Health Walk - Tuesday 16th February 2016

Photos by Michael - Please click on photos to see a larger one

Eighteen walkers, Ben, Bernadette, Carmel, Carol, Elizabeth M, Frankie, Graham, Irene T, Irene S, James, Lawrence, Linda E, Matt, Maureen, Michael, Pat, Peter and Sue.  Peter led the short walk with Sue - green route.  It was Ben and Matt's first walk with us.  Ben is Maureen's Grandson on half term holiday and Matt is a Nordic Walking Instructor assessing the Park for his walking classes.

Michael, leading, set off down to the Stone Bridge.  We carried on straight up to the Lake and walked along the eastern shore.

Peter led up the short steps on to the lake side and to the top of the tall steps then reversed to walk back along the edge of the Lake and down the slope to the Cycle Track, over the Wooden Bridge, up Cardiac Hill and through the Pinetum back to the Barn.

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We saw one of the Grebes and three Cormorants and many Mandarins, Canada Geese & Moorhens

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Pressing on to our first steps up into the Field and on along the edge of the field to Hawks Clough.

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Reversing our normal walk we crossed the marshy pond covering the path, admiring the Blackthorn blossom and up the next set of even higher steps

We walked along the top and descended into Green Wood

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and wound our way up the highest set of steps, this is why we usually walk the other way round, anti-clockwise.

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Crossing Cam Lane we headed for the infamous stile, just as hard to cross down into the Cow field as it is to climb up out of the Cow Field but we were surprised by the view of the new visitors centre peeping out of the trees.  Behind are the magnificent Pinetum trees which are so tall we don't really appreciate them.

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Having struggled down the steps, this time thankfully downwards, into the Cow Field we are making for Gravel Hole Wood

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We did the short section of the Cycle Track and crossed the Wooden Bridge.  The new visitors centre is looking very impressive and imposing - I have heard a whisper that it is hoped to be finished by June, just too late for the Spring Fair.  You can see all the supports for the cafe roof are now in place.  I took the photos with my camera resting on the rail of the bridge, I was using the telephoto lens again.  I kept it on for the whole walk to try to get used to it.

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Lawrence and I, now at the back, chose to divert up the steps to the viewing area to see if there were any birds.

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We were lucky, there was a Nuthatch and

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a Robin.  These were taken holding the camera and they are the best of around ten photos, still not as sharp as I think is necessary but they are a record of what we saw.

Today's walks

Bernadette had recorded over . . . . steps, Peter's machine went wrong.

Michael Swarbrick