Lily Pads and Paddles...

Some stretches of water just ask to be paddled. A raft of waterlilies entice you under the cast iron bridge, a gateway to be explored. The Anglesey Branch Canal links the large lake at Chasewater (used for sailing and water skying) to the Wryley and Essington.

This was once a polluted, industrial transport canal surrounded by coal mines. Intriguing bits of brickwork, heavy metal fixings, and rusted chutes to load the barges with coal still remain, but are now softened by nature.

The lake at Chasewater is fed by springs. It's this water that feeds the canal and has purged it of pollutants. The lack of narrowboat traffic on this stretch means that the water is lovely and clear.



Huge Carp patrol the banks of weed, although they quickly disappeared as soon as I got my camera into the water... typical.

The canal terminates in a large basin. The shallow banks make it easy to haul up and find a grassy knoll on which to eat your sandwiches.

On the return trip the water lilies made excellent little tables to put your coffee cup down onto.

It may at first seem like a clever idea to pop your car keys on one to take a silly photo, but when your kayak drifts away, you quickly realise what an idiot you are. Every time I tried to paddle back to retrieve them the wake from my boat threatened to sink the lily pad. Oh dear!

Never mind, I have a cunning plan...