Fish and Chirps

Yesterday I made a start on the Holme Valley Circular Walk, with the intention of mapping some wildlife sightings. The walk which at 24 miles with 4000 feet of climbing is a similar distance and height gain to the Yorkshire 3 Peaks. However with temperatures of 30 degrees and most of the wildlife sheltering from the glaring sun there really wasn’t that much to see.

There are some stunning sections on the route, but also a few dodgy road sections, and although the route is defined on the OS maps there is very little in terms of footpath signage, so your navigation has to be on the ball through some of the built up areas.

This said I really enjoyed my first day on this walk, I parked at Castle Hill and dropped down to Berry Brow, passing the Stirley Community Farm where I saw Goldfinch, Swallow and Twite. I have previously sighted Dipper in the river at the bottom of Berry Brow, but not today.

I followed the route through the woods to Honley where I saw a few Grey Squirrel and a Wren, and at Honley I had to negotiate a lot of left and right turns through the village before popping out on the other side and over the tops towards Netherthong.

At Netherthong I grabbed an Ice cream from the local shop before pushing on to Upperthong where I saw Kestrel, Nuthatch and Buzzard. I eventually dropped down to Compos Cafe where my lift home was waiting. I enjoyed some cracking fish and chips with the family before heading back to Castle Hill to collect my car.

I am certainly looking forward to the next section which includes some moorland and woodland, but hopefully it won’t be as hot. For the map and sightings follow this link:- https://maphub.net/BootRoutes/Holme-Valley-Circular-Walk-wildlife-sightings