Salt's Mill

On the bike on the canal again today, this time in the opposite direction. Apart from heading to Saltaire I haven't been further in several years since mum was alive and I would cycle to Apperley Bridge and then up to Thorpe Edge on a weekend to visit her. It was a nostalgic trip. I paused at the works on Canal Road where dad worked when we were children, at the old YEB offices, then paused again at Buck Wood where we would do a circular walk and call at the ice cream cabin on a day like today. Once again it was busy on the canal and the towpath and I had several chats with cyclists when I stopped. I rang friend Jean when I reached Apperley Bridge to see if I could cadge a cup of tea but she was out so we made a date for next week. I decided to turn back at that point and blipped the very posh marina which has been built within a new housing estate, it was certainly full of narrow boats. When I was at college, I worked during summer at a factory filling shampoo bottles on the same site, now long gone.

Just before Saltaire a heron flew down the canal next to me and alighted in a tree. I watched him/her for fifteen minutes or so and pointed him out to walkers and cyclists on the towpath. Much interest was shown and blipping from phones and cameras. He rewarded my patience by taking flight. The ride was worth it for that. My final stop was at Hirst Wood locks for an ice cream, another great morning!

I decided to blip Salt's Mill for the wonderful sky!