mill Green on the way to the station heading for an appointment in Telford, and this bitterly cold but sunlit and beautiful morning was quite the tonic I needed.

The ice was challenging in places, but used to the cold after a chilly season I rode carefully, really enjoying the scenery.

Yes, this is definitely why a ride a bike to work…

February 21st – Looking down Victoria Road from Darlaston Town Centre you’d never really think you were in the industrial Black Country. Although one can hear distant industry and traffic, this sleepy, architecturally fascinating byway remains a little place of calm and historic beauty. Just on the right, past the pub, the Town Hall, opposite the four square Post Office and Rectory Avenue. Beyond those, Victoria Park.

Even on busy days, this is a sedate place to wander into the town.

Just another reason to love Darlaston…