A February walk in the Tame Valley – free access to fresh air

There was a decent and welcome break last week from the bitterly cold weather of the week before. We certainly made the most of the change in weather last week and kicked our week off with a pleasant February walk in the Tame Valley and once again had free access to fresh air.

In fact the change in the temperature felt quite dramatic, that at times it almost felt like an early spring day.

The change in the weather certainly made for decent walking conditions and we set off by heading along the River Tame, up to and along a part of the Peak Forest canal before dropping into the woods of the Tame Valley a few miles later.

We were in no rush and all in all we enjoyed a gentle and relaxed seven mile or so walk.

Much to see in the Tame Valley?

Yes and no I suppose is the answer to that. There wasn’t huge amounts of wildlife about – robins and grey wagtails mainly, but we did see a great spotted woodpecker and not a great deal else really. I suppose we have been slightly spoiled in the last week or two with sighting of foxes, kestrels and kingfishers – but even when the wildlife isn’t making much of an appearance there isn’t much that’s better than a decent walk in decent countryside with the promise of spring around the corner.

Spending time not money

I suppose one of the great benefits of getting out walking and finding interest in the green space around us is that it doesn’t always mean spending money. Fresh air, exercise and a natural habitat for wildlife are seldom a disappointing combination and whist walking has been a regular activity for us for years I suspect that one of the positive things to have come out of the pandemic and the series of lockdowns is that I suspect many people have had their eyes opened to just what’s on their doorstep.