Monday 6 May 2024 - Around Appleton

On a lovely sunny Bank Holiday morning, we decided on a local but scenic outing. It takes about 25 minutes to reach Hillside, near Warrington, via junction 10 of the M56, very quiet today.

Beyond Hillside Farm, near where the above picture was taken, our path skirted meadows near Bellfield Farm. We passed through a buttercup zone, encountering many dog walkers.

Instead of our usual route past Bellfield Farm and the site that marks the place that Cromwell's horse is supposed to have been killed, we took a left turn towards the canal, reaching it a little sooner than usual.

The local mallards were struggling to keep tabs on their innocent newborns.

The next picture was taken to showcase the wonderful colours of the tree, but to the right of the barge you can see the steps where passengers used to wait to catch the boat from here (London Bridge) to Manchester, some time before cars, let alone the current motorway network.

After coffee on a bench around our half way point, we strolled north towards the Dingle, Lumb Brook Valley, and Ford's Rough, through an extended belt of deciduous bluebell woodland that today sported a variety of plants and fungi, some of which are pictured here, with many others retaining their privacy.

Common Stump Brittlestem

Bluebells

Children were playing happily, swinging high above the path in Lumb Brook Valley.

Common Gilled Mushroom

Dryad's Saddle

Red Campion

Spanish Bluebell

Brittle Cinder

Our walk passed lots of dandelion heads, pristine on the windless day, finishing along the shady path at Pewterspear.

Jelly Ear

Our route is shown below - one of many good walks around here. It's exactly 10km, with only 80 or so metres of ascent. Allow 2 to 3 hours.

What a lovely way to spend a Bank Holiday morning close to home.