Ticket To Ride . . . . . . .

For reasons that are way too boring to explain here, this morning I found myself in possession of a bus day ticket, and a full day with which to use it.

So - off I went.

First stop was Barr Beacon, a 774ft high hill which overlooks Walsall. The summit of the hill is home to a war memorial, which is currently undergoing renovation after scumbag thieves plundered it of its copper clad roof. This place is special to me - as a lad I used to cycle up here, and spend hours studying the toposcope at the centre of the memorial. Unfortunately this too ( being made of bronze ) was plundered by some local low life. Hopefully it too will be replaced in the near future. Snow is still clinging to the slopes of the hill - in places there are drifts of 3-4 feet in depth. I can't see it melting too soon - it was bitterly cold up there today . . . .

Next I hopped on a 997 bus into Birmingham city centre. With half term in full swing the place was teeming with teenagers, so I didn't hang around too long - a few shots of the owls and hawks that a local sanctuary had put on display on New Street, and It was onto the next bus - the 74 to Dudley.

No idea why I chose Dudley - seemed like a good idea at the time. The town hasn't got a lot going for it - the local retail park, Merry Hill, is slowly killing the place. Still - I managed to get a few quality shots of the castle, perched on a hilltop overlooking the town, and of the ruins of St. James Priory . . . . . .

Then it was a tedious bus ride back to Walsall, but I was happy with the images I had sitting on the Compactflash card . . . . .