Doorstep Adventures: River Dee Ramblings.

Following on from the previous Doorstep Adventure I continued the theme of following the waterways that passed through the place I live.

Looking at my OS Maps I decided to follow the River Dee starting in Eccleston Ferry, just ten minutes drive away. I have been here many times to walk the dog but tend to follow the river in the direction of the city, going with the river’s flow. I had yet to follow it in the other direction, for no other reason than I had never got around to it.
 
Parking in the small car park I headed towards the river taking the path to the right, instead of the left as I would normally do. The path entered a wooded area whose trees wore subtle hints that autumn was on its way. It still felt like summer though, with warm temperatures, blue skies and bright sunshine.

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The path follows the river’s edge so I would often stop to watch the river slowly drift passed, waving to canoeists and people in small boats on the water. Walking through the woods I was surrounded by an array of beautiful birdsong and beams of light that shone through the high canopy. Further along the path passes behind Eaton Hall, its wrought iron fences coming into view. Here the stretch of the river feels quite wild with its banks overgrowing with vegetation and the wildlife was in abundance!

Meandering on, the path eventually left the riverside and took a curve inland passing a large field at the Crook of Dee. Passing by a lovely house on the edge of the Eaton Hall Estate it soon re-entered the woodland and took care on the muddy path that began to narrow. It eventually led to an access road where I joined it to cross the beautiful bridge over the river, re-joining the path on the other side.

It was evident that the path along this side of the river wasn’t used as much as the one I had come from as it was pretty overgrown in parts and I often had to duck under low hanging branches, using my walking pole to bushwhack through the thicket (a reason why I always carry a single pole with me). After a short while of feeling like I was in the jungle I came to a small cove on the river where I sat to have my lunch, watching the fishes in the shallow water. As time wore on, a couple of canoeist passed by and having given them a wave I packed up my flask and ventured on. Fortunately you can leave the overgrown path and follow it parallel at the edge of a field behind the village of Aldford. This made it much easier than trying to fight through overgrowing brambles.

Passing through a gate the path continued through woodland with the river still in sight before it opened up to a large area of lush green pastures. It was a lovely sight and I could see a tractor carrying out the harvest in the next field, followed closely by a flock of birds.

Here I sat down for a while to watch the natural world go by and enjoy the sun’s warmth on my face. I could have easily stayed there for hours but looking at my watch I decided that it was time to head back.

I retraced my route, enjoying being immersed in the natural surroundings. Passing through the woodlands, through the jungle and over the bridge I followed the path all the way back to where I had started, stopping to chat with some people along the way.

This was a few free hours on a Sunday very well spent and I promised myself that I would do the route again, this time walking all away to the village of Farndon. It really is easy to take for granted what you have on your doorstep and I have really enjoyed exploring areas around my hometown. There certainly is so much to see and experience!