Fairy Bridge

Saturday 12th September 2020


I had a day out with Huddsbird today but I am in trouble, I forgot to take Physivic!  He was still sulking when I got home. :-))

We met at Healey Dell Nature Reserve. I'd never been and Huddsbird had walked part of it before but hadn't explored it. It is a hidden gem. As you can see from one of the extras which was taken from the viaduct which holds part of the trail, the trees have all grown over and you have no sight of the Dell from above. But underneath there is a real treasure of interest. 

The River Spodden runs through the bottom, creating wonderful waterfalls and you can find the remains of the mill that was once powered by the water. Apparently, if you're good, you can meet the fairies and the fairy Godmother. Needless to say, we didn't! 

Also in the extras I have put a view of the lake at the top of the reserve. It was all calm and quiet there. But we'd only been there a minute when the two ducks came over to see us. It was quite clear they were demanding to be fed. I had some duck seed so dropped it into the water for them. After eating it they said "Quack quack", which I thought meant "thankyou" but obviously it said "Grub's up chaps!". Next a whole flotilla of ducks came from down the channel and very soon we counted 30 all asking to be fed! Even after we said goodbye they followed us to the other end of the lake. 

We enjoyed a picnic and then walked back through the woods on the other side of the stream. We enjoyed some refreshments at the tea shop and further time to chat. A lovely day. Thanks Huddsbird.