I took at walk around the Lowther Loop walk at St Aidan’s this week. It’s one of the shorter walks, but it’s a little bit harder to access because the footpaths are quite uneven and not surfaced, but if you’ve got good footwear and are a hardy walker then it’s a lovely route to take.
I started off from the visitor centre and took in the view down to Bowers Lake with the dragline and the visitor centre looking down. It was beautifully sunny and there were hundreds of sand martins swooping over the lake, catching insects. They’re doing a great job at gobbling up all the midgies and mozzies!
The footpath down to Lowther lake is blooming now it’s spring and the cherry and blackthorn blossom that’s covering the hedges brought a smile to my face, and brings food for early butterflies and bees.
The butterflies were really making the most of the warmth in the sheltered parts of the south of the lakeside walk. There were loads of orange tip butterflies and I took my chance to have a close look at a female orange tip and see the difference between the male and the female – something that I haven’t done before.
I have a particular love for wildflowers and was really pleased to start spotting the first flowers of spring. It’s lovely to see lady’s smock, often called cuckoo pint and many other names too, enjoying the damp patches around the lake. The bluebells are also emerging in the woodland, this bud is poised, ready to burst!