After Saturday's washout I had to get out on Sunday and once again the weather had changed, this time for the better. Rather than rain and dull skies we had sun, puffy white clouds and blue skies. I though I'd pop over to the new Reach Lode Bridge and see what sort of clearance there was. The National Trust have a nice picture of the crane in action on this Press Release. Mind you the web page has an odd title so I am not sure they have a policy on organising their web data in a structured form. The Press Release also got picked up by the Cambridge News: "New bridge lowered into place" - the picture is smaller and was cropped - but you get the picture!
I have not been seeing Herons quite as frequently this year - so when I saw this one along Swaffham Bulbeck Lode stopped to take a picture. I would like to get a picture of it nesting - but they fly off as soon as I come clicking along on my bike.
These neat rows of spuds caught my eye, I think I was cycling along Black Droveway ( a track) as part of my road avoidance scheme. If I am right then the red brick house is either Station House or Station Cottages on the edge of Swaffham Prior. The track pops out near the Swan Lake grain store on the edge of the Reach village. A quick hop across the road onto Blackberry Droveway past Delver Bridge leads to Straight Drove, which heads out at a slight angle to Reach Lode. They track is rutted and needs concentration. In one place I cycle close to the edge with a deep tractor rut on the left side and a Lode on the right side. The strip I cycle on is acceptably wide, but with the pressure of a rut or soaking it just seems thinner.
This is the new Lode Bridge viewed from the banking alongside Reach Lode. It looks a rather nice blue colour - almost matches the sky! I've mentioned this before - but I think it looks good - a clean design.
A closeup of the path along the bank under the bridge span. It is OK for walkers, but a digger will not fit underneath it.
The span supports seem to stand on foundations piles (I am guessing) - but again there is no room for vehicles and if I was walking I would probably detour up the bank and down again. (Or maybe through the culverts which are large.). It looks as if any Digger travelling along the top of the bank (as they do when repairing it) will have to detour around the ramp and then back up onto the bank. I am not sure whether getting a Digger up the bank is easy or not.
The dramatic clouds over High Bridge (which it might or might not be called) called for a photograph. This is near where the last of the three (or four) Lodes Way bridges will be built. The uncertainty is because it appears tricky getting across the River Cam.
The same bridge in closeup - see the Konig ponies. They are semi-wild and help to naturally maintain the land whilst also helping with diversity. Although they are called semi-wild they are actually quite curious and friendly when you have to push through them. On a bike it is easier to stick to the path. So I have had to wend my way through the herd quite a few times. They do not even appear to get agitated when there are foals around.
Despite the rain this field needed irrigation - as I have said before farmers cannot afford to take chances. The crop looks remarkably yellow - almost like a field of daffodils - which it most certainly is not. I will have to check it out the next time I go by.
It's funny, some days all it takes is a potter around the Fens and it just lifts my mood. Today was one of these days. Of course it could be the endorphins from the exercise - I like to think that nature plays her part as well.
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