Today, according to what I laughingly refer to as my training plan, I had to walk twenty kilometres. My drinking buddies have been trying to get me to the Church End Brewery tap the last couple of weeks. That would be about twenty k but after a few days of rather wet rain, the thought of traipsing through soggy undergrowth help no attraction for me. I will do it when the weather improves – honest.
Instead, after playing with Plotaroute, I came up with a route from Longbridge (to the South of Birmingham) into the centre of Brum.
To get to my starting point, I caught a bus (96) from the bottom of my road out to Erdington Station from where I caught the cross city train, via New Street, out to Longbridge.
By the way, Longbridge is the furthest along this line that I can travel to for free on my pass.
Alighting from the train, I made my way to the River Rea Trail. The river itself runs from Wasely Hills, meanders its way through Birmingham before flowing into the Tame under Spaghetti Junction. In total it is twenty three kilometres long.
Back in May of last year, from the same station, I walked away from Birmingham along the trail, finding a few caches along the way. Today, I was going in the opposite direction, again with a few caches to discover.
The first section, in fact the first six and a half kilometres, followed National Cycle Route 5, following the river as much as possible.
I soon came to a road with a ford (or in this case, a Peugeot – pause for laughter). The last time I was this way, it was a freezing cold day and all the water brought out of the ford by the cars and vans had frozen into a solid sheet across Mill Lane. That was great fun staying upright.
Today, it was just wet so I pressed on through a bit of a wood before I was walking through more open areas as far as Kings Norton Nature Reserve where my caches were awaiting me.
With the caches (technically Adventure Labs) found, I continued through Kings Norton Park, still following Route 5, until I reached the Worcester and Birmingham Canal at it’s junction with the Stratford-Upon-Avon Canal.
After another couple of kilometres, the cycle route diverted off from the canal. Route 5 continues along the river , passing through Canon Hill Park before disappearing under ground to get under / through the city centre.
Next port of call was Bournville (home of Cadburys) and the railway station next to the cut.
There is a sculpture / sign at the station depicting the two modes of transport.
Continuing along the canal, I passed through Selly Oak and Birmingham University.
The canal was straight and flat along this stretch so I managed a few kilometres at a good old lick (sub 10min/km) – well it was for me at this stage.
After passing the last of the train stations (Five Ways) I was at Gas Street Basin, the heart of the Birmingham Canal System.
From the basin, I walked under the now famous Black Sabbath Bridge and past a row of canal side eateries one of which was offering Bottomless Lunch (all you can eat, all you can drink) for thirty five quid. I doubt if I could get my money’s worth there.
I joined the Birmingham and Fazeley canal and descended the Farmers Locks flight, passing under the BT tower, which used to be but is now longer, the tallest structure in Birmingham (Current title is jointly held by The Octagon and One Eastside. Strangely, both title holders were completed in the same year – I’d have though one would have tried to beat the other – a shed on the roof could easily have added another couple of metres).
After the locks, the Birmingham and Fazeley turned left whereas the Digbeth Branch branched off to the right.
I had a bit of cache maintenance to perform on one of my caches along this stretch. I couldn’t do a proper job so will have to return.
A stroll back into the city centre brought my total to nineteen kilometres (just a k short of my target).
Greggs was very inviting so I nipped in for a bottle of pop and a veggie slice only to be told that it was cash only. Having no ready cash I had to walk out and content myself with snacks from the next door Co-op before catching the bus home.