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When? Started: 1993 Who? Started with staff and friends from U H S, Chester. Organiser: Martyn Harris We walk every Wednesday and Saturdays, New Years day and May Day. How many walk? Walks take place as long as there are at least 2 wanting to walk on that day. More walk on a Wednesday than on a Saturday. Most ever: 29. Current group size walking: 2-7 in mid-week and 2-4 on Saturday. Where do we walk? Saturday: Anywhere in North and Mid-Wales, Peak District, Shropshire and the Long Mynd and as far North as the Trough of Bowland. Thursday: Anywhere within about 40 miles of Chester. Type of walk: Distance: 6 – 14 miles (but usually under 10 miles). Climb: up to 4000’ (but usually very much less!). People involved on walks in 2024:- Martyn Harris, Fran Murphy, Sue and Michel Pelissier, Mike Dodd, David Savage,, Ed Meads, Nigel and Elaine Taylor, Winston Feather.

Friday, 12 February 2021

A Saltney Ferry Riverside and Sealand Shooting School Round 12th February 2021

A Saltney Ferry Riverside and Sealand Shooting School Round.
Two Whooper swans on flooded fields near Deeside House.
Three Great cormorants keeping their heads down as they dry out.
Alas not a Whinchat - just a female Stonechat.
On the way to Sealand Shooting School.


A line of new footpath marker post.
I was surprised and overjoyed to see this!
Flooded frozen fields south of Deeside Lane, Sealand.
Distance: 9.8 miles. Climb: 1045' GPS wind assisted reading, more like 88'.
Time: 3 hour 49 minutes. On the move walking average: 3.1 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 2.6 m.p.h.
Max wind speed: 14.2 m.p.h (South easterly). Lowest temperature: 2.0 Celsius.
Group: Martyn.
The day didn't start as planned. I had in my mind that the second India v England Cricket test match started on Friday.  On time I got up ready to watch the match live at 04-00, only to find that I had got up 24 hours too early.
However, this did give me the opportunity to go on a walk route via Sealand Shooting School and through what is usually muddy fields to pick up a track to The Bowery on Deeside Lane. After several days of freezing temperatures,  I thought the mud would be frozen as well. It was, but I was overjoyed to find the farmer had no only put in clear marker posts, but had repaired/replaced the footbridge over the drainage ditch but had made steps and a hand rail to get down to the footbridge. Thank you to at least one more farmer that doesn't hate walkers!
This was a glorious day for walking, but the cold south easterly wind meant that removing mits to take photos had to be brief, but it did had rewards.
Along the Wales Coast Path, I took a photo of a bird that from its behaviour, I though was a Stonechat, but on looking at the photo when I got home and comparing it in bird id books, i thought it mght be a Whinchat, but far too early sin the year for a Whinchat. The Kingfisher and Whooper swan are still my top birds for 2021.
Birds seen or heard today included: House sparrow, European robin, Common blackbird, Moorhen, Mallard, Black billed magpie, Fieldfare, Redwing, Great cormorant, Common redshank, Goldfinch, Common chaffinch, Jackdaw, Carrion crow, Rook, Raven, Mistle thrush, Blue tit, Greenfinch, Pied wagtail, Common buzzard, Goldfinch, Lapwing, Whooper swan, Black headed gull Herring gull, Common starling and Stonechat.
A disappointment start to the day, ending up with a day to celebrate and I can look forward to the cricket tomorrow morning!
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