Cepaea hortensis everywhere

Well done if you guessed...Banded Snails!

The fact that we were recycling small electrical goods decided where we were going to start our walk today (12th May 2014).

Near the Tip is a small village called Sefton (The name adopted by the Metropolitan Borough) it was here that we started what turned out to be a 5.1227 miles route.

It's has been saved and can be seen at http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6303011

Parking outside St Helen's Church, we headed past the Punchbowl Public House turning right toward the woodland that covers what used to be a tip.

At the well marked paths

it was obvious that the overgrown footpath wasn't a real option, where as the road, just a bit further on, that ran parallel to it was the choice of all those we met walking (including ourselves).

As we are beginning to expect this Spring, there were a wide range of flowers to brighten our meander. Chris being the expert, naming them all as I pointed them out.

Although we had had quite a lot of rain over night bees, Bumble, Buff Tailed and Honey, were evident. This is good to see especially after all the articles I've read about decline in the number of bees.

The rain had also brought out the slugs as well.

Upon reaching the River Alt, we crossed via Showrick Bridge, noticing the work done to establish water meadows,

and across fields to the Cheshire Lines (Now part of the Trans Pennine Trail). Even more flowers were evident

including Red Hawthorn Blossom, 

which I find quite, I don't know if you agree, in your face compared to the usual white blossom.

Leaving the Cheshire lines we walked along the road, back towards Sefton Village, crossed Dover's Brook and then left into Jubilee Wood (a former landfill site) which is a 51 hectare site that's been planted with...

• Scots pine, 
• Corsican pine, 
• larch, 
• ash, 
• rowan, 
• willow, 
• birch, 
• hawthorn, 
• guelder rose and 
• dog rose. 

Paths, partly hard surfaced and partly mown, 

have been created in the shape of a barn owl through an area of 3.1 hectares, and a 3.5 metre high sculpture also of a barn owl has been carved from Birchover sandstone to represent the barn owls that have nested near the Sefton Meadows site. 

The barn owl was chosen by local school children as the symbol of the wood.

More bees were evident on the wild flowers.

It was along the paths, in Jubilee Wood, that it became almost impossible to avoid the Banded Snails.

Ranging from yellow through to quite heavily banded.

From Jubilee Wood, we headed towards the Northern Perimeter Road, where our planned route had to be abandoned due to the new road being built.

After our detour, we headed back to Sefton Village, 

emerging back onto Bridges Lane.