Shipley Country Park - Osborne's Pond 2017
w/e 29 October 2017
All of this week's pictures were
taken with a Kodak DX6490
Last Saturday on the final day of Ilkeston's 765th Charter Fair
I called in at the Erewash Museum to see the steam engine and
the fairground organ. Preparations there were well under way
for Halloween with mock tombstones in the garden and a zombie
in the old Stanton Ironworks ladle that sits in the garden. I
thought that would be a good theme together with the shop window
displays all over town that have been decorated with ghosts,
ghouls and all things spooky .... but then the sun came out on
Friday and it was too good a day to be gazing into shop windows
so we enjoyed a stroll around Osborne's Pond in Shipley Country
Park instead.
We began our walk near the overflow channel and the cedar trees
in the centre of the picture, walked up the lane by the dam wall
towards Derby Lodge and then turned off to follow the path along
the south side of the pond.
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The path winds its way between the trees with the grassy slope
on the left leading up to Cinderhill Coppice.
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On the other side of the pond we spotted a lone angler.
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Near the western end of the pond the path turns into the shadows
of the trees.
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At the western end of the Osborne's Pond which is roughly rectangular
in shape the path opens out into a wider area along the water's
edge and it has become a favourite spot to feed the birds. And
the birds know it too as this "feeding station" is
where they tend to gather.
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From the pond the path continues to rise up the hillside and
if we had followed it we would soon be at the Visitor Centre.
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Instead we crossed the grass to pass through a gap in the trees
and bushes but not before looking back towards the pond to admire
the autumn colours.
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Turning right to return along the northern side of Osborne's
Pond we were now on the Nutbrook Trail.
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There are two paths (at least) along this side of the pond, one
which gives access to the fishing platforms and another to the
higher Nutbrook Trail. That was the one we walked along from
where the water is only visible through the flora.
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Whichever path you take, you end up back at the overflow channel
at the eastern end of the pond and this is where we ended this
pleasant stroll on a lovely autumn afternoon.
This walk was less than three quarters of a mile long and there
are many short walks that can be found in the Miscellaneous Walks
Index including two similar walks around Osborne's Pond from
2003 and 2012.
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