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Tuesday 14th February - Another Health Walk from the Sports Centre.  There were only five of us today plus Gareth.  We decided to go into the Park today and turn left at the entrance through Gravel Hole Wood, across Cam Lane and into the cow field - photo 1.  Again there were only sheep who didn't seem the least bit bothered by our intrusion.  Leaving the field - photo 2.

We walked down to the cycle track, north along the track and over the new bridge and up into the pinetum - photos 3 & 4.  We chose a slightly different was through the pinetum - photo 5.

On our way down to the stone bridge looking back to the new bridge and then sweeping left - photos 6 & 7.

We meet these two ladies - photo 8 - several times every week, they seem to do a circuit about three times.  Helen, Elizabeth and Carole climbing up the steps to the lake - photo 9.

At the top of the steps we paused to look for the Grebes - photo 10 - but we couldn't see them but there were several Canada Geese.  The second photo - photo 11 - is zoomed in to the right of the first photo. After a short pause we walked round the lake, the ducks sad that we didn't have any food for them - photo 12.

Leaving the lake behind - photo 13 - and climbing into the field towards Green Wood - photo 14.

Entering Green Wood we encountered Ranger Michael, Volunteers Peter and Mick - photo 16, who were felling trees - photo 15.  They stopped work for us and Michael kindly explained what they were doing.  They were coppicing the Alder trees, i.e. cutting them down so that new growth would spring up.  Peter explained that the new growth absorbs more CO2 than the mature growth so obviously better for the planet.  The Alder logs you can see in the trailer are destined for Ice House Wood where they will be made into charcoal.  Michael explained that the unusual colour of the sawn-off trees is caused by the Alder being exposed to the atmosphere.

This photo - photo 17 - was taken in April, a little along the path from where the men were working, and it shows the pollarding of the Willow trees.  The Willow trees are the taller ones. They are left higher so that the new growth is out of reach of the deer.  The deer eat the Willow shoots but don't like the Alder, which they leave alone - this cutting higher is called pollarding.  I could kick myself for not taking a picture of these trees today. Tonight Peter told me in days gone by, one of the most important reasons for coppicing of Birch trees was to grow 2” round wood which was cut to make cotton reels and bobbins for the textile industry and coppiced Hazel grows very straight and makes good walking sticks

Round the last corner - photo 18 - and back into the Sports Centre for tea/coffee and biscuits.  Today's was a shorter walk, just over the hour, our new dad is tired these days - Kerry and Blake are fine.