Climate, trees and the Hunnington footpath

Dear Neil and Jenny

I must apologise for the tone of my email last week.

Since the 1980s, I have been playing my part in countering human-induced climate change with my guerrilla gardening landscape enhancement schemes.  These, with the knowledge of the landowners, are at Frankley Service Area and at Merry Hill Shopping Centre and are my two main ones.  Playing my part, too with cycling to and from work until retirement at 65 years in 2013 and, minimising my use of fossil fuels that, in our burning, is bringing climate breakdown.

The scientists began, more obviously, telling us about disturbed weather patterns and extreme weather events from climate change in the 1980s.  Now, we are hearing and seeing they are right.  That the planet is both burning and flooding.  Burning in the western USA and Canada and, last week hundreds killed from floods in western Europe and now, this week in China.

Only by walking and cycling more, cutting our prodigious consumption of everything and planting trees and shrubs and restoring our peatlands can we counter climate breakdown.  Hence, I work in my retirement in keeping public rights of way open and available for us all.  It is brilliant that you both walk the Hunnington path on your land.

Now, it is over to you.  Please do your civic duty, as I have been doing for decades.  On your own land, I am suggesting you plant your own shrubs and trees, with woodland management to increase biodiversity and improve our prospects during the challenging years of this century.  Growing trees and shrubs absorb carbon dioxide.  And, perhaps, water those six oak whips that are well spread out, in the brambles between the path and the steep bank down to the caravans.  They are likely to die unless you water them once a week until the end of August.  Summer showers are not enough for the water to penetrate to the roots in this first season.

I will continue to keep away but my curiosity will, no doubt, drive me back before the end of the year to see how the footpath is doing.

Very best wishes to you both

Tim

On Tue, 13 Jul 2021 at 18:55, Tim Weller <timweller1@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks for writing, Neil.  I thought you were appreciating my work for you both.  How wrong I was!  Oaks have gone today and the bare-rooted whips will now die.  I'll do no more clearance of paths.  So over to you if you wish to carry on walking them.

Tim

Walking and working in our Golden Green Triangle

Thanks, Stuart for your last email.  All very helpful.  This is copied to Roy Burgess who is mentioned here and who also needs to know what is going on.  He founded the Halesowen Abbey Trust in 1986 and has been active in public service ever since.  Now, more in Leasowes Walled Garden, in Leasowes Park, that is as good as any NT garden.  It is included in the annual competition, 'Halesowen in Bloom'.

To keep you in the picture, I have on Monday submitted a request to WCC via their official online website form, for the rough 'path' from Bromsgrove Road to Illey Brook/Illey Mill to be made a right of way.  Reference no 717548.  More immediately, I would like their staff to cut a path through the long grass of the roadside verge at the Bromsgrove Road end.  My very rough path starts at the brambles where I have cut a narrow path through.  I will continue to keep the brambles, thistles and nettles back at that short section on the verge below (south) where the long grass is.  I have done it for my own use, primarily but I also think that the more walkers can keep off that very busy country lane the better.  It is also an extension to our wonderful network of public paths that 'end' at Illey Mill.  Roy also has his many walk leaflets that also use Illey Lane for access from Halesowen.  Walkers may discover, in due course, that there is an alternative to walking on tarmac and risking an accident.

Last Saturday, I had a wonderful walk from home to the new Longbridge High Street on mostly public paths.  The only exception was when I tried the railway line and found, from Dowery Dell, south to the M5 and beyond, that it was still possible, mud free and gave some great views to either side.  It actually became the Princess Diana Way SE of the M5 in Frankley but you must know that!  Many, including children, have illegally walked the railway line ever since it was first opened, I understand.  In the 20th century, trespassers were risking a 40 shillings fine.  I walked parts of it in the 1970s, even before I moved to Halesowen in 1976.  Some were shouted at by train drivers, Roy told me.  Now, the fine for trespassing on the railways is £1,000!

While I was in Dowery Dell below the dismantled viaduct, I cleared two or three branches that completely blocked the public right of way above the wooden steps on the Frankley, south side, of the brook.  It was Roy and friends who built the steps, he told me, very many years ago.  Was it in the 1980s, Roy?  It was done with the knowledge and help of WCC.  My Saturday walk took four hours but I came back by three buses after an evening meal in the High Street 'Beefeater'.

Stuart, if I get the permission of Bernard Williams, would you want to use your strimmer to cut my grass slashed path even shorter, please?  I know, it is not strictly necessary, so don't worry.  The right of way is much more important.  I'll use my slasher, again in a week or twos time.  My contact with Bernard is via Mark at the cricket ground on 07799 332544.  Mark was OK about my slashing a path through the open woodland and speaks with Bernard Williams.  You are always welcome to ring Mark yourself, of course, for confirmation.

There is one badly leaning concrete post on the cul de sac path that I want to dig out and reposition vertically.  I am using my mountain bike to get to the path from home.  The concrete posts are so important in showing the old cart track and how very wide it was, originally.  All part of our very important heritage in caring for the past to benefit the future.  If the posts get removed, any future landowner/farmer may well encroach onto the ancient farm track to get a bigger field.  My preference is one half of the cart track for walkers and the other half of impenetrable brambles to ensure Jenny's caravans are less obvious.  We must keep Jenny pleased with what we are doing and walking the path herself!  I want Mark and Bernard to take a look, too sometime.  Mark said he would.

All the best