Coach trip : 13th Aug : Pocklington Canal : Pam and Roger Crofts.
Departing Manchester Road Cul-de-Sac, Rochdale OL11 4HY at 9.00 am.
The Pocklington Canal in East Yorkshire is 9.5 miles in length and runs from Canal Head, near the village of Pocklington (12 miles east of York), to East Cottingwith, where it meets the River Derwent just south of Wheldrake Ings. It is regarded as one of the most important waterways for wildlife in Britain. The section between Canal Head and Melbourne is a designated SSSI and two further sections are included in other SSSI areas.
We will be leading a walk from Canal Head to Melbourne, a distance of just over 4.5 miles, but there are opportunities for people to shorten or extend this should you wish. Most of the route is along the towpath but we divert to a footpath on the opposite side of the canal to explore the Bielby Arm before returning to the towpath for the last couple of miles.
The first section of the canal is as yet unrestored and is un-navigable being largely overgrown with reeds and other aquatic plants. From Coates Bridge onwards the water opens up and the canal is bordered by a mixture of woodland, rough pasture and arable farmland. This provides a wide range of habitats for wildlife.
On our recce trip last week, we saw an amazing 12 species of butterflies, over 30 species of birds, several different dragonflies and a variety of wildflowers. Among the highlights were Tree Sparrows, Yellow Wagtails and a Hobby which no doubt was there for the dragonflies that were hawking over the canal. At Bielby we were amazed by what must have been a newly emerged “clutch” of Banded Demoiselles dancing over the mill stream. Oh and the numerous Waterlilies were just starting to open so they should be in full bloom for our visit.