Friday 12 June 2015

Day 12 Visit a Biological Heritage Site

The plan for tonight was to get the tent out, camp out in the back garden and have an early morning garden wildlife spotting session.  My youngest daughter not so keen on camping out was showing interest in an evening walk somewhere so I shelved the camping until tomorrow night and instead took a drive out to the Fairy Glen in Appley Bridge.

The Fairy Glen noted as being one of the most picturesque woodlands in the West Lancashire Borough, is designated Biological Heritage Site status due to it's ancient woodland of oak, birch, ash and alder.  The woodland floor is usually found to be covered with bluebells, wild garlic, ferns and red campion.

Sprodley Brook has overtime cut down through the underlying sandstone resulting in the steep Fairy Glen valley and it's spectacular waterfalls and cliff faces.

A walk through the Fairy Glen isn't a long one but it's a place where you never get bored of the beauty that greets you each visit.   We arrived late in the evening  and enjoyed a relaxing walk down to the bottom of the Glen and then back up to the car which was parked in a layby just over the road from the entrance on the A5209.
 
Entrance to the Glen on the A5209

Start of the path down through the glen

Brook crossing

Quiet woodland

Boardwalk over the muddy section

Buttercups

The top waterfall

Watching the water fall

Onwards and downwards

Steps down the glen
 to the bottom waterfall

Fungi growing on 
some rotted tree trunks

More Fungi

Bridge by the waterfall

Bridge over the brook

The bottom waterfall

Another shot of the waterfall

Daughter having a closer
inspection of the waterfall

Looking back to the bridge

Some other people 
enjoying the view

Fairy Glen Waterfall

Five minute rest break

Bridge and the path 
leading to the meadow

'The swamp'

Steps down to the
bottom of the Glen

The path ends just 
beyond this stone path

The bridge at the bottom of the glen

Almost back up to the Waterfall

Steps on the way back up

The waterfall from the path on the hill

One of  the many
paths through the Glen

Following the trail back up 
through the Glen

Creeping Buttercups

Throwing sticks into the brook

Boardwalk on the way
back up the Glen

Brook

Boardwalk

Watching sticks in the brook

 
Fairy Glen
sound and vision
 
A quick tree hug before we leave

5 comments:

  1. Just been reading through your posts from this week, you have been to some nice places and like me been making the most of the warm, dry and wind free weather ! Love how bright your daughters red coat shows up in the dark wood, looks like "little red ridding hood " you might not be camping to night now its wet...or are you.
    Amanda xx

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  2. I've known of Fairy Glen for years and never visited - really must make the effort. Like Amanda, I loved the splash of colour from your daughter's coat. Hope the weather is ok for your camping tonight.

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  3. Yes, I too like the contrast of your daughter's red coat and the darkness under the trees. Fairy Glen looks a lovely place for an evening walk:)

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  4. This looks a great place to explore - another place to put on my list! I think I might take a detour and visit this wood next time I'm heading north. Dave's parents live near Clitheroe so we head to Lancashire every so often.

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  5. Wow, you have really done 30 days wild in style!

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