Shipley Country Park - Around Mapperley
Reservoir
w/e 29 January 2023
All of this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490 or
a Nikon D3300
After all this time that I've
been uploading photos it's inevitable that some places get visited
more than once. Mapperley Reservoir is one such place.
On this occasion we approached the reservoir from Mapperley Village
and parked in the adjacent car park. We then returned along Shipley
Lane to walk along the footpath on the dam wall.
|
The last time I was here - on one of the Autumn Footprints walks
last September - we stopped at the reservoir to see the Mandarin
Ducks but they were nowhere to be seen this time. We then followed
the path along the northeastern side of the reservoir past Pond
House which was obscured back then by the foliage on the trees
and shrubs.
|
This time we continued over the dam pausing only at the pier
and sluice about halfway across.
|
At the end of the dam we turned to pass the notice covered gate
to access the path running alongside the water.
|
There are access points along from the path down to fishing platforms
and they also give good views of the dam wall.
|
As the path turns towards the north, a drain crossing it made
for an interesting few minutes as we negotiated a way through
the mud.
|
Earlier in the day I had read a few lines in a book of daily
readings by Patience Strong and as we walked towards Square Wood,
those words about the eye seeing much more through the naked
trees, coupled with the earlier view of Pond House, came back
to me.
There are two L-shaped bends in the path on the approach to Square
Wood taking it further away from the side of the reservoir and
at one of them someone had used an old tree stump as a feeding
table for the birds. As we passed a robin landed, spread its
wings and then kindly adopted a pose whilst I took its photo.
|
We continued along the meandering path through Square Wood and
then crossed one of three footbridges that cross streams that
feed into the reservoir.
|
Now on the other side of the reservoir we had the choice of the
muddy path by the water or the slightly less option, which we
chose, of the wider, almost parallel track a little further away.
When the routes diverged to pass either side of the car park
we returned to the narrower path along the northeast side of
the reservoir.
|
We had a bag of seed with us with the intention of feeding the
birds but the ducks remainded hidden in the shallows beneath
the overhanging vegetation and a flock of Canada geese swimming
on the water showed no interest at all so we returned to the
car park.
Our walk around Mapperley Reservoir was only a little over a
mile in length but this is a Route Map link.
|
