With A Coventry Way only six weeks away, the training has had to step up a bit. My training usually consists of a couple of hard weeks followed by an easier week to recover.
This week was the first of the harder weeks with long walks of twenty and fourteen miles due at the weekend.
The Saturday walk would be from Wolverhampton, along the canals to Walsall then on towards West Bromwich.
At 04:30 on Saturday morning, I was stood waiting for the first bus of the day into Birmingham. Luckily, it turned up on time and as I boarded I asked the driver for a nNetwork day-tripper ticket. This would allow me all day access to buses, trams and trains in the nNetwork region.
I’d done my research into what tickets are available. I could have bought a Bus & Metro ticket for £7.90 or, strongly, I could buy a Bus, Metro AND TRAIN ticket for ten pence less. A bit of a no brainer and I had the option of using the train if needed.
With day-tripper in hand, I sat down for the short trip into Brum, especially quick due to the lack of traffic.
I arrived in Birmingham around 05:00 and made my way to the nearest Metro (tram) stop on Bull Street. Looking at the arrivals board I saw that I had thirteen minutes to wait so I walk back a couple of stops to Stephenson Street outside of New Street station from where I had a one minute wait.
As I waited, a tram, going the other way pulled up opposite and before moving off, lowered the pantograph as his next section was not served by overhead lines, relying on batteries instead.
On time, the first tram to Wolverhampton arrived and I got on. Spying an empty seat (well there were quite a few really) I sat down opposite the conductor.
I whipped out my day-tripper and he sort of waved it away and said it was alright.
Oddly, the conductor didn’t get up for the entire journey to check passes or collect any fares.
Just after six, we pulled into the terminus at Wolverhampton railway station.
Before starting proper, I nipped into the co-op and bought a couple of chocolate bars one I eat straight away as a second breakfast.
I had a short excursion before I was on the towpath. The temperature was hovering around zero and the paved sections were a little slippery in places.
After less than a mile, I left the Birmingham Canal Navigation for the Wyrley & Essington Canal which eventually ends up at Chasewater. I wouldn’t be going that far (not today anyway).
A the sun rose, the mist started to rise from the water giving a very atmospheric walk.
After the first mile or so, the paved / asphalt towpath had given way to mud, sometimes hard packed but more often than not, soft.
After covering about five miles, a couple of cyclist head towards Wolverhampton stopped and ask me how far away Wolverhampton was.
As I had just walked it, I told them it was about five miles.
“Is it like this all the way?” asked one paining down at a muddy puddle.
“Until the last mile” I informed them.
Just before the nine mile mark, I changed canals again, this time for the Walsall Canal which would take me to, you guessed it, Walsall.
Another mile further on, after descending a number of locks, I arrived at the Walsall Town Arm which takes the canal into the centre of the town.
I resisted the urge to visit the town centre but carried on past a rather elaborate piece of art.
The Walsall canal continued through varied terrain until I reached Great Bridge. I was looking forward to passing under Great Bridge Bridge (so good they named it twice) but it was no to be.
There, across the canal, was Heras fencing and a big Footpath Closed sign.
I made my way onto the top of the bridge, then had to pull up a map to find a diversion.
It wasn’t obvious but I chose to go right, through Great Bridge and hopefully get back on the canal soon after.
There were a few Diversion signs but these petered out as I got nearer the town centre but I did finally spy the canal and a path down to it.
The canal rose from here through six locks finally re-joining the Birmingham Mainline. Here, I turned towards Birmingham.
Another mile on and I reached another footpath closure (the one I’d encountered a couple of weeks ago – see HERE) which necessitated a short climb to another adjacent canal.
I soon left the canal system heading for the centre of West Bromwich, finally finding the tram stop at Trinity Park and clocking up a tad over my planned twenty miles.
I had about a ten minute wait so took the opportunity to change tops and tuck into my second chocolate bar.
Less than half an hour later I was back in Brum from where I caught the 94 bus to arrive home at about half twelve.
