The Longendale Trail

Woodpigeon

It was yet another nice day, I'd spent yesterday getting over the hayfever after romping through fields of barley and I thought today I'd have an explore. I don't know why I've not had a look at the Longendale Trail before, the start's only five minutes' walk from Hadfield Station and seeing as it's the remains of a length of the old line from Hadfield to Sheffield it's a dead straight and level walk. And very pleasant, too. In the end I decided to walk as far as Rhodeswood Reservoir and back, about three and a half miles is plenty for a teatime stroll on a warm day.

By the station I bought a drink and a quarter of floral gums to help keep me going on the walk (I always take a drink out with me anyway). It was pleasantly warm with a very welcome cooling breeze in my face.

Blackcaps, chaffinches and chiffchaffs sang in the trees, great tit families and wrens fussed in the bushes and blackbirds and robins rummaged around the edges of the path. Blackbirds and great tits bathed in the puddles in the remains of the trackside drain. Woodpigeons and magpies clattered about and there was a lot of noise from jackdaws on the rooftops beyond.

I'd been boasting about speckled woods the other day so I thought I should get a picture of one. This is the only one that kept still this afternoon and it refused to open its wings.

There was a noticeable change once I passed under Padfield Main Road, the hedgerows felt wilder and beyond them the houses gave way to open fields of sheep. Magpies and jackdaws bounced around in the fields while flocks of woodpigeons browsed in the grass while sentries sat on fenceposts and dry stone walls. Small flocks of starlings — never more than half a dozen — split their time between the fields and farm buildings that probably held nests. 

Bottoms Reservoir and Tintwistle 

The first sighting of Bottoms Reservoir coincided with a few lapwings being in the field by the path and pairs of house martins hawking overhead.

Woodpigeons and sheep

Meadow cranesbill

Bottoms Reservoir 

The view up the hillside

Further along willow warblers started to replace the chiffchaffs in the trees and oystercatchers and mistle thrushes appeared in the fields. Pheasants called from somewhere on the hillside. 

Marsh orchid

Passing Valehouse Reservoir I noticed lots of marsh orchids in the trackside drain. I'd been looking for them earlier but all the deep pinks and purples were clovers despite its being damp enough to support bistort and water forget-me-nots. There had been lots of large whites fluttering about along the drain, they were joined by red admirals and common blues as the vegetation became lanker in the open.

Looking down towards the reservoirs

The Longendale Trail 

Summerhouse Lane going over the Longendale Trail 

Goldfinches twittered their way through the trees and bushes by the path and a family of blue tits fussed about in one of the elder bushes. A buzzard floated over and a kestrel called from the woods on the other side of the reservoir. As I approached Rhodeswood Reservoir I bumped into the only family of long-tailed tits of the trip.

Rhodeswood Reservoir 

There was a bench overlooking Rhodeswood Reservoir, I decided this would be a good end point for the excursion. I sat down, had a drink and enjoyed the scenery to a soundscape of greenfinches, chiffchaffs, willow warblers and oystercatchers. I've no idea why I've never done this walk before, there's no excuse for not doing it again.

Approaching Bottoms Reservoir 

Approaching the Padfield Main Road bridge 

The walk down was much as before without so many butterflies. A whitethroat sang from the field by the path down to Bottoms Reservoir and reed buntings zipped through the hedgerows.

I'd had a very pleasant couple of hours' stroll. The birdwatching had been steady and well worth the walk. I'll be back.