A Welshampton Wander - Ellesmere – Meres, Mosses and Moraines 27th May 2023

Setting off along the canal towpath.

The Ellesmere Tunnel ahead.

Not what you expect to see in a rural garden.

You wouldn't expect this either.

The Shropshire Union Canal (Llangollen Branch) near Cole Mere.

A "Chocolate box cover" thatched cottage near Cole Mere.

A Mute swan and five young on Cole Mere.

Cole Mere Swans and Swallows.

St.Michael's and All Angels Church at Welshampton.

At the trig point south of Lea Wood.

At the trig point south of Lea Wood.

The view from the trig point south of Lea Wood.

Guinea fowl near Crimps Farm.

Descending towards The Mere.

Hazy views of Dinas Bran.

St. Mary's Church, Ellesmere.

or

"Haven't you seen a shorn sheep before?".

Not impressed with this one!

Just a few more Mute swans on Ellesmere.

Walk stats:
Distance: 8.4 miles. Climb: 394’.
Time: 4 hours 18 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.4 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.9 m.p.h.
Temperature: Max -17.2 Celsius at lunch at St. Michael’s and All Angels Church Welshampton. Minimum – 13.2 Celsius just after setting off.
Beaufort Wind Force: Max - 1, just a coolish light air as we set off.
Group: Martyn, Sue and Michel, Ed and David S.
Another good day for walking, not as sunny as we had hoped, but still very pleasant.
This was quite a varied walk that included woodland paths, canal towpaths, and country lanes, giving good views of three meres (The Mere at Ellesmere, Blake Mere and Cole Mere).
Lunch was taken at St. Michael’s and All Angels Church, where we all found suitable spots to sit.
After lunch the paths weren’t always as obvious as the walk description suggested, with maps on our GPSs we were able to keep on track.
A bonus today was being able to visit a trig point, not something you would expect to see on a largely flat walk!
Birds seen or heard today included: Jackdaw, Carrion crow, Winter wren, Woodpigeon, Canada goose, Common chaffinch, Herring gull, Mute swan, Red kite, Barn swallow, House martin. Common coot, European robin, Greenfinch, Mallard, Great crested grebe, Feral pigeon, House sparrow, Collared dove and Guinea fowl.
The nearer we got to The Mere, the more people we saw – Ellesmere is still a very popular place to visit.
Overall a very enjoyable walk that could be done in all seasons, but today it was at its best with dry conditions under foot and lots of spring flowers on show.
After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Pant-yr-Ochain, where Titanic’s Plum Porter and Purple Moose’s Snowdonia Ale were the beers of choice.