I've always been fascinated with urban decay. The forgotten strips of debris littered land that hide in the cracks of our cities' concrete infrastructures. The hidden tunnels and streams that weave between the factories. The deteriorating shopping centre roofs, the abandoned railway tracks. What if I can link all of these seldom trodden places together and forge myself an adventure?
Introducing my grubbiest mission yet, the black country no roads mission.
The Patreons among you may remember me marauding my way through my hometown of Aldridge during the first lockdown delivering items to my relatives, without using a single road. Well, I figured it was time to revisit the format, but this time delve deeper into the vast urban ocean that is the West Midlands.
My aim: to get from Walsall to Dudley (10 miles), crossing the bulk of the industrial black country region without walking down a single road. In doing so I go face to face with a whole host of nasty obstacles, from polluted streams to shopping centre roofs to irate construction workers. Add into the mix a sea of brambles and an unsettling catalogue of spiky fences, and we have ourselves one hell of a pointless adventure.
I've gone for a slower paced, more raw edit on this one, so there's more content for you to enjoy (3 parts)
