Scribers Lane Site of Importance to Nature Conservation in the Shire Country Park
Beyond the Trittiford Mill Pool in the Shire Country Park is an area called Scribers Lane. It is designated as a Site of Importance to Nature Conservation (or SINC for short). It runs alongside the River Cole from Scribers Lane near Yardley Wood and Hall Green, and passes through Slade Lane. It ends on the Birmingham / Solihull border at some stepping stones. Two fords also pass through.
Scribers Lane in the Shire Country Park
Located near Hall Green and Yardley Wood is the Scribers Lane Site of Importance to Nature Conservation (also called SINC). The site runs alongside the River Cole from Scribers Lane (after the southern end of the Trittiford Mill Pool) then heads south towards Slade Lane. The site continues beyond that towards some stepping stones on a stream. If you cross over them you leave Birmingham for Solihull at Nethercote Gardens (and you can continue your walk towards Mill Lodge Park).
You can get onto Scribers Lane from Baldwins Lane in Hall Green. One end of Baldwins Lane leads to Slade Lane. The Shakespeare Line runs along the eastern side of the site, with two railway bridges that you can walk under. There are fords on Scribers Lane and Slade Lane.
2016
First walk through of Scribers Lane was during May 2016. During the May Day Bank Holiday (a walk that started from the Sarehole Mill Car Park).
Wetland near the footbridge close to Scribers Lane (what the area was named after).
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A look at the wetland from the footbridge.
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There was what looked like a guillotine lock on the River Cole.
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Saw this heron, but the photo was not to clear as my camera focused instead on the branches.
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Gates to the woodland walk.
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View of the River Cole.
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Cut branches to the side of the footpath.
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Some planks of wood on a muddy part of the path.
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Another view of the River Cole.
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Got as far as Slade Lane. The fingerpost was missing the direction signs from here.
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2020
A lockdown walk through Scribers Lane during May 2020. This time went further than last time (as far as the stepping stones).
A look at the River Cole from Scribers Lane.
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The footbridge again this time everything around was overgrown, apart from the grass that was cut.
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Lilies in the River Cole.
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The trees on the other side of the river.
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Hard to believe that this is in south Birmingham (but it is).
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On this tree is a rope that kids can swing over.
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Getting to the bridge on Slade Lane. Gate to exit to the left.
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This time continued further than last time. The path was dry. May had a heatwave.
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Cow parsley growing on both sides of the grass path.
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Another view of the River Cole.
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Was some nice natural reflections in the River Cole.
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Out onto the path to the end of the nature reserve.
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The stepping stones. I did stand on them, but didn't cross over the end of May 2020 (from the Nethercote Gardens side).
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Close up look at the stepping stones.
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That time we turned back towards the Trittiford Mill Pool.
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Then back onto the normal path between Slade Lane and Scribers Lane. River Cole on the left.
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Saw a red ball in the River Cole with a nice reflection.
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Pair of sluice gates on the River Cole.
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And the other sluice gate.
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Later that month we were back in the Scribers Lane SINC having crossed over the stepping stones (on the walk from Mill Lodge Park).
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The heatwave would last until the end of the month.
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Blue sky and a lot of long grass.
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Was a lot of long grass next to the main path from Slade Lane to Scribers Lane.
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Near the end of Scribers Lane.
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The guillotine lock again. After this we headed back into Scribers Lane to walk back to Mill Lodge Park.
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More views of the River Cole which was quite shallow at the time.
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Still cow parsley to see near the River Cole at the time.
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One last look at the Scribers Lane area before crossing back over into Solihull. The suburban area near Shirley and Solihull Lodge.
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Next post will be the fords on Scribers Lane and Slade Lane.
Photos taken by Elliott Brown.
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