After a day of gardening the day before, we decided on the 11th March that we needed a walk preferably somewhere flat as my hip was going through a bad time. Jude had an early appointment so we left straight after making our way towards Queens Head along the A5 towards Oswestry.
The beginning of the walk took us back under the road we had just driven on. On leaving the carpark we followed the road in front of the Queens Head Inn and soon stopped to look at a very floriferous Blackthorn Bush. Immediately afterwards the path dropped steeply and took us alongside the canal where we started our walk along the toll path.
Long shadows crossed the path in front of us as the sun was still low in the sky. The hedgerows showed little sign of spring and the hedges and trees alongside them remained bare affording us views through to the farmland behind.
It was only a short distance along the pathway when we spotted the first lock, a narrow but deep construction.
The low light gave the reedmace seed heads silver rims.
In the base of the hedgerow we spotted signs of last years mares tails with a few new recently revealed fresh shoots. They are such prehistoric looking plants.
Nearby we could see through the hedges to a different type of farmland where sheep busily grazed taking no interest in us passing by.
Soon after the sheeps’ field we turned back along the tow path which gave us a completely new look at the canal and its surroundings. We discovered a wonderful looking nature reserve alongside the canal which is entered from one of the locks. It has an impressively large lake with seats around as well as areas of reed beds and small patches of woodlands. We decided it would be worth a visit in the future.
One of the special features of canals is the reflections of trees on the opposite bank which fell on the water towards us. All canal walks have evidence of the past and the importance of the canal systems.
We will probably return to follow this walk again in the summer when we can visit the nature reserve for a good look around.
greenbenchramblings 