Autumn arrives quietly along the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal. The towpath is layered with fallen leaves, pressed flat by weeks of passing tyres and feet, turning a cycle ride into a thoroughly muddy exercise. Conditions are best suited to walking than riding, though there is a certain satisfaction in coming back from a ride covered in mud, the bike wearing the evidence as proudly as you do.

It’s messy, slower and harder than riding on dry ground but that’s the point. I’ll be back, pounding out the miles, once Spring returns and the trails begin to dry out.