pickerings pasture to hale lighthouse

Further south along Carr Lane (towards Hale We have the biggest indoor inflatable in, The ruins of Halton Castle stand on a prominent rocky hill overlooking the River Mersey., Solve the puzzle of the Speke Hall maze. Carr Lane, with a mixture of reedbed and scrub, which stretches as far as (March-May)is when the pools are at their best. As we neared the airport the engine roar as aeroplanes came in to land was deafening. From here there are superb views of the hills at Frodsham and Helsby on the opposite bank. Fiddler's Ferry Power Station 43. Thanks Lynne. (September-November) can be exciting and frustrating in equal measures. The path followed the shoreline with meadows and woodland to the right. Hale Decoy is inaccessible to the public, but guided walks are occasionally Surfaced paths lead along the waterfront making it suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Created from waste land, well done ! The development of the trade in salt from Cheshire was the catalyst for improvements in communications from the Cheshire salt fields and the Lancashire coal fields to the River Mersey and Liverpool, a process that boosted the town of Liverpool and the growth of the port. Please note Mill Farm, with numbers of passage migrants relatively low compared to spring I can honestly say not one of my favourite mammals but everyone to there own.As I carried on walking I noticed early signs of spring as Snowdrops were in full flower in the wooded areas by the river. WIRRAL Puddington Western Cattle egret-T hree in field opposite Castel House. www.thefriendsofpickeringspasture.org.uk, Pickerings Pasture, Mersey View Road, Halebank, Widnes, WA8 8LP. In 1799, after America had gained its independence, the fort was named Fort Pickering after Colonel Timothy Pickering, a Salem native who served as Secretary of State under President Washington. I couldn't bear the thought of having nowhere to go birding locallythat Marshes, although a telescope is a must! Next port of call was Hale village for a history lesson.John middleton lived in Hale from 1578-1623 and was an english giant who was 9 feet 3 inches tall according to legend.He was that tall he slept with his feet out his cottage window! In his biography of McCartney, Many Years from Now, Barry Miles describes how Paul and his brother Mike, like thousands growing up on Liverpools new housing estates, were raised on the border of country and city: For Paul and Michael, the best thing about living in Speke was the countryside. drinking pools which can be productive. The airport are again threatening the closure of Dungeon Lane and demolishing of Oglet Farm and surrounding buildings. These giant bubble suits give you, Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership. Walking down Lighthouse Lane I was ecstatic to see lots of walkers in brightly coloured . A duck decoy was an ancient method of catching ducks for food, consisting of a pond where ducks swam underneath a series of hoops and net, attracted by a small dog (piper) running along the bank. Educational facilities/plaques are in place and guided tours are conducted by a member of the parks an countryside staff. interesting that Hale has attracted not only Paul McCartney but also Sir J Betjemen : the Manor House looks lovely but I bet its expensive to upkeep. This part of the village was lined with thatched houses. Within a 30-minute drive of this hotel, guests can visit Wrexham. Hale Lighthouse was built in 1906 to replace a much shorter structure protecting shipping on this dangerous headland. Pickering pastures wildflower meadows make a colourful sight throughout spring and summer and boast many species including rare marsh orchids. The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. On the right were fields of young Brussels Sprouts and on our left, uninterrupted views across the estuary towards Ellesmere Port. Plenty of things to see and photo opportunities on this ride! Hale Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment. The lane becomes a single-track rough road and this was my first opportunity to run off-lead. I met up with Malc curtin this morning and we headed to Pickerings pasture for high tide. Welcome to my birding blog.It will be updated daily with bird news from Cheshire and Wirral and will cover all my birding adventures chasing rare birds around the British Isles. Winter Theres a rough surface car park about half a mile down Dungeon Lane, much frequented by plane spotters who take up positions along the lane with folding chairs, flasks and binoculars, waiting for the planes coming in to land on the last minute or so of their descent to the runway. species. Can be awkward for bikes & wheel chair users. Hale Icehouse Woods has a mixture of mature trees and has three small For further information, please call TRAVELINE, Public Transport Info, 0871 200 22 33, A Green Flag winning local nature reserve with 32 hectares of natural landscapes and, Victoria Park holds the coveted Green Flag Award and is regarded as Haltons premier park, Land Rover Experience Liverpool offers you an exclusive opportunity to immerse yourself, Velocity Widnes is the best place to have fun! Carr Lane The whole area is surrounded by arable land which contains a mixture of In the village itself, a bird friendly garden gave us good views of Goldcrest and Redwing . Wild Poppies Sandstone Quarry 41. With a total of 61 species seen, if nothing out of the ordinary, it was a lovely way to spend a late autumnal day in November, and most of us were content with a good day spent birdwatching on this lovely bit of the Mersey Estuary. Hybrid year tick anyone? The paddocks often hold sizable numbers of, Summer Hardly a blog Dave, more a twitchers script! Where relevant,comply with recommended social distan Apr 30th Garden Warbler-Hilbre Island Garden Warbler (C)S.Williams Black Redstart-O ne on Town Fields at viewable from footpath between Chu COVID-19: Please adhere to current government advice and do not travel to see a bird. majority of activity on the Mersey. There are many Liverpudlians for whom this stretch of the river has provided a welcome opportunity to experience a quite wild and appealing area of countryside close to the city not least for those who were rehoused on Speke Housing Estate in the postwar period, among them Paul McCartney. It's always well patronised by folk walking , jogging, family picnics , families playing, photographers and birdwatchers. Throughout the 18th century, flatboats and barges brought rock salt across the river from the Cheshire shore to Dungeon, where it was refined before being shipped onwards. As we walked along Church Lane, with the sun dazzling us, we passed St. Marys Church with its imposing fourteenth century tower. This from Iain Dignall, Halton Borough Council : Hi Gerry, I look after the Public Rights of Way for Halton Borough Council and am currently in the midst of an improvement programme on the waterfront between Dungeon Lane and toward Oglet etc. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. (September-November) often fails to produce the expected migrants around Burnt Lovely walks but too many inconsiderate dog owners who allow their dogs to foul footpaths and grass verges. A small feeding station is situated by the scrape hide. A hike along one of the more scenic parts of the River Mersey would be a good starting point. We were visibly checked out by two police patrols as we retraced our steps. The decoy is surrounded by a 5 metre wide moat. Small layby/car parking area junction of church rd/lighthouse rd. Transporter Bridge 37. Moving on from Hale I headed down the roadtowardsthe lighthouse. I dreaded my human dad starting to sing Christmas carols. Latitude / Longitude: 53.3487171, -2.772744, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds(RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. It is a peaceful place to enjoy picnics and watch the abundant wildlife. However if considering a walk extension, there is a Series of a zig-zagging shallow steps which ascend to cross the bridge over Ditton Brook, cycle path leads onto Runcorn Bridge. to move. This section of the marsh was then developed for the disposal of domestic and industrial waste between the 1940s and 1960s. 20200120_125632 by Mal Davies, on Flickr 20200120_105402 by Mal Davies, on Flickr 20200120_110655 by Mal Davies, on Flickr (LogOut/ and sandbars are revealed, along with small areas of rocky shore. the old football pitch and occasionally include, Autumn Oak, elm, alder, wild cherry and sycamore are common species. Transporter Bridge Train Arpley 42. Welcome to the Itinerary Planner. Intend to continue this Mersey Path when the new bridge is completed. Pickerings Pasture, Widnes: , , Pickerings Pasture, Widnes, Tripadvisor Fourteen of us met up in Hale village for a morning walk past the agricultural fields to the Mersey estuary around Hale Lighthouse, and it proved to be a very relaxing few hours. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. It frightened the life out of me and my dad had to calm me down as I was spinning on my lead. Map Of Area Walking down the Mersey towards Runcorn bridge My Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Ambassador to the United Nations. Sie suchen nach einem 70413 lego, das Ihren Ansprchen gerecht wird? The Beatles Story and Strawberry Field Combination Ticket, Mendips & 20 Forthlin Road (Beatles Childhood Homes). Paul was mugged there once while messing about with his brother on the beach near the old lighthouse. Please use email: garybroad50@gmail.com for general enquires Email for wildlife records & photographs only: pickerings123@gmail.com Male bullfinch. But the noise levels are not intrusive, apart from the brief roar of the reverse thrust engines as the planes touch down; for most of the time the only sounds are of rooks in the copse leading up to Hale village, or the calls of gulls and waders out on the mudbanks of the river. Another great days birding which was finished off at Marbury park with Malc looking for the Bittern but no show! Hopefully a petition against the development across this greenbelt land and the demolition of historic buildings will be agreed and started. The Hale Duck Decoy is an important Scheduled Ancient Monument, is the only surviving one in the North West.The Decoy is in the shape of an irregular pentagon, five arms known as decoy pipes, about 20 metres long radiate from the pond into the woodland. View all posts by Joe the Cocker's Hikes. President George H.W. surrounding fields. Get this Runcorn Weekly News page for free from Thursday, June 28, 1990 s have called on the authority to sort out its finances and stop wasting money Liberal Democrat and Tory members want the . provides good views of the pools especially in the afternoon and evening when Feeding ducks included a few Wigeon and the usual skulking Teal. Hale Lighthouse was built in 1906 to replace a much shorter structure protecting shipping on this dangerous headland. I cycle through Pickerings Pasture during a regular cycle ride. Till next time! to pick up with often even larger numbers of arctic waders passing through. Once the road ran all the way down to the foreshore here. Instead, social and community facilities and services were overlooked or inadequate. Looking over Carr Lane Pools from the track we saw a very strange looking goose with the Canadas, which we agreed was a cross between a Canada and Bar-Headed. Bridge 47. An open horse paddock to the north of Burnt Mill Farm is grazed throughout the (September-November) can be very productive with often good numbers of. From this junction we followed the muddy Mersey Way along the shore towards Liverpool John Lennon Airport. It is thought the ducks regard the small dog as a predator such as a fox, and swim towards it as a method of drawing attention away from nesting or resting areas. BIRDING AROUND HALE AND PICKERINGS PASTURE CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS AND UK MEGAS POSTED DAILY,TWITCHES AND MORE! I think that my relatives are buried in the church of St Marys in Hale whihc you took a very nice photo of, Hope that you are well : I am well into Mersey Flats and Flatmen as this was referred to as being James senior profession and there was a Thomas Houghton also described who could have been James uncle (Williams elder brother) The Dungeon Salt Works are just on the Mersey close to Hale and it was that that triggered the rise of the Mersey flats ie the salt trade seemingly. Wader pickerings pasture to hale lighthouse. Schoolboy error! be viewed from Town Lane, along Within Way and from Pickerings Pasture. It looked as if spring had arrived while we had been away from the car as a number of clumps of snowdrops had appeared. Post-breeding species often congregate around the Lighthouse and surrounding (LogOut/ If you prefer, bring a packed lunch and enjoy the views of the river and The Jubilee Bridge from the waters edge along with its abundance of bird life. Hoylake Shore 800 Bar-tailed Godwit and 15,000 Knot in WIRRAL West Kirby Marine Lake 5 Scaup, 9 Red-breasted Merganser and 175 Brent Geese along shore to Red Rocks. During the winter the estuary is of major importance for ducks and waders, and in the spring and autumn migration periods its a crucial stopover for wader populations moving along the west coast of Britain. the sun is behind you. When (March-May)provides a good time to catch up with, Summer Halegate Marsh covers an area of 345 , the marsh is flooded on high tides which reach up to the road on such occasions. Surrounding the decoy is a salt marsh: the salt marsh provides feeding and roosting sites for waders such as Redshank, Lapwing and Black tailed Godwit, and migratory birds like Golden Plover, Teal and Widgeon. there is a disused football pitch and sections of scrub and longer grassy The chemical works in Weston Point and the oil refinery at Ellesmere Port dominated the banks of the estuary with Frodsham and Helsby Hills rearing up behind them. I am happy for British Cycling to send me cycling news, content, offers and tips: This ride is initially limited to members of The FC's Friendly Cyclists Satdy Club. profile. Hale (the name is Anglo-Saxon again, deriving from healh meaning promontary of land- a reference to the villages location on a bulge of land protruding into the Mersey. Well even though I dipped the Firecrest I was glad I had visited this site and willdefinitelybe visiting again. Haughton could be a derivative of this and village (which is as you no doubt know is what ton signifies so its possible that Thomas of Hale could have been Thomas Haughton but its all guess work. excellent descriptive guide to the area. But by the early 20th century the river channels had begun to silt up, and the shipyard closed in 1912. The local farmers have preserved a lot Speke airport was constructed between 1930 and 1933, but until 1986 was located on a smaller site near Speke Boulevard (where the old terminal building is now the Crowne Plaza Hotel). shore, and will often include large gatherings of, Autumn I have watched some Good area to stroll round. weather conditions and an early start are a necessity. scrubby areas. I was always able to take my bike and in five minutes Id be in quite deep countryside. Hale Marsh is Always remember, we will never leave anyone behind! When we reached the The Green at the village centre we headed along Town Lane and later Hale Gate Road until we turned right towards the nature reserve. This ride is suitable for hybrid bikes (fitted with road and off-road tyres), mountain bikes and road bikes (with caution) and is mostly on hard surface roads and cycle paths and short sections of park paths some of which may have a loose stone finish. The decoy is also part of the Mersey Estuary that is designated for its nature value, and International Ramsar site and SSSI for its safe feeding and roosting area for large numbers of wading birds and ducks. All control tower traffic, maintenance, security, farm traffic etc will be diverted along Baileys Lane, which is a residential lane, already decimated by Liverpool Airport. The path to Hale follows the edge of farmland, skirting fields of barley, potatoes and carrots. The salt works closed in the late 1840s, and the quay was then used by a firm of ship breakers. Th meadow justifys a visit alone along with the chance to see the many butterflies they attract i.e skippers, coppers, blues, meadow brown, gatekeepers, tortoiseshell, orange tip, peacock, speckled wood and comma. 2 February 2022 . crops throughout the year, but there is also often set-aside on a rotational Seals, too, are regularly seen in the estuary, the most unusual and rarest being a Hooded Seal a Greenland species which hauled itself on the mud banks at Spike Island in 1997. Fortunately, I can sniff them out. Spring An off lead dog raced through the set aside field which was annoying, but did flush a couple of Common Snipe, which we would never have seen without its help. After parking in the almost empty nature reserve car park we set off along the Mersey Way in the direction of Liverpool. Pickerings Pasture, Mersey View Road, Halebank, Widnes, WA8 8LP Mainly flat terrain with good paths throughout. made up of a mix of deciduous trees and hold most of the expected woodland A Green Flag Award winning Local Nature Reserve with acres of wild flower meadows and a fabulous view across the upper Mersey estuary. Use this tool to build your own journey or choose from an exciting range of specially selected tours. Thought Id bring it to your attention so you may perhaps follow our progress. 207076, Scotland no. scarce birds recorded over the last few years have included, Winter To build your own Itinerary, click to add an item to your Itinerary basket. inaccessible, but can be viewed from a number of areas. Good luck with the campaign. Toilets should be accessible Hale village hall, Nearby Pickerings Pasture LNR, a former land fill site has been reclaimed and an excellent wildlife area created in its place. From this junction we followed the muddy Mersey Way along the shore towards Liverpool John Lennon Airport. HALTON BOROUGH COUNCIL WOOD. The industry died out long ago, but there are still remnants of the old willow beds marked on the Ordnance Survey map. * " S A> .,. is hit and miss, with the breeders keeping rather quiet, and the water levels Near Widnes, between Ditton and Hale Village. It was not without danger. But this place does have some significance in Liverpools economic history, because it was here, after the discovery of rock salt in Cheshire in the 17th century, that a salt refinery was established, the remains of which are still visible in the crumbling stone work and overgrown sandstone jetty. Just as we did this a fighter jet roared over our heads. He was, allegedly, nine foot three inches tall and a life-sized statue of him can be found in Church Lane. Once we returned to Pickerings Pasture we were shocked to see the number of cars and people that had turned up since we left a few hours ago. basis. . By signing up as a letsride.co.uk user you are agreeing to communications from British Cycling and that you have read and understood our data privacy notice. We were soon back at the car with me snoozing in my bed on the back seat. The reserve has large areas of woodland and shrubbery. Interesting walk following the Mersey. on the pools fluctuating with the weather. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. There is a mix of larger mature trees and smaller fruiting bushes, open grassland, meadows and scrubby areas. Lighthouse also provides a good vantage point of Frodsham Score and Ince Annoying, but preferable to Christmas songs. Credit: Mary Hines. Where relevant,comply with recommended social dista WIRRAL West Kirby Marine Lake 7Scaup,5 Red-breasted Merganser and 14 Brent Geese. The rangers and friends of the pasture have put up to nestboxes to encourage breeding on site. On the way back Pauls parents and the two boys would stop at a teashop called the Elizabethan Cottage for a pot of tea, Hovis toast and home-made jam. At the end of the lane we turned left onto Hale Gate Road. The village still retains something of its rural and farming character, the product of the rich and fertile soils hereabouts. There is a hide at the far western end of Pickerings Pasture which overlooks a scrape and Hale Marsh. The first on Carr Lane itself, which Hale This blog is very good below not only did Macca used to visit there but also Sir John Betjemen wrote a poem about Hale Manor which is where Isabel Houghton widow of Hugh lived for many years in the 1600s.