The Kingfisher Jaunt
Posted on 26. Jun, 2008 by DocDelete in Bicycles, Excursions
I took some time yesterday to cycle around Birmingham’s Kingfisher Project – some 7 miles or so of ‘country’ path that tracks the River Cole. Together with Sheldon Country Park, and The Shire Country Park it forms a circuit of hidden greenery, where there’s plenty of opportunity to suspend reality, and pretend you’re not in Britain’s second largest city.
I joined the route by first getting onto the canal that runs from Olton to Hay Mills (near the Ackers recreation ground), then hoiking across Hay Mills roundabout to the beginning of the Kingfisher Project. By this point light but persistent rain had soaked my lightly-garbed form, but it was warm-ish so no problemo. The rain continued until I’d got around to Stechford.
To this point I noted that much of the path was well-paved and allowed for rapid transit. From Stechford on, however, the path become gravel, grass, and rutted mud, by turn. My steed was a Dawes mountain bike but shod with narrow rubber – a combination that only just worked on the rough stuff. Some of the more downhill stuff near the Ackers, and the rough scrub leading up to Kingshurst would’ve justified a full suspension mountain bike with knobbly spud tyres. And that’s the only time you’ll be hear me say that in an urban context!
There was too much to see to describe here, but I photographed a couple of things…
Could I be forgiven for saying I like the design of these houses? The fact that they’re nestling into the side of a green ribbon around the River Cole does add a great deal to the equation. The unconventional shape, three storeys and the balconies all add up to something that puts me in mind of The Urban Ideal we were all promised in the 1960s – all that’s missing are the elevated walkways and the glass plazas floating in the sky – and the odd electric car or two…
Just around the corner, most walls were festooned with graffiti (or, for the most part, mere tagging). If we must have graffiti (and I’m not sure anyone can argue for it in a suburban context) then perhaps it should look like this…
…and not this…
Shooting out through the top end of the Kingfisher path would take the keen cyclist under the M6 and onto Coleshill – that’s for another day, as I ran out of time. I elected to zip back down through Marston Green, past the threshold of BHX, and onto Sheldon – largely the cycle route through Sheldon Country Park.
Some 20 miles in total were covered, but not at a great lick due to the terrain, though the journey was made softer by following a nearly flat river course. Next time I’ll take some butties and coffee ;)
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