I was using my phone to take photos of the four or five quad bikes trashing nature in the wetland habitat, southeast of the 'Sewage Works' and the lake marked on the Ordnance Survey map. I had taken a few paces from the cycle-walkway towards all the noise of revving quad bikes trying to drive around through the shallow water and mud.
LOCATION: Grid Ref: SO 90572 90433
Lat, long: 52.51171, -2.14034
Elevation: 96 m
When I was seen, one of the drivers of the quad bikes came over and was insulting by using a string of vile obscenities. He demanded that I delete the photos from my phone. I did not but turned and beat a hasty retreat, walking and running back to the car, about 1 Km away on Smithy Lane.
A few minutes later I heard the quad bikes chasing after me. I had to get scratched by escaping into a hedge alongside the cycle-walkway to avoid being hit as they sped past. The people on the quad bikes shouted 'Paedophile' and 'Paedo' throughout the incident, together with more extreme, foul abuse. One man claimed that children were with them to justify my being a paedophile!
The Black Country Active Travel Route is, possibly, the UK's first and longest, urban-rural-urban cycle-walkway, dating back to the 1980s, perhaps. It runs from Fens Pool Avenue to NW Wolverhampton where it connects with the canal towpath to complete the Black Country Cycle-Walkway loop, via the waterlogged towpath alongside the canal in the Netherton Canal Tunnel.
Someone threw something at me as I was escaping. It hit me on the upper right arm but did no injury or tear on my coat.
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