A Riverside Walk With a Thornleigh Park Loop 26th December 2020

A Riverside Walk With a Thornleigh Park Loop,

Looking towards Chester from The Riverside, River Lane, Saltney.

There is a Grey heron over there somewhere!

The track along Thornleigh Gutter leading to Deeside Lane and Thornleigh Park Farm.

The track and right of way leading toThornleigh Park Farm.

Horse play.

Friends again?

Moel famau from the Thornleigh Park Farm access track.

"I wonder when the Welsh Government will let me cross the border again?"

Distance: 6.4 miles. Climb: 417' (GPS Reading, but it was a bi on the windy side!), More likely arund 110'.
Time: 2 hours 16 minutes. On the move walking average: 3.2 m.p.h. Overall walk avertage: 2.8 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn.

The relatively good forecast encouraged me to go on a walk from home. Not too cold, dry but overcast and at times with a strong gusting wind.

Birds seen or heard today included: Mallard, Moorhen, Woodpigeon, European robin, Common blackbird, Collared dove, Woodpigeon, Black billed magpie, Carrion crow, Grey heron, Little egret, Black headed gull, Herring gull, Great cormorant, Great tit, Fieldfare, Redwing, Common starling, Pied wagtail, long-tailed tit, House sparrow and Raven.

Walking along the riverside path, north west of River Lane, a man on a disabilty scooter with two dogs was heading towards me. He stopped just infront of me, and then to my surprise he reached out with a "handy andy", really called a handy reach grab stick, picked up a piece of litter and put straight int a bin bag at his feet. His current bin bag was already pretty full and apparently he fill two bin bags a day, just in this area.  I thanked him for his efforts to keep the Saltny Riverside Path tidy, and left him feeling ashamed that all I do is just walk past the litter!

As a change, I decided to explore the footpath that went towards Thornleigh Park Farm and onto Ferry Lane, Higher Ferry

Approaching the farm house, I asked a man leaving the house, the direction of the footpath. He pointed out the official path, but then said, just go down the access track as the official path through the field which is waterlogged and muddy. The access track is marked as a path, but isn't a designated right of way.

On this walk a came across two people I new, one that used to live in the same street as me, and the other that I used to see on my Friday night visits to Ye Olde Cottage in Brook Street, Chester.

Overall an enjoyable walk and now able to add a slight variation to my "stay at home" riverside walks collection.