Mapperley - Through Mapperley Wood
w/e 24 February 2019
All of this week's pictures were
taken with a Kodak DX6490
With temperatures in the mid teens Celsius and a
clear sky you could be forgiven for thinking it was late spring
or early summer but the absence of leaves on the trees confirm
that the pictures below were all taken on a short walk through
Mapperley Wood on a mild afternoon in late February. And to think
this time last year we were in the grip of the "Beast from
the East".
We set off from the middle of Mapperley Village along Coronation
Road which leads through a stretch of road called The Old Builders
Yard to Slack Road. I remember this road from the 1960s when
this was mining country and heavy lorries laden with coal used
the road, coal slack covering not only the road. but also many
of the adjacent fields.
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We turned off Slack Road and descended a gentle slope into Mapperley
Wood.
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At the bottom of the slope are two footbridges crossing water
courses that both eventually feed into the Nutbrook Canal.
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We crossed the bridges - this is the view from the first - and
continued along the track around the edge of the wood.
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To the left of the track we had been following a fence marks
the boundary of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's Mapperley Wood Nature
Reserve and there are several access points into the Reserve.
We chose this one which passes a notice board and leads to a
bird hide at Mapperley Pond.
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The hide was locked but this view from the platform where it
stands of part of the pond is indicative of the relatively dry
conditions experienced this winter. The pond is fed from the
overflow channel of Mapperley Reservoir.
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We returned from the hide to the notice board and turned left
to follow an uneven footpath crossed by many tree roots which
runs parallel to the track we had been following around the edge
of the wood noticing on the way many bird boxes on the trees.
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Even in the shade of the trees it was still pleasantly warm as
we progressed through the wood with the sun streaming down through
the branches.
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The path took us to the gate at Shipley Lane with the car park
at the Mapperley end of Shipley Country Park just beyond.
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Dazzled by the sun reflecting off the Reservoir we turned left
and followed Shipley Lane back up into the village to complete
the circuit of about one and a quarter miles. By no means a long
walk but a pleasant outing on a mild February afternoon.
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