Day 3: Salt to Birmingham, Inspiration - Accommodation

The pitter patter of tiny raindrops knocks gently on my tent. It's about 6:45. A good nights sleep was had even though the railway line sits behind the hedge on the opposite bank of the canal. I didn't realise this when setting up. I can thoroughly recommend wax ear plugs that mould to the shape of your ears for just this sort of occasion. The canal is covered in a mist of very light rain so I get up and with the aid of a bottle of water have my best wash so far. Feeling chipper and clean I set up my mattress to the lounge position and write a bit of blog. No point rushing to get ready as it's a bit wet and the forecast was to brighten up. Breakfast as usual is oats, banana and powdered milk. Slow release carbs are just the best to keep you going. I eventually ship out about 9am without a solitary soul having walked by. I decide to carry on South down the tow path to see where it takes me. A passing boat tells me to go to the second bridge where I can join the main road. At the first bridge my curiosity gets the better of me. I meander along a farm track towards the cars and lorries not 100 metres away but hit the train track before making the road. Here a footpath goes along the side of the track. I decide to give it a go. Its overgrown with stinging nettles and one leg gets stung to bits.

I reach the end of the track and come up against a style that will mean removing all the luggage from the bike to get over it. Fortunately a passing dog walker informs me the are three more styles before I reach the road so I decide to back up and go back to the canal and try the second bridge after all. At this point my chain gets caught on the fence and comes off. A few minutes later it's back on but I’m covered in stings and oil. Oops. Shoulda listened. I come off at the second bridge and my eyes are greeted with most incredible display of colour. A cottage has about 40 hanging baskets and pots that are overflowing with blooms filling every inch of visible space. This puts a smile on my face and I compliment the owner whilst she cleans her windows. Coventry via Birmingham is my goal for today but after only five miles the rain starts properly and I decide to take refuge under a canal bridge at Rugely. It may appear to the reader that I am trying to hide from the rain at all costs and with another 2000 miles to go this might seem like folly, but as long as there are jobs that need doing I might as well stop and do them in the dry in the slight hope that the rain might cease.

I get the stove out and the mocha pot and make myself an espresso. Then whilst drinking that I make up my lunch for the day. Out of date goats cheese, avocado and tomato bagels. I tuck into a few sausage rolls as I seem to have got a bit of a hunger on. Six sausage rolls and both the bagels later I'm well stuffed and it's only 11:30. I decided it was best to have an early lunch and the I would be fuelled up for riding in the afternoon sun that was promised. Idiot!

Ten wet miles later I borrow the McDonalds wifi (very handy for the internet beholden traveller) although I always make a point of explaining the £1 a day and can I just use the wifi and so far so good. I even manage to find that rarest of items; a seat next to a power point. This is too good an opportunity to miss, especially whilst raining. I go back out to the bike and bring the gadget bag in and get everything charging and upload my routes. I'm only making the most of it whilst I can. If I'm luckily enough to get good weather when I've crossed the channel you probably won't here from me so often. Ideally I will have spent the morning cycling my 50 miles before it gets to hot and then Pierre or Hans or Ali will be showing me around their bicycle collection, or perfumed garden whilst I try the local tipple all in the way of research you understand. Gawd I'm off with the fairies where was I. Oh yeah, so I leave McDs and soldier on in the drizzle to Birmingham. I've started to get some sores on my behind which is a bit worrying at this stage and not something I've had before. Hopefully they won't be too much of a problem. I slide into Birmingham city centre around four-ish. I'm in search of Sheepcote Street which according to my sources at Coventry Transport Museum would have been the place where the Tricycle works would have stood that Stevens visited. Probably Lloyds Brothers at Quadrant works. I ask a cabby on the rank on the very street if he knows of any buildings with any links to the afore mentioned building. He doesn't know but he puts a call out on the radio, unfortunately nobody has got any suggestions. I cycle down Sheepcote Street and the majority of the area has recently been extensively rebuilt. I stop in at an Estate Agents and ask around. Sam seems very knowledgeable and explains what a lot of the buildings where probably used for and we come to the conclusion that it was probably the big development of new flats that is the likeliest place the factory would have been. I hunt around the perimeter of the development looking for clues but no joy. I snap a few pics and it's now about 17:30. I was hoping to get to Coventry Transport Museum today but they would be closed so I start to umm and arr about what to do next. I don't quite know what made me do it but I wandered into the nearest hotel and explained what I was doing and basically asked for a free room. I pointed out my tent that I'm very happy to camp normally but central Birmingham was a bit short on places out of the way for me to bed down. The manager started to book me a room and had clearly mis-heard me talking about the £1 a day. I repeated this now very embarrassed and she gently said back “I heard you” my jaw dropped to the ground. A: Had I actually just done what I had done and B: had she actually said what she had just said. I'm writing this now lying on my bed. I washed all my clothes in the sink, and washed all of me in the bath. I still can't quite believe it.

But believe it I do and I think I know why luck is on my side. About 2 years ago t he beginning of January it was snowing. I was walking with Maddy to her job at the local school and I had taken my camera to go out in the snow and take some photos. As we stop on the bridge just before Hemel Hempstead's magic roundabout a man appears pushing a bicycle and asks if I will take a photo of him to prove where he has been. We get chatting and it turns out that he has set off on Jan 1^st from the Midlands and is cycling around Britain for the next 12 months trying to spot as many different species of birds as he can and to raise money for various charities. We go our separate ways and think nothing of it apart from how mad he was out cycling in the snow. I didn't even have a bike then. I wander off down my local canal snapping away and about two hours later I bump into the guy again only a mile from where we last met. He tells me he had got lost, gone an awful route and the snow was making it difficult for cars let alone bicycles. He tells me he intends to find a BnB in Berkhamstead and give up on today. When I heard this I offered him some dinner and a bed at mine.

He came back and warmed up, had a feed and a sleep and off he went the next day. It was still snowing so Maddy and I walked with him along the Grand Union Canal as far as Croxley Green.

This man was one of the people who has inspired me to make this trip. Gary Prescott Biking Birder I salute you, for giving me the energy to get off my arse and go and get some adventure in my life.

I emailed Gary a few days ago to tell him what I was doing and that I may need to call in the favour as I may need somewhere to stay near Birmingham. He replied from his Hotel room in Athens. I believe that is how come I happen to be sleeping in a hotel tonight. The forces that be got together had a bit of a chat and said “I'm afraid your have to have the disabled room on the ground floor. The bed is a bit low, would that be ok?” And that dear blog reader is that. Night Night.