Recently by Dave Watton

It's an inauspicious start
On the way to King's Norton Station
A passing driver hurls abuse at me for daring to share his road
But my spirits quickly lift as I pedal up Primrose Hill
And the traffic disperses and the narrow confines of the city give way
Bright sunshine, birdsong and open space are my new companions
I am armed with Philip's 'Cycle Tours around Birmingham'
Which has mapped out an enticing 55-mile circular route
South from the city's southern suburbs to the Vale of Evesham
Picking up momentum and ignoring the beckoning beer garden of The Peacock
My bicycle and I plunge down the head of a serene valley
Then navigate the quiet country lanes around Hopwood and Alvechurch at a more sedate pace
We spot yellowhammers and greenfinches
The miles notch up swiftly helped by the ingenious route
Designed to always take the bike down the steeper hills
Weaving in and out of the railway embankment near Bromsgrove Station
I reach the longest flight of canal locks in the country at Tardebigge
As I walk the bike along the towpath
The little lambs in the opposite field are bleating for England
The owner of a canal boat basks contentedly in the sun as her wood stove burns
The canalside Queen's Head at Stoke Pound is just too inviting
And I stop for a refreshing pint of ale courtesy of the Malvern Hills Brewery
Which lies just twenty miles south-west of here
After my exertions in the beer garden the shadows are beginning to lengthen
And I decide to head for home
At the summit of Cobley Hill swallows skim joyfully
The steep climb offers a rewarding panorama
To the south: Broadway and the hazy Cotswolds
To the south west: the misty Malverns
To the west: the brooding Clee Hills
As I fly down the Roman Road of Icknield Street with weariness in my bones
The orange disc of the sun finally slips below the horizon
I startle a fox and pursue a bemused bat
I will sleep well tonight

Dave Watton is Joint Project Coordinator at Northfield Ecocentre in South West Birmingham. The centre works with the community to find practical ways to live better and protect the environment.

Heading up to Northfield, I leave the house armed with my nan's old pick-up stick and a roomy 20-litre carrier bag. I get no further than the neighbour's lawn before I spot my first catch - a lonely crisp packet fluttering sadly in the breeze. Bending forward, I snatch it up with my orthopedic hand and drop it into the waiting sack. A few yards on, a squashed lager can nestles in the gutter. Levering it up with the magic claw, I toss it with relish into my net like a shiny silver fish. It is soon joined by a plastic water bottle, a couple of fizzy drink cans and several sweet wrappers. As I progress steadily along the backroads of B29, my handy hook retrieves a varied assortment of discarded flotsam and jetsam. Fast food packaging, pizza boxes, beer cans, alcopop bottles, chip paper, chewing-gum wrappers, yesterday's newsprint. Translated into useful resources, that's oil, aluminium, glass and wood pulp. There are hot spots where I have to be selective: the anonymous grass verge at the end of the street, a windswept bus shelter, a neglected-looking patch of waste ground. I register a few turned heads and amused or bemused looks from passing cars: 'What's that bloke up to?' Half-way up the hill, I encounter my first public litter bin and it strikes me how far I've had to walk to find one. I quickly empty out the non-recyclable items and carry on, saving the bottles, plastic and cans for my green box when I get home. Back in port, I tip out the results of my trawl. It's not terribly pretty. But far from feeling disillusioned, I have a tangible sense of achievement. How I enjoyed cycling back through the mile or so of clean streets I'd left behind me. It reminds me of the so-called 'broken windows syndrome': a little more time spent looking after our own local patches could go a long way.

Dave Watton is Joint Project Coordinator at Northfield Ecocentre in South West Birmingham. The centre works with the community to find practical ways to live better and protect the environment.