We managed to do our Monday walk on Monday this week. It was a lovely day, if a bit cold. We had decided not to go too far from home today and went on one of our favourite walks. We parked down at Merkinch at the old Kessock Ferry pier The tide was pretty far out and you can see for miles to the west. I suspect that most people are unaware that they are also looking across the area where the Kessock Ferry was "upset" with the loss of 40 lives in 1734.
On a cheerier note, there was bound to be some bird life about, we thought. Sure, enough, there were Curlews, Oystercatchers, Redshanks and Ringed Plovers.. If only I hadn't left my camera at the house!
However, this very cold looking Heron was close enough to capture with my phone. A bit behind him was a Greenshank.
Once you get past the Local Nature Reserve and the herons, a few steps takes you to the Caledonian Canal, built by Thomas Telford in the early years of the 19th Century. The locks and basin we were walking alongside were completed from 1807 to 1809. You can see the Kessock Bridge in the distance. It replaced the ferry in 1982.
On the seaward side of the canal are the remains of an old coal barge.
It was a very calm day and the reflections on the water were very photogenic.
You can hardly distinguish where the pier ends and the reflection begins.
There is always something to see - just look for it. The top of a wooden pile was quite stark and interesting above the still waters and some weed.
It wasn't all calm in the water. Two otters made a bit of a splash.
Remarkably, Sharon managed to get a picture of them under the walkway of the pier. Fabulous.
After being entertained by the otters for a while, we walked back on the other side of the canal to The Jammy Piece for a spot of lunch. I had a hummus, avocado and sun-dried tomato sandwich, which was very tasty and added to my 5 a day. Probably better for my knee as well.
Once lunch was completed, it was back along the canal to get to the car. It had begun to cloud up a bit and it was notably colder without the sun.
We were very careful to take heed of the signs at the railway crossing.
The tide was well in, now and there were nothing like as many birds about, although we did see some Pintail Ducks, which took a bit of identification because of their winter plumage. Once again, they are not in the photo because of the forgotten camera.
Looking back where we had been and the sky was a bit special, and, frankly, so had the day been. We walked over 3 miles, had a nice lunch, saw lots of birds and were really privileged to see a couple of otters fairly close to hand. Another fine Monday walk. This whole Monday walking thing has turned out to be a great idea and wearing the leg brace has certainly helped in my enjoyment.
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