Sunday 11 March 2012

Sundays stroll along the River Weaver.................................. took me 5 hours

I set off on foot straight from home this morning to walk alongside the River Weaver to the locks at Vale Royal... Nikon in hand I also took along my little camcorder and tripod and (hopefully) in a few days I will have put together a little video clip of the walk.

To get to the river I made for Marshalls Arm Local Nature Reserve... you pass this old boat yard.
In my youth this was Pimblots Shipyard... the owner Mr Pimblot was our next door neighbour.

Just a few yards from the derelict caravan and boatyard I saw this heron hunting.
I captured a video clip of a failed attempt to capture his lunch.
Marshalls Arm refers to the arm of the river in the reserve.. arms are old meanders of the original river before it was straightened for the movement of salt in 1700’s.  

It's not only Keith that suffers from boat people... joggers and cyclists... it was very busy down by the river.
It was the camcorder that kept me out so long... first time I've used it outside my garden this year and it didn't take me long to realize how much I enjoy capturing clips.

The bridge in the distance is Hartford Bridge.
 It carries the Northwich bypass across the River Weaver.

It's known as the Blue Bridge and was built in 1938.

Other noteworthy 1930's bridges include the Golden Gate in San Francisco and Sydney Harbour. 
OK! ours is not so iconic but it's just as important to us.

The view back towards town... I continued from Hartford Bridge to Vale Royal Locks.
It was a long walk but a lovely one... I will share part two tomorrow.

18 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

Your heron with reflection is beautiful. The blue bridge definitely demands attention. :)

Shaun said...

A lovely walk along there Andrew, nice spotting that Heron aswell.
I dont think that caravan is going to win any prizes soon either !!!

Kay said...

Amazing what you can find with your camera while out walking.

Brian King said...

Love that blue bridge! Not a color you see often for something like that. Glad you enjoyed using your camcorder. Look forward to seeing some video, too!

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Your little blue bridge is just fine and much cheaper to drive over than our Golden Gate. Yes, I need to get my little movie maker back out into the field myself.

Bob Bushell said...

I like the Blue Bridge and the Heron, and, I also agree with Keith, and yourself, naughty people.

Anonymous said...

I truly enjoyed this walk. Thanks for taking me along!

barbara l. hale said...

I like that your bridge is blue...my favorite color.

Carole M. said...

your blue bridge certainly is eye-catching. You juggled with camera, tripod and video; it's amazing how much we can lug along to make our day fruitful in the photographic arena. Look forward to your video clips next Andrew.

Susan Scheid said...

A heavenly way to spend the day. Our walk today wasn't so long as yours, but still glorious: a rail bridge spanning the Hudson River that has been repurposed into a State Park walkway. So beautiful, and a beautiful day. (Love seeing your daffodils, by the way--ours are still shoots, so this is a reminder of what's to come!)

Sallie (FullTime-Life.com said...

Beautiful ramble. (And I love that you call a 5-hour walk a ramble.) Your pictures are always wonderful and I so appreciate your sharing. (I also love and envy that you can walk from home to an area this beautiful and historic)...

Jenni said...

Thanks for taking me on your walk. Love the Heron shot and the color of the bridge...and the caravan is so delightfully old....I do love old things!
Jenni

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing your ramble today, love the bridge. Can't wait to see video!

genie said...

Great reflections, great bridge - love that bright blue - and the water. What a gorgeous spot to visit with camera n hand. Beautiful captures. genie

cieldequimper said...

Now that IS blue!

Susan said...

I love your pictures! The bridge, the heron, the river and the guys out on the river. Awesome!!!!!!

By the way, I love your new header.

Pantherka said...

Andrew, you've had a long walk, but it was beautiful ...

The Glebe Blog said...

We have a few of those caravans scattered over the Galloway Forest Park. Thankfully most are hidden behind the undergrowth.
Nice post