05/10/13 - A new plan is born

Distance - 8.4 Miles
Start - Alvechurch
Finish - Longbridge
Geocaches - 11

The BrummieRing WebSite

BrummieRingPhase1

Last weekend, I completed the Capital Ring.  I was thinking of my next challenge and actually booked the rail tickets for the start of the Capital Loop.... Similar but further out.  Then I thought some more and came up with the idea of creating a 2nd City equivalent.

The BrummieRing was born.

Within an hour, I had a rough outline of the route.  Within 2 hours, I had learned how to create a website.  Then Mrs Mappiman told me it was time to go to bed.

Today, I have to walk the first stage, so that I can add on the walking directions.

Park up at Alvechurch station and then walk across a field that Mrs Mappiman claims "will leave her boots built up like a disabled shoe".  She has a way with words.  I should let her write the blog.  We pick up the canal, which we will follow all the way up to the Bittel Reservoirs.

House for Sale - Canal Dreams

This is the stretch where all the geocaches are.  At various times, I am under tunnels and up trees.  At cache 3, Sonia marches off.  Not to worry.... no-one can get lost on a canal towpath can they?

I grab cache 4 and 5 and then get a call.  "Where are you?".  She has gone marching back the way we came and somehow missed me.  I wasn't even up the tree at this point.

I console myself by making friends with Worm Danglers.  I have changed my mind on them.  Their catch was rather impressive.

Pike and Chips for Tea

The Belly of the Beast

Sonia eventually turns up.  The next cache involves the tree climbing.  Her mood improves immeasurably when I use a rather too thin branch to aid my descent.  It didn't take the girth of Mappiman.

We hit the reservoirs, dissecting the lower and upper ones.  Have a chat with the Farmer at Bittell Farm.  He has a brummie accent which somehow seems wrong on a farmer. 

Up through Cofton and onto the first of the Lickey Hills.  We vowed not to pass any chance of refreshments and the cafe at the Golf Course provides the first rest.

I had the Par 3 Breakfast.  Sonia choked on her Bacon Sarnie

One other punter in the cafe... an older Yorkshire gentleman who is regaling the waitress with tales of his love life.

On a Full English Breakfast, the climb to the Toposcope is a struggle, but the views are worth it.

Mysterious, Brooding and Very Small

We can see the Brummie Ring from here

Drop down the hill and across the golf course.  Look out for the badly dressed men firing balls at us.  The navigation gets a little tricky here but we do emerge from the undergrowth at a prime location.

Rule are Rules... No refreshment opportunity to be spurned

Across Cofton Park now and we arrive at the entrance to the Longbridge Plant.  This has changed a lot since I used to work here.  Factories replaced with houses.

Final bit of road walking, but its all nicely tree lined, before we get to Longbridge station and the train back to Alvechurch.  Took us 4.5 hours to get here.  Nine minutes to get back.  And £2.50 for a single.

Just missed the train.

So Phase 1 of my new idea done.  I doubt the walking is going to get any better than this.  The next stage ends at Old Hill.