River surprise

Chris and I decided to walk from Dowley Gap along the canal 
( Leeds Liverpool), through Roberts Park, Saltaire and then back along the River Aire. This had the advantage of being a bit less muddy and near to the tip as Chris had cleared out the garage yesterday and had a lot of boxes to dispose of.

It was busy on the canal, walkers, runners, cyclists and fishermen, but not uncomfortably so. The paths being well used they were a bit muddy, but less so on the river side on the way back.

At Roberts Park, Chris was very interested in the installation of a water turbine at the weir opposite the mill. New since I was last here. As we prepared to leave the park to follow the river he spotted a large bird in a distant tree. It was a Cormorant preening itself. I have seen one in Coppice Pond once but it’s quite unusual to see them so far inland. You can just see him in the tree in the main picture.

It was very mild and we even got a bit of sun, so a very pleasant morning walk with some nice reflections of the remaining autumn leaf colour in the water. All that was missing was a take away coffee!