After a brief excursion into swimming which has not proved too fruitful, I have recently managed to drag myself out for a few walks.
Primarily, I have tried to take the dogs out every day. Getting used to going out daily, they are a lot calmer generally and specifically don’t go berserk when I go anywhere near their leads.
I have managed a few longer solo walks but last Sunday, with Sue at work, I embarked on a twenty four miler around Birmingham.
I chose to, roughly, follow the Walkathon route around the Outer Circle bus route.
I parked up near Rookery Park in Erdington and proceeded in a clockwise direction towards Yardley, some four and a half miles distant.
From Yardley, I made my way through Acocks Green passing one of National Express’s bus depots which proclaims itself as the home of the Outer Circle – Europe’s longest bus route.
Technically, there is a longer route running from London to Istanbul but this is hardly a ‘normal’ scheduled route.
The route follows the Outer Ring Road (A4040) except for a slight deviation around Bearwood.
From Acocks Green I continued, across the Stratford Road and down to Sarehole Mill with it’s Tolkien connections.
Just past the mill, there is a small group of shops including the Hungry Hob cafe.
I’m sure that this used to be called the Hungry HOBBIT. perhaps the owners ran foul of some copyright from the nearby mill ?
Just around the corner to the Hungry Hob are a few post-war prefabs.
Built in the forties, these ‘temporary’ homes were built to last for around ten years but this row of seventeen are still, just about, standing after seventy and are now Grade II listed.
My journey continued up to Moseley and then through Kings Heath Park which marks the ten mile point.
Next area to pass through was Stirchley passing Regent Street and Oxford Road (someone likes Monopoly, perhaps?) before coming to Cadbury and Bournville. Odd that they named a town after a chocolate bar but the inhabitants of Snickers probably feel the same!
Linden Road was followed into Selly Oak past the site of the old Selly Oak Hospital which was superceeded by the Queen Elizabeth (QE) hospital which I was to pass shortly.
What struck me about Selly Oak, which used to sit on the very busy Bristol Road before the bypass opened, was the amount of Blue Tarmac denoting cycle tracks. very Eco !
The route dropped down Harbourne Lane passing Selly Oak Park on the left before climbing up Metchley Lane towards Harborne with the aforementioned QE hospital on my right.
I was no longer following the Outer Circle as I skirted around Harborne and down to join the Harborne walkway.
The walkway follows an old railway which closed in the sixties for a mile and a half before emerging in Summerfield Park, Winson Green.
My early childhood was spent in this area and Summerfield Park was my local green space, although I was more interested in the playground than any grass.
Exiting the park, I crossed the Dudley Road and passed my old school which I attended until I was around nine.
I continued along Winson Green Road and on past HMP Birmingham .
Opposite the prison was a boarded up shop which looked like a restaurant, cleverly named ‘ The Great Escape’.
Just after the jail, I called into a little shop for some provisions before continuing to Handsworth.
As I crossed the Soho Road (the main road through Handsworth) I noticed that the road going into the city was closed which was a good job as there were fairground rides parked on it. I though it may have been something to do with Handsworth Carnival but apparently this is earlier in the year.
From the bustle of Handsworth, I moved on to the relative tranquillity of Handsworth Park spotting this colourful mural commemorating some of the many musical acts from Birmingham.
With less than five miles left to go, I passed through Perry Barr before going through Witton.
Aston Villa were playing Luton this day so I had to walk through a claret and blue swarm before I could get to Stockland Green and then Erdington.
I was almost done as I made the final climb back up to where I had parked the car some six hours earlier.
It was ‘only’ twenty four miles but it was the furthest I’d walked for quite a while and I knew that I’d done it.
I made my way home, cleaned up then grabbed an hour’s kip before being dragged off the The Griffin for a couple of jars once Sue got home.