Mud, mud, glorious mud

We've had some very wet weather of late so I've been trying to think of walks that might not be too muddy... I had the idea of going to St Aidans nature reserve, south of Leeds. I knew there were cinder tracks and paths; however, it turned out there was still plenty of mud and in some parts each step taken made that peculiar squelchy, sucking sound of mud releasing the boot! Such a cleaning job needed when I got home but at least I've now proved my boots are waterproof! I'd have been better in wellies but I don't like walking far in them. 

The RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) now care for the relatively new (2017) St Aidans Nature Park. It was formerly an open-cast coal mining area that suffered catastrophic flooding when the adjacent riverbank collapsed in 1988. Remedial work was done over several years and more mining took place until the site closed in 2002 and a wetland reserve was created. 

There is still a huge 'walking dragline' excavator on site, affectionately known as 'Oddball', preserved in memory of the 'sunshine' miners that worked on the opencast site. It towers over the little log cabin visitor centre. From the hillside above the site, you get some idea of how extensive (990 acres) the area is. The low sun, which peeked through the clouds as the day progressed, glinted off the many lakes and watercourses. 

I'll post a few more pictures of the reserve tomorrow.