About Me

My photo
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.

Saturday, 20 March 2021

A Saltney - Queensferry Round With A Little Extra from St., Mark Church 20th March 2021

First views of the River Dee at The Riverside, River Lane, Saltney.
More signs the Spring has arrived.
One of the pairs of Goosander seen on the river near our lunch spot.
Roger on the wales Coast Path - just to prove i wasn't going solo today!
My biggest surprise of the day and climb!
Still misty views from the Higher Ferry Footbridge.
My biggest surprise of the day - the footbridge over the railway between St., Mark's Road and Boundary Lane, Saltney.
A few of the display of Daffodils along Sandy Lane, Saltney - planted yes, but still great to see.
Distance: 12.2 miles. Climb: 200'.
Time: 5 hours 11 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.8 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 2.3 m.p.h.
Wind: 0 - 8.2 m.p.h. Beaufort Scale 3 : Gentle breeze. Temperature: 9p.6 0 11.2 Celsius.
Group: Martyn and Roger (for 10 miles).
Dull and overcast throughout the walk, the promised sunny spells never materialised and distant views all round looked to be misty - Moel Famau was nowhere to be seen!
On our outward journey we only encountered a few dog walkers (all friendly) and a couple of walkers, but it became much busier once we were on the Wales Coast Path heading for Higher Ferry. Here there were far more cyclist, but thankfully most knew how to use their bells as they approached. We stopped for our lunch break nearly seven miles into the walk, taking advantage of the first Barge Dock.
It was good to see more family groups and groups of teenagers out cycling together along the Wales Coast Path, and some of the latter even smiling and greeting us as the went past.
Birds seen or heard today included: Mallard, Moorhen House sparrow, Common blackbird, Herring gull, Lesser black back gull, Black headed gull, Goldfinch, Great tit, Greenfinch, European robin, Collared dove, Black billed magpie, Woodpigeon, Collared dove, Great cormorant, Skylark, Common redshank. Common starling, Pied wagtail, Chiffchaff, Common chaffinch, Carrion crow, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Winter wren, Raven and Goosander.
Although this is one of my regular walks, it is alway much better when accompanied by a friend.
Roger and I parted company at St. Mark's Church in Saltney, when Roger headed home I headed down St., Mark's Road to see if a footpath at the end of the road theat crossed the railway still existed. I was surprised to see that it did, and even more surprised to see that a footbridge had replaced the crossing over the lines that I remembered.
i arrived home in plenty of time to watch most of the England T20 match against India and get ready to watch and imprtant event taking place in Stade de France, Paris later on.
Another bonus, I didn't need to clean my boots!


No comments: