Monday 15 June 2009

Exploring the countryside.

This morning was spent down the engine 'ole servicing the engine and having a bit of a tidy up. Everything is tickety boo in that dept so we are all set for the next 4 month’s or thereabouts.

As it was such a lovely day we walked down to the old Biddulph Railway Trail which used to be a branch line of the North Staffordshire Railway carrying predominately coal and sand between Brunswick Wharf, Congleton and the Potteries (Stoke on Trent). There wasn’t a great demand for passenger traffic so this ended in 1929 and the line finally closed in 1968. It has now been converted to a National Cycleway.

Congleton 032Congleton aqueduct over the former North Staffordshire Railway, Biddulph branch line.

Along the way we found a couple of holes that had been dug by a Fox or Badger which turned out to be a Bumble bee nest. The reason I suspect a Badger or Fox was because the ground was hard and stony and would have needed good claws to have dug such a large hole. Looking for food perhaps?

Congleton 034Wild bumble bee nest which appears to have been attacked by a fox or badger.

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