30 Days Wild - Day 4 Going off the rails

With a couple of hours between bat surveys this afternoon we decided to get some exercise (as well as some much needed vitamin D!) on a bike ride along the transpennine trail from Oxspring to Dunford Bridge.

Its a steadily rising 12km ride along part of the former Woodhead Line, turning around for the return leg at the entrance to the Woodhead tunnel, which now only carries high voltage electric cables, not trains, under the Pennines to Manchester.

There are lots of opportunities to experience nature along the route as it passes from town into pasture and eventually heather moorland. The local volunteers do a great job of maintaining the habitats along the trail too with some nice wildflower areas developing.

As I was busy cycling I didn't actually get any photos during the ride, but I did get this one in the garden at home whilst mowing the lawn by the pond;

When we built the pond about 4 years ago I put that rock there, hoping that one day I'd get a photo of a frog sat on it - and there it is!