Tuesday 30 January 2018

A Canal Walk

We had a lovely walk this afternoon along the canal.  The sun was shining and everything looked bright and cheerful.  


It was the first time we had walked along the canal in this direction.


These fascinating gazebo/summer houses jutting out over the canal were very interesting.


I can imagine they must be really lovely on a warm summer afternoon.


They have a fascinating history as can be seen on the sign below.


It is wonderful that these were in fact restored and not just left to rot completely.


This one was the first to be restored.



We continued on our walk.


These birds were waiting for their regular Tuesday afternoon feed from a couple who told us they come here once a week to feed them.



It was interesting to see the canal boats moored up for winter.



Wonderful reflections.




We stopped at the nature reserve.




A wide variety of birds can be seen in this reserve through the year.


I didn't have my big camera with me, so this is the closest I could zoom in, but you can see their are several species of birds gathered on this little 'island'.


We walked up one side of the canal, and then crossed over and walked back on the other side.





By the end of our walk it had clouded over a bit so we timed it about right.

Nice to get out in the fresh air with the dogs and have some exercise.

6 comments:

  1. What a lovely place to walk. And what lovely gazebos along the canal. So good that they were refurbished and not demolished.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very cool. Such pretty pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You took us on a wonderful tour, the gazebos were a delight. How old are they do you know? I always enjoy seeing the narrow boats and the amazing reflections on the water. A beautiful walk.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quoting from the information board "Their origins can be traced back to their construction in the 18th and early 19th centuries, with a few dating from even earlier, in the late 1600s. They were built by innkeepers and other owners of property on the high street, and were intended as a means of finding some peace and quiet away from their hectic lives in town."

      Apparently in the 1830s there were about 25 but by the 1980s only 10 remained. I think I saw about 10, I didn't think to count them.

      Delete
  4. What a lovely walk. I love canals and rivers. I liked the teasels as well. We had them in a large cream vase when I was a child.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are yes, that is what they are called, teasels! I couldn't think of their name when I wrote this post.

      Delete

Thank you for visiting The Balancing Kiwi and leaving a comment.