River Mersey

Cormorant, Northenden

Having looked at the weather, and feeling decidedly weary, I decided to put today's planned adventure back on the shelf. A bit of a local wander was more in order. I've not been to High Rid Reservoir yet this year so I thought I'd go and see what was about and then have a gentle woodland walk back down into Bolton. I got the train into town and the train to Bolton was cancelled. I didn't fancy hanging round half an hour for the next so I hopped over to Piccadilly for the Hadfield train so I could have a leisurely afternoon's wander along the Longdendale Trail…

Which is why I got the 101 bus from Piccadilly Gardens down to Northenden and had a walk along the river.

The original plan was to nip over the footbridge from Princess Parkway, have a wander round Kenworthy Wood and thence to Chorlton Water Park and beyond. On a whim I headed East through Kenworthy Lane Wood to the river and thence to Fletcher Moss for the bus home.

Kenworthy Lane Wood 

Kenworthy Lane Wood is just a thick buffer zone perhaps fifty yards at its widest between the motorway and the housing estate and it's difficult to hear much over the noise of the traffic. Small mixed tit flocks — handfuls of blue tits, great tits and long-tailed tits — bounced about the undergrowth and squirrels skittered round all over the shop.

River Mersey, Northenden 

I joined the river at the weir where the water was high after last night's rains and there was only room for half a dozen mallards to loaf on the little island. I crossed over and walked on, passing a couple of cormorants by the motorway stanchions and a grey wagtail rummaging round the accumulated litter by their feet.

Cormorant, Northenden

Cormorant, Northenden

This is one of the river's meandering stretches so you don't travel far as the crow flies (as they demonstrated) but you get a fair walk in along grassy banks lined with trees and hedgerows and all looking very picturesque with it despite the gloomy weather. Robins, chiffchaffs, goldfinches and woodpigeons foraged in the hawthorn hedgerows and plenty more woodpigeons flew about overhead. The gloomy weather had persuaded the parakeets it was time to go to roost and flocks of a dozen or more wheeled about and settled in the depths of large trees. 

River Mersey 

On the water pairs of mallards dabbled and loafed by the banks and a couple of black-headed gulls drifted about before flying off downstream. Every so often there'd be a heron lurking on the far bank.

River Mersey 

As the river curved round towards Fletcher Moss before doubling back on itself the hedgerows got busier with magpies and great tits joining the throng. I had a sit down at the junction between the paths along the river, across Millgate Fields and through Stenner Wood for a drink and a write-up of my notes in the company of a jay that was feasting on haws and chasing off any competition from magpies.

Heading for Wilmslow Road and the bus stop I took the path that runs along the margin of Stenner Wood. A couple of mixed tit flocks followed me down, one of them including chiffchaffs and goldcrests. Dunnocks, wrens and blackbirds fossicked about on the woodland floor and it seemed a world away from the lean times of high Summer.

By the time I'd got to the bus stop I'd had a couple of hours' exercise, seen plenty about and felt a lot better about the world than I had been at Piccadilly Station.