19/12/13 - When Maps and Sat Nav both Fail

Distance - 8.1 Miles
Geocaches - 5
Start - Sutton Coldfield
Finish - Coleshill Parkway

Stage 7 of The Brummie Ring

Brummie Ring Phase 7 at EveryTrail


This has taken some planning.  Initially, I planned to walk to Water Orton railway station.  Then I checked the train times - 1 train into BRM every 2 hours.  The railtrack app did present some options - I could change at Coleshill Parkway.  Checked the map - there's not even a station marked at Coleshill.

Turns out its a new development.  And until September 2015, they are offering free parking.  So, with an out of date in car sat nav I head off, park up and buy my ticket to Sutton Coldfield.  £8:30.  What they lose on parking, they are adding to the train fares.

Simple enough change at New Street and within 45 minutes, I am out of Sutton Coldfield station and onto stage 7 of the Brummie Ring.  First a couple of distractions.

There is a sidetracked cache at the station.  When I arrive at GZ, two men disappear behind the advertising hoardings.  They are either cachers or this is a gay cruising area.  The amount of time they spend there makes me think it could be the latter, but once they have gone (three's a crowd in any hobby), I see the logbook has been signed today.

Then I realise that I'm starving.  And there are the golden arches of obesity opposite.  So I battle my way through the school kids and moms with buggies and do a festive special happy meal.

I have been here 45 minutes and not got anywhere.

So I head off with purpose, up the hill by Trinity Church and down to Rectory Park.  Where the sat nav gives up the ghost.  I can see the maps, but I have no dot to show where I am.  So that's that for the caches and I have to rely on old school map navigation.

Road walking for a bit before hitting the countryside at the Anvil Pub.

No Stopping - full of Burger - but the Countryside is ours from now on

I have road walking but it is at least in the countryside.  There is a nice verge to avoid any of the white van drivers who are going at it like loons whilst talking on mobile phones.

I reboot the sat nav for the 3rd time and miraculously it comes to life.  I am back in the caching game.

Find something on the verge to make me realise I am not the only one who has had Sat Nav Issues

Find a couple of caches on the way to Over Green.  Another nice looking pub, the Cock Inn, would have been good for a facebook checkin.  From their car park, I hit the real countryside, with some nice views.

Outstanding in my field

I'm a lonely oak

These fields bring me to Curdworth, where I negotiate a series of secret alley ways before walking around the boundary of the first school.  It just had to be break time, as I go round two sides of their fence with all the kids gawping.

Final cache of the day is on the bridge over the m42/m6 toll road intersection.  13 lanes of motorway are crossed.

Then I have to make my way to the station.  The OS Map has nice fields of Newlands Farm but he has obviously sold out to haulage firms, as there is now a series of dual carriageways and massive trucks.

Lorry drivers have a bad name.  Clarkson thinks they like nothing better than a bit of casual Student murder.  On a Channel 4 documentary, a lorry driver in a ridiculous mask claimed at least 70% of them are doggers.

There is a sign telling them to stop it.  Whatever it is.

What is Car Cruising on Hams Hall?

The next sign is just as vague but makes me think that I have walked a little too far.

How far is Coleshill from France?

Finally, we walk past Coleshill Sewage Farm.  Oh the romance.

So would I have chosen to do this walk for pleasure?  Maybe not.  It is just another stage serving its purpose of getting one stage closer to finishing the Brummie Ring.  The Capital Ring had some dodgy sections as well.