Our equivalent of the Russian Iron Curtain is a sight to behold and definitely unique. And, what's more, we now have ONE hotel in heavenly Halesowen, a Travelodge and, another unique edifice - the bare, ugly, hellish 30 metre major roundabout that our home has such a fine view of. Well, from Becky's old bedroom window, anyway.
On Sunday 26 August, 2 pm (move off at 2.10) Meet in Farthings Lane DY2 0XU on the southern side of Dudley Southern (not even a pavement, let alone a cycle-walkway)
Bypass. Motor or, better cycle there. Plenty of parking if you bring the bike by car. Or, meet on the soon to be expanded canal embankment, on the towpath opposite Primark and M&S at Merry Hill for 2.30 pm.
We cycle down a short wooded footpath to Parkhead Locks, its canal basins and the solid, brick built, Victorian Parkhead Viaduct. Take in the magnitude of the blunder in putting slow, 6 to 10 an hour, local "bus on rails" trams instead of commuter and regional trains to complete the 120 Kms Black Country Railway. We could have fast electric trains on a railway "of national strategic significance" that worked so successfully for 100 years until the 1960s.
Next, pedal power down the newly hard surfaced, puddle free, canal towpath. Look out for herons, swans, geese, coots and moorhens. Past the colourful, narrow boats in one of the biggest inland marinas in the UK, to view the stunning sight of 30 m high corroded, metal sheet piling that nature is colonising, with a little help from yours truly.
Be awed by the thought that the embankment will be doubled in size and width to take the trundling trams. Be shocked that my obliterated trees, shrubs, virginia creepers, cotoneaster and, brambles from above, will be no more.
3 Kms to this point.
From here, we cycle to Dudley Road, Brierley Hill to look down on the freight only Black Country Railway at Round Oak. Remember? A railway "of national strategic significance" but wasted over 56 Kms in the middle of the 120 Kms between Worcester and Derby. Shuttle trams planned for a mainline railway. £350m to £400 m to destroy a valuable, principal, mainline railway. Last time, in 1999, it was only a principal railway station in Wolverhampton and 20 Kms of mainline railway! This time, 56 Kms!
We cycle a further 1.8 Kms on to the Dudley start of the 22 Kms Black Country Cycle-Walkway, at Fens Pool Avenue DY5 1QA. We soon cycle through the Buckpool and Fens Pools Local Nature Reserve on this cycle-walkway to Barrow Hill Nature Reserve. We keep to this route for as long as we wish, towards Himley before we return back to Farthings Lane by the route we came and then road. Or, we keep to the entire, more attractive traffic free route we used for the outward journey. In a wet winter, this last unfinished but official traffic free 22 Kms route is a mudway for much of its length. At the time of writing, it is dry. In three weeks time there may be puddles in places. Or, mud if there has been a lot of rain in the days leading up to 26 August. What a hope!
Please bring your own A-Z/map or electronic equivalent if you wish to make your own way home at any stage.
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