Well, I didnt choose it for its idyllic-ness, I chose it because it was a nice short ride (26 miles if my mate is correct) that I could do at a fairly fast pace early on a saturday morning and get a few miles in my legs before i do whatever else i've got planned for the day
Because the a4040 goes through the outskirts of brum you have the option of turning off to go to loads of places, like sutton park, sandwell valley park, woodgate valley park, canon hill park and others
Alternatively there's the No. 5 national cycle route to stratford which has some nice scenery, but there's a massive ****-off steep hill along the way which certainly isn't good for going up on a fixed bike. And I don't like to get off and push. Needless to say, my legs were ****ed afterwards, and the rest of the ride was uncomfortable