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A two-part report this time, one half in the garden with wildlife visitors who were a welcome sight,

and then on for a trip to Carlisle, where I find myself at the other end of the old railway / canal system I visited last week.

This time I visit Port Carlisle, the historical point of access for sea going vessels to the landlocked city.

First, early morning mist shroud Low Fell, just like a cotton wool blanket.

Yesterday's rain and humid conditions have encouraged the formation of cloud today, which slowly slides over the fell.

Half an hour later and the phenomena had virtually passed leaving a more normal cloudy appearance in the valley.

- - - o o o - - -

The hedgehogs has been feeding from the bird table area for several weeks now, usually in the dark as he is a generally nocturnal animal.

Now the summer evenings are longer it is the first time we've noticed the hedgehog looking for food while it is still light.

Being here at 8.30 pm is much earlier than normal but we don't mind.

Here he shuffles up alongside the hedge, as we spotted him whilst he was still on his way up the garden.

All clear, he makes a break for the bird table.

I've spread some bird-food based hedgehog food around the base which presumably he's been looking forward to,

after all it was that which attracted him in the first place before I started leaving the more specialist food mix.

- - - o o o - - -

Some nights we even have two or three hedgehogs in our garden.

If I'm a bit slow putting out food I have been able to approach with a cup of food and they will freeze where they are, rather than run.

They stay absolutely still till I've gone and then make a start on the new feed . . . a lovely sight.

- - - o o o - - -

The following day . . . .

Lo and behold, our visitor is back.

He's already sampled from the box lower down the garden, now he's up at out top squirrel box.

He seems to love the monkey nuts as well as the hazels.

Under the bird table now and he's also run about the garden a few times burying food in the lawn and flower beds.

On that basis presumably he must be planning to return to eat them later, which is a nice thought.

Oh well . . . off on his travels again !

- - - o o o - - -

Following my Carlisle walk ten days ago, I find myself in the area once again and this time decide to venture further west, out to Port Carlisle.

The road roughly follows the course of the Roman Vallum out to the coast at Burgh by Sands then follows the estuary

on roads that advertise themselves as covered by water at the highest of spring tides.

I parked the car on the roadside in the small village of Port Carlisle and walked the short distance to the edge of the Solway Estuary.

Old red sandstone stonework looks familiar.

Here was the old canal exit at Port Carlisle, the seaward end of the old Carlisle Canal.

You can see the curved shapes that held the lock gates.  The width of the canal locks at this point

shows that it was capable of accommodating sea going vessels and would have provided navigation all the way into the big city.

On the other side of this more modern fixed bridge was the old canal basin, now silted up and overgrown.

This stonework (repaired with more modern grey blocks) was one of the jetties that boats could moor up against.

The flat area has a rail link and there were warehouses to the right.   Now private houses take their place.

About a hundred yards off shore there's a shingle island topped with more sandstone harbour walls.

The presence of the stable shingle on the bend in the river allowed a harbour to be built and used for many years.

An informative notice board gave more background and an explanation of the history of the village.

Barges collected the grain and produce destined for Carlisle’s biscuit and feed mills.

The canal built specially for this purpose ended in the canal basin behind the present Carrs (McVities) biscuit factory in Carlisle.

Guess where I took the photo from !

Note the proposed harbour extension and the presence of the more modern railway which superceded the canal.

The railway was built over and split the old canal but they retained the curved wharf presumably to load and unload boats in a non-tidal environment.

At the far end of the jetty, a view east to where the extension to the harbour was proposed.

The pillar on the island was one of the supports for the rail track that was connected to shore which enabled boats to be loaded on the outer wharf.

We walk back towards the modern road and the houses in the village.

Here was the old track bed and the station platform for the 1850's railway that superceded the canal.

Signs of the station platform remain in the gravel car park of the Bowling Club, opposite Solway House.

The Hope and Anchor pub which still looks to be able to attract sufficient clientele to keep a nice atmosphere in the pub.

Sadly it is temporarily closed at present due to the present Covid problems.