Panorama of Lily Pond - our goal for the day.
I don’t know why but we both woke up in a reasonably optimistic frame of mind and decided a good walk was a prime requirement - so why not kill two birds with one stone and make the walk an attempt to traverse the Red Route, recently designated as one of Campfield’s circumnavigations of the raised Moss. We thought that we would also include, as an extension to this, a trip to the Lily pond too. It had been raining rather hard and the skies were lowering but hey! we live in Cumbria – who cares about a spot of rain – we love it!
We made full preparation: a picnic and a full complement of optics – Judith insisted in carrying her camera and long lens which has the appearance and size of a World War 1 mortar. As this was going to be a full-on photographic expedition as well, I offered to carry the iPhone which is an excellent camera - but she refused saying that I was unqualified . . . which is true! Secretly, I was relieved as my new optics (Leica binoculars) were heavy enough and I would be carrying the rucksack anyway which contained a substantial picnic, homemade soup and two bottles of fizzy lemonade. As I can tell you – a day out on the Moss can be quite tiring and a picnic is very sustaining. I also might add that I had opted to don my mountaineering puffer jacket as I am very suspicious of those westerly winds cutting in from the Irish Sea . . . and I was very glad I did!
Thus encumbered, we ventured forth, hitting the Lonning just as the sun was going in. But we remained optimistic as it gave us good shelter – there were plenty of Meadow Browns and Ringlets flying and - oh joy! plenty of dragonflies too. Parties of small birds, presumably young families, were moving about ahead of us – completely unidentifiable as I hadn’t learned to manage my new bins very well yet.
The Lonning looking lovely with its summer flora.
Honeysuckle and brambles flowering.
Deadly nightshade.
The wind by now was picking up into a half gale but every time fitful sunbeams were allowed to shine through, it brought the butterflies out instantly - this kept Judith pretty busy with the camera.
Meadow Brown on bramble flowers . . .
. . . Red Admirals, . . .
. . . and also Green-veined Whites.
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Male Common Darter devouring an insect.
Teneral Common Darter waiting for shiny wings to harden.
We were incidentally keeping our eyes open near the end of the Lonning for a Painted Lady butterfly, having seen one there a few days ago – but no such luck! It was then that I had the brilliant idea of having an early lunch, as we had arrived at the hide. I knew that this would be the last opportunity for a civilised picnic and it’s always warm in the hide.
Having got ourselves seated, I opened the rucksack with alacrity. The picnic box revealed delicious pork pies and salad, with the sweetest tomatoes you could imagine and the homemade soup was divine . . . and, of course, fresh air is the best sauce! At that moment Judith shouted, "Look at the pool!" A female Mallard could be seen ushering a splendid flotilla of 10 very small ducklings across the pool into the shelter of some rushes. This was great! Judith was firing the camera as quickly as it would go, in between gulping down the pork pie and tomatoes which we had started on as the soup was so hot as to be dangerous. We tarried in these congenial surroundings for at least half an hour and thus refreshed we felt able to tackle the 2nd part of the day and face the wind, optimistically envisaging the joys of what lay ahead.
View from the hide across the wetlands towards the Moss.
Female Mallard with ten ducklings, making their way across the pool.
Ducklings skidooing across the water to reach the safety of the reeds.
Grey Heron landing in front of the hide.
My rucksack now being a good deal lighter, we turned through the small gate of the Red Route into the superb meadow of grasses and plants. This was to be a hayfield so we kept to yet another of Stephen’s well mown tracks. The hedge to our left now gave us substantial shelter and along which the sheep netting gave splendid support to a range of flowering plants - nature having taken full advantage of the hedge and support. Chelsea at its best could never have beaten this!
Hay meadow looking north.
Tufted Vetch along the hedge line.
Lady's Bedstraw on the sheep netting.
Sneezewort and Tufted Vetch.
Greater Stitchwort.
Bird's-foot Trefoil in the meadow.
And so onwards through the small wicket gate and onto the Bower and the beginning of the wetland – a wonderfully sheltered corner with a sturdy bench and an ingeniously woven willow bower where one could sit and observe the whole of the wetlands falling away sharply and a small intimate pool in front covered with water plants and edged with splendid stands of reeds and rushes. This corner alone would supply a happy afternoon for a botanist.
Marsh Woundwort nestling alongside the wicket gate.
Small pond in front of the Willow Bower.
Looking back up to the Bower.
Meadow Brown on path edge vegetation.
Then down along the track circumnavigating the wetland towards the distant wood, with great beds of phragmites (now fully grown since planted many years ago by the workparty) on the left-hand side and on the other side, sheltering us from the wind, a hedge of bracken, brambles and wild roses. Here, numerous butterflies were flying at low level: Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Red Admirals and a single Large Skipper.
Male Meadow Brown.along track.
Male Ringlet sheltering on Bracken fronds.
View through the Phragmites back across the wetland to the hide.
Whilst walking along the track we were much amused by a young Heron ahead searching for frogs. It was very disinclined to fly on our approach but it did eventually, as we got closer. I am always surprised at the massive wingspan of these birds. It didn’t go far and just dropped in on the far side of the phragmites to continue its search.
Grey Heron on the path ahead . . .
. . . holding its ground as we walked nearer.
But eventually taking off - showing its large wing span.
Continuing through the birch woodland where Stephen had mown a wide ride for us all, the going was reasonably firm but it can be soft in winter (wellington boots or good walking shoes are recommended attire).
Entering the woodland.
Wide ride through to the other side. Look out for Dragonflies flying along the track.
Out, at last, onto the Moss. Immediately we were on a firm track with pools on either side – one can always see dragonflies along here but today the wind was too strong for damselflies. Further along we came to the boardwalk where there is a signpost and information board for your delectation. The boardwalks are a wonderful piece of engineering put in at great expense, making it now possible for we people to traverse this great moss previously unnavigable except to those who earned their livelihood from the moss - namely peatcutters – but that’s another story.
Black Darter on Bracken fronds.
Large pool on the right-hand side after leaving the wood. Look out for Dragonflies here on warm sunny days!
Smaller pools along the way.
The boardwalk ahead.
Judith was in her seventh heaven photographing: the wonderful array of plants in bloom on either side such as Bog Asphodel, Cross–leaved Heath and Ling to name a few; Common Lizards were warming themselves on the boards but you had to be pretty sharp to snap them before they disappeared between the cracks.
Common Lizard sunning itself on the boards.
There were dozens of them - in different shades of colour.
Male Black Darter on boards along the way.
Mostly Cross-leaved Heath - a plant common to boggy heaths.
Remaining heads of Common Cotton-grass - a plant of acid bogs.
A Day Flying Moth amongst the sphagnum.
Dammed pool on the dome of the moss - substantial rewetting has taken place here over the years.
Common Tormentil.
And so on to the large wooden compass where the various arms of these routes join. We opted to take the extension arm to the Red Route as far as the Lily Pond where we were delighted to see this little jewel fully complete with its yellow and white lilies fully in flower. I rested on the seat provided: a brilliant reproduction of a horse rake donated by the previous owners of the land whilst Judith was totally engrossed in photographing this spectacle.
The point where the Red Route and the path over to Rogersceugh via the Lily pond divides at the Wooden Compass.
Bog Myrtle (or Sweet Gale) lines the route. When you brush against it its powerful scent is released.
Looks like an Oak Eggar Moth caterpillar.
Regenerating birch and heathland vegetation.
Approaching the Lily Pond and horse rake seat.
Lily Pond video YouTube link
https://youtu.be/XLVBIAl9xJE
Lily pond.
Yellow Water Lilies are mostly in flower.
Yellow and White Water Lilies.
In the interests of brevity the return journey’s main features included, having left the boardwalk, our passage through the drowned birch wood – made much easier by the fact that Stephen had sculpted a wide level ride with his tractor and bucket –previously the going had been very rough underfoot.
The return journey took us back to the Compass and so onto the Red Route again.
. . . with views looking back across the Moss towards the Lake District hills in the distance . . .
. . . and Rogersceugh Farm standing high up on the drumlin.
The going would have been very wet underfoot without the boardwalk.
The end of the boardwalk and the drown birchwood in sight.
The peaty track through the wood which Stephen had recently levelled with his machinery.
Birch 'everglades'.
Flooded old peat workings - on a warmer still sunnier day this area would be alive with dragon and damselflies.
Then through the meadows and arable fields to the Wetlands Centre – now totally exhausted and blown to pieces by the gale but well satisfied with the day’s endeavours.
And so back towards the Wetlands Centre.
Looking across the farmland, the clouds are looking ever more menacing.
Harvesting has started in the hay meadows.
A flowering arable field on our route.
A wide track through the hay meadow . . .
. . . leads back through the Discovery field and wildflower meadow, to the Wetlands centre.