The Dee and
Thereabouts
Welcome to the site. The intention is to make a simple record of what we encounter during our walks, which might mean birds, butterflies, wildflowers, trees or whatever. Hopefully, you will also get a sense of the geography of the various areas in which the walks take place, and you might well recognise some of them yourselves. The ‘excursions’ cover Flintshire, Denbighshire, Wirral and parts of Cheshire. Many of them are close to the Dee – river or estuary – but equally there may be no mention of either of these bodies of water as we explore further inland. We may even find ourselves along the banks of other rivers, such as the River Alyn when we’re around the Loggerheads part of Denbighshire, for example. So the title refers to the general areas loosely covered. I’m sure if we drew an outline to show the exact area, we would inevitably overstep it anyway!
While people get out and about for different reasons, we all benefit physically and mentally, even though it might not be obvious to us at the time. One Sunday morning, Stu and I were walking the Leete path at Loggerheads Country Park: the light was poor and the rain relentless. I suppose we thought it best to keep going in the hope that the weather would be bound to turn in our favour eventually. Well, it didn’t. But we were singularly impressed with the persistent carolling of a male Song thrush from high in the treetops: he was still singing as we returned too.[1] (Mind you, we were equally impressed by the rewarding brew and cake at the café later!)
It’s not only the weather that can affect your encounters with nature, but the time of year plays an important part too. You can take the exact same route on a glorious late-spring day as you would on a sunless day in the middle of winter, and each will be a different experience. But each will also have its own merits. When you’re surrounded by nature, there is always something that’ s worth recording and which can bring a little bit of happiness, wherever you are and whatever the season or the weather.
You may notice the occasional reference to tea, coffee and cakes, which are seriously underrepresented in most other blogs. No such oversight here!
We hope you enjoy the site, and that it helps to encourage you to get out and about and to enjoy nature where you are.
Colin J., and Stuart A.
[1] ‘Singing in the Rain’ (Sunday 10th March, 2024)
