Photo Blog Week 8 - Wed 8 Jan 2014
Another lucky dry day for patrolling. A nice change after the dismal wet and windy patrol last week.The Park and the Moor cover a large are and most weeks I cover around 6.5 miles but this week a little further at around 7.5 miles.
After leaving the car, I was immediately greeted by the Fallow Deer over the fence at the top of the car park
The large bough came down in the first winds crashing through the Fallow Deer enclosure fence.
The Coffee Shop and Cafe complex includes an indoor picnic area in the event of bad weather for your own butties but their coffee and bacon or sausage barms are my choice for dinner.
route: Crow Wood circle
Crow Wood Play Scape is a great outdoor adventure playground.
Path in Crow Wood closed for now. Trees should not be at that angle!
Oh I wish my camera captured smells. Oak, Pine and Birch all freshly cut, a stunning, pleasure filled assault on the nose.
Interesting end view of the Oak which fell first and the Pine which it knocked over
Crow Wood Play Scape through the woods
Red Deer Tree Damage
Not only the weather damages the trees. Red Deer Stags damage the bark on trees scratching their antlers as they harden up and loose the velvet prior to the rut.
Chestnut palings fitted to tree in danger of dying if damaged further
This tree has no bark for 50% of its circumference putting it at risk. Too far round and the tree will die.
Early stages of damage from this year.
route: Across Main Drive up Cage Hill
A beautiful oak silhouetted against the sky on Cage Hill
Watching the planes approaching Manchester International Airport coming in from the northern Pennines where their turn in when landing from North East.Landmarks
I keep intending building an interactive map to identify landmarks in the views from the park. Here are a few from Cage Hill.
Kinder plateau unfortunately with a cloud sitting on it.
The Beetham Tower in central Manchester (Hilton Hotel)
Stepping Hill Hospital Maternity Unit
St George's Church Spire, Heavily
BA Aircraft Factory, Woodford
Manchester International Airport Buildings and Control Tower
Alderley Edge escarpment
route: East from The Cage toward East Park Gate
The Park Herd
The Red Deer at Lyme Park live in two separate herds., the Park Herd and the Moor Herd. They generally stay separate though there is a Deer Leap which allows them to mix. Though numbers aren't know, some adventurous Stags do cross over during the rut to sow their seed elsewhere.
Today the Park Herd seemed to have all retired to their sanctuary in the East of the park. They are easily missed in the grasses and are binocular distance in truth.
To find them. walk East from the Hall toward East Park Gate look south into the Deer Sanctuary. You briefly see down to them near where a track goes left then they are hidden until closer to the gate when you see South to them again.
Looking North West across the deer sanctuary and Cage Hill from near East Park Lodge
..and the view South toward Park Moor
yet to be identified escarpment North West of Kinder
route: Back to Hall and The Timber Yard (Coffee Shop & Toilets)
Seagull at the Mill Pond
route: Car Park, Drinkwater Meadow through Knigthslow Wood
The White Fallow Deer Stag through fence on path from Cark Park to Drinkwater Meadow
Knightslow Wood
Den making is a popular pastime in the woods
Very young beech trees..
...and looking the other direction mature beech trees. Note the lack of ground vegetation.
route: Out Onto Park Moor heading South West
Lots of ground water today
Wonderful rolling moorland up to Bow Stone Gate on the horizon to left
One of the many small quarries across the area
I'm always surprised at where all the bracken goes. This will be tall green ferns in a few months.
route: cross Park Moor toward Park Moor Cottage
Boundary Wall Collapse
This sort of thing is what Patrolling Rangers can find and report back. This collapse is about 12ft across above Cluse Hey. Had it been on Park Moor boundary 200m away the Moor Herd Red Deer would have been able to escape the park.
In spring, cattle are in this are so this will have to be repaired or more likely fenced off by then.
Paddock Cottage from Park Moor
route: North West parallel to boundary to West Park Gate
Descending into Cluse Hey toward West Park Gate
This rocky outcrop makes a great picnic site in summer with amazing views to South.
Continuing down a very slippery path toward West Park Drive
Another tree gone
route: track to The Knott Car Park and cross to Four Winds wall
Dry Stone Wall Repairs
400m of this wall is being repaired. Even with volunteer skilled labour that could be £60,000
No comments:
Post a Comment