A Red-breasted merganser on the Marine Lake.
Heading for Little Eye and on to Hilbre Island.
Heading for Little Eye.
Heading for Middle Eye.
Lunch on Hilbre Island.
Celia isn't the only one that needs to use a mobile phone on a walk!
Walk stats: Distance: 5.9 miles. Climb: 833' (wind assisted on the GPS) but nearer 80' in reality!
Time: 3 hours 3 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.4 m.p.h. (wind assisted!). Overall walk average: 1.9 m.p.h. (Lunches are taking longer these days!)
Group: Martyn, Annie, Sue and Michel, Celia and Wendy.
Weather forecast suggested temperatures to be between 12 and 14 Celsius, so this was obviously a shorts weather day no-one else in the group thought so!
Not a lot to say about this route really, no problems in terms of where we were heading and no difficult stiles to cross. The only problem today was the ever increasing wind strength which thankfully was at its strongest as we headed towards the car at the end of the walk!
We managed to find a sheltered spot on the Eastern end of Hilbre Island to have our "lunch". Fortified fruit cake was provided, but when the Rangers stopped to chat to Michel, they didn't breathalyse him as he had two pieces of cake! He wasn't the only one!
As the tide retreated a few Common seals could be seen on the sand bank to the West of Hilbre Island.
There were plenty of birds to see. These included: Oystercatcher, Red-breasted merganser, Herring gull, Black-headed gull, Feral pigeon, Turnstone, Brent goose, Common redshank, Knot, Dunlin, Shelduck, Grey heron, Eurasian curlew, Carrion crow, Great cormorant, Great crested grebe and Little egret.
After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Wheatsheaf Inn at Raby, where the wood burning stove always ensures you have a warm welcome - the Brimstage, Trappers Hat also went down well.
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