Saturday 18 October 2008

Apedale

Apedale Community Country Park was calling today. The sun was shining, the air was cool and there was no pressure to do anything. Last Month we walked the hills and valleys of the Woodland Walk and this month we went to explore the Lakeside Walk.
The first part of the walk was across a meadow used by horse riders and dog walkers. Across a driveway, alongside a concrete fabrication works and we were into the wooded area leading to the ponds and the lake. We followed the posts marked for the "blue walk".
Having seen a small lake with geese, we eventually came across a long pond with extensive reed beds. I was surprised to find such vegetation near to the city. Dragonflies and other insects are still about and the songbirds are flocking everywhere. Rosie spotted a Jay on an embankment.
Above the visitor centre is a pithead wheel and a coal tub. This symbolic monument to the mining community can be seen from miles around, and of course, the view from here is quite extensive. The site overlooks the town of Newcastle under Lyme and on to the Staffordshire Potteries in one direction and the hills of Cheshire and Shropshire in the other. With the odd Buzzard circling overhead and the company of the local dog walkers, it is quite an ideal place to be for a while.

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