A long Easter Saturday hike today

A really great day for a walk today with wall to wall sunshine (almost).

We were using out free  type of B.P.  instead of the expensive garage type of B.P.

(Our B.P. being Bus Pass and the other British Petroleum).

On the buses returned today after quite an enforced break.

We legged it down Bradshaw Lane for the 9.20 bus to town and then caught the 590 Rochdale bus as far as Littleborough.

From here we legged it a mile or so uphill to Hollingworth Lake.

We enjoyed brunch of a toasted teacake in the really excellent RSPCA café by the car park.

We then did a circuit of the lake where it was busy, as expected, before heading back down the earlier road to the canal.

Here we found a bun shop and had a bun and a pop sat outside in the sun, to set us up for a longer walk than expected.

Sue had said we would walk a shortish distance along the canal and then catch the bus back to Halifax.

As it turned out we walked all the way to Todmorden (phew) and called at the first pub we came to for a well earned thirst quencher - the pub turned out to be a real ale pub.

My pint of IPA looked add and tasted odd but it went down without any problem!

Two buses and a walk up Bradshaw Lane saw us into the house at 6:30.

Birds;

Not really a birding day but I did bring a small camera.

Coot.

Tufted Duck.

Heron.

Moorhen.

Cormorant.

Mute Swan.

Mallard.

2 Green Woodpecker (heard).

Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Canada Geese all day long.

Just 3 Black Headed Gull by the lake feeding area.

2 Great Created Grebe.

4 Oystercatcher - 2  seen along the canal 2 in the air.

Chiffchaff singing all day long.

4 lapwing.

Roe Deer.

The canal walk was very, very quiet bird wise.