The weather this weekend has been fantastic.
It's hard to believe I was scraping ice off the windscreen last Monday morning.
A short sleeved shirt and no jacket for the first time this year.
I had a lovely walk along our local canal the Trent and Mersey which first opened in 1777.
The sounds of spring were everywhere.
The holiday boats were getting a run out... it's so easy to chat to people on boats as they pass by.
The speed limit on the canal is 4mph.
At this point I usually leave the canal... left into the woods of Marbury Country Park or right towards Neumanns Flash through Dairy House Meadow... home to the toads from last weekend.
The speed limit on the canal is 4mph.
Butterflies were a delight to see in the spring sunshine.
Brimstone in good numbers and this lovely little Small Tortoiseshell.
Calm water spoiling.
I eventually reached the small village of Marston... and the pub the Salt Barge.
Marston was home to the last working salt works in Cheshire... closed in 1986.
It is currently being restored and will open as a museum... target date spring 2014.
It's almost a year since I stopped and had a pub lunch... a cheese and ham sandwich on brown bread.
A pint and a (small) portion of chips... they did a large portion but I didn't finish these.
The Lion Salt Works is just across the road from the Salt Barge pub.
I will share a post about it's history soon.
A quick look over my shoulder as I headed back home (about 3 miles) to share some wild spring daffodils.
23 comments:
Gee that looks good!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
i really enjoyed my 3 mile walk and everything is so interesting to me. those boats are so different than what we see here,and the grass along the path is really green. such a beautiful area to walk in and lunch looks delish
the canal is really beautiful. nice to see folks out enjoying it. and pass some of those fries! er, chips! :)
So many nice photos!!!!
Great walk,Andrew. Love the canal and all the boats on it. One could have a great time just sitting in one place and talking to all the boaters as they go by. Lunch looks so good and balanced as well.
When I read the Mersey I think right at the excellent number of Gerry and his Pacemakers.
your pictures are fantastic, also the daffodils looks lovely.
Greetings, Joop
What a wonderful walk! Love the boats on the canal and all the reflections. The lunch didn't look half bad either.
Hi Andrew...Everything looks so lovely and doesn't it feel nice to just step out without a jacket : }}
So nice to see how your spring is coming along over there!!
Thanks for your well wishes..I am feeling pretty good , just have to get my strength back!!
Grace xxx
Incredible photos of such nice place! Oh...and those sandwich...and that beer!!! Oh, my...
Really...awesome photos.
Thank you for visiting! I'm better now! Kiss, kiss!
BShell
Lovely shots, Andrew. Looks as though Spring has sprung in your neck fo the woods.
Bardzo miło się spacerowało i wszystko oglądało razem z Tobą. Dziękuję za tą przyjemność. Pozdrawiam.*** A very nice walk and watched everything with you. Thank you for the pleasure. Yours
Ah Andrew, you have made up my idea, I'm dying to go to my local for a pint and a lovely lunch. The narrowboats are beautiful.
What a beautiful walk Andrew, so glad your weather is finally warm enough to enjoy without wearing a coat. Your lunch looks delicious, don't mind if I have a pint myself! ;)
I checked out your video gallery. The one entitled A Winter walk in Marbury Country Park was excellent. The part where you were able to get the bird to eat from your hand was just awesome!
...it's a delightfully spring-inspired post from you Drew; tripping along the canal on the barge sure looks like a pleasant way to get around. Cuppas and lunch on board, pull up where you choose and explore, take photos. Guess you can travel for miles that way; have you tried it? Pub lunch no doubt was a nice interlude before walking back home. Great pics.
Okay, now I am envious. You can take country walk to a pub, have a pint and are only three miles home! Grrr...
What a lovely day you had. Just beautiful!
Sure looks like a great walks, I especially enjoyed the canal boats and the little bird and butterfly. It sure is early for butterflies.
I gotta skip straight to the lunch at the pub because that looks delicious! Places like that are becoming harder to find in the states.
The reflection of the willow type trees in your first photo is fantastic! Beautiful color! And I just love the boats you have there. They're very different from what you commonly see here.
Well, those are beautiful photos, you had an excellent walk. The weather was really beautiful.
Oh crikey, did they serve a ploughman's? I envy you your walk, it's so beautiful. I wouldn't mind a few miles on a barge either...
Lovely post Andrew, I know for a number of years canal enthusiasts have been doing sterling work on restoring canals, but there are still many abandoned.
When I fished, a friend and myself would often fish the Caistor Canal in Lincolnshire, and I'd often imagine the boats laden with goods for the market.That would be great if restored.
I've seen the wonderful Clay Mills and River Dove Aqueducts on the Trent and Mersey down in Derbyshire.
I suddenly got hungry....
A very nice and interesting blog!
Fantastic reflections on the top shot.
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