Gardens, River and 3 Parks

Today's 5.1144 miles (8.2309 km) meander through the Festival Gardens and the 3 Parks...

• Otterspool, 
• Sefton and 
• Princes

...has been saved. 

You can take a closer look at... 

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6623629

Rain, rain, go away!

Not a good start to the day, raining all through the night...

Maghull Railway Station Car Park

 ...but it started to clear up and we decided to go for a walk.
The plan was to start and end at St Michaels Station, Dingle, and, depending on the direction of the wind, we would walk along the River Mersey with the wind at our back.

I'll say it now, and get it out of the way, the annoying thing about today was the time we spent waiting for connections on Merseyrail!
Eventually we arrived at St Michaels and wind direction got us walking through the Festival Gardens first...

 ...then on to Otterspool Promenade...

 Which was very windy indeed...

 The wind, as planned, pushed us along to...
Park #1 Otterspool Park...
Bird song, blossom, flowers (Californian Poppies) and sheltered from the wind.

Out of the park and across Aigburth Road, via the underpass, and up to Aigburth Drive and we arrived at 
Park #2 Sefton Park...

 Keeping to the right of the lake we saw...

 ...swans and cygnets, geese...

 ...and very large footed coots...

 Crossing little streams, via stepping stones...

 ...we saw the Palm House through the trees and baby coots...

 We also saw a very white Rock Dove...

 The Bandstand, said to be the inspiration for The Beatles’ Sgt Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band, was also seen...

 ...in amongst the blossoms and flowers...

 We also passed the fountain, made from bronze and aluminium, which was unveiled in 1932 and is a replica of the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain created by Sir Alfred Gilbert in London's Piccadilly Circus....

It was restored in 2008 with a new aluminium Anteros statue replacing the original which now resides in Liverpool's Conservation Centre.
Anteros was the god of requited love, literally "love returned" or "counter-love" and also the punisher of those who scorn love and the advances of others, or the avenger of unrequited love.
Before leaving Sefton Park we saw some very old and large trees...

Leaving Sefton Park...

  We crossed the A5089 and  headed down Windermere Terrace to...
Park #3 Princes Park...

 ...where we saw more flowers, trees in blossom...

 ...and birds including Thrushes and Crows...

 We also went to view the Henge...

 ...the spectacular wooden “henge” was modelled on the world-famous ancient monument of Stonehenge.
It has been built near the Devonshire Belvedere gates and was designed and developed by young people from Toxteth who have been working on a project with Liverpool Youth Service, Plus Dane Group and Friends of Princes Park.
The wooden 'henge' at Princes Park is made from reclaimed wood and trees to create a unique seating area and aims to bring residents young and old together.
This innovative development is in the spirit of Joseph Paxton, designer and visionary who created Princes Park and who died in June 1865 (150 years before the Henge was created). 

Panorama of the henge

We then returned, via Belvidere Road, right onto the A561 (Dingle Lane), left along Dingle Vale and Buckland Street to return to St Michaels Station.

On the platform,while waiting for the train, we saw images of the Liverpool Plate...

 ...the winning entry into Merseytravel's 2010 Art on the Network Competition...

If you get the chance, it's a walk well worth doing and/or, each park and the gardens are worth visiting on their own!

Water never far away!

Today's 5.0739 miles (8.1657 km) route has been saved and can be viewed at... 

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6606070

Starting at the Carpark, near Rufford Station, we walked up onto Meadow Lane and turned right towards White Bridge.

Before the bridge we crossed the road and went onto the signposted footpath with the River Douglas on our right.

Be warned!

The path under the railway line is very slippery and muddy every time we've been here!

Once under the bridge and over the stile, the footpath is good and clear...

Ahead of us, on our left, was what had been a huge and very old tree; now still alive and, if you ignore the stump, looks like a new tree - determined to survive.

 On the walk we saw lots of sheep with lambs ranging from quite large to very small...

 There were also a number of wind-turbines, one of which was close to the path...

 It was quite obvious how the sheep kept the grass, on the first part of the walk, once we went into the agricultural area. Bees, butterflies and a wide range of wild flowers were on this part of the embankment...

 After some time we reached Meadow Lane, where it crossed the river, Here we saw ducklings on the River Douglas.

 We crossed the road and continued along the embankment. On the opposite bank were more lambs...

 We were lucky, for the second week running to hear lots of bird song and, among the expected birds seen, we also saw...

• a heron (Ardeidae), 
• a shelduck (Tadorna),
• a number of Oyster Catchers (Haematopodidae),
• a few Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) and
• Plovers (Charadriinae)

At Eyes Lane, with the green metal bridge over the river, we turned left, passing horses on our right...

 ...lots of nice spring flowers, blossom etc.,

 ... geese and Goslings...

 ...eventually reaching the Rufford Branch of the Leeds Liverpool Canal.
Before reaching the bridge over the canal, we turned left...

 and walked along the tow-path...

 Mayflowers lined the tow-path...

 We walked past the first swing-bridge...

 where we saw swans and 9 cygnets...

  Under the A581 and then right, across the next swing-bridge, we emerged onto Liverpool Road (A59). Here we turned left past the walled woodland...

 of Rufford Old Hall...

 We visited the Hall for lunch and took a closer look at the Woolen Woods in Bloom (only on for a few weeks...

 

 

 

 The gardens were also worth the wander...

 

 

 

Returning to the A59 we turned left and at the next junction, left again. This took us back to the car-park.

Another very enjoyable walk in Lancashire which, if 

you get the chance, is well worth doing.