Bowlee - The Pond

The last picture of Bowlee country park for some time.

The pond not only attracts ducks and swans but wheelie bins - great shame !!

Someone has taken a lot of effort to actually get the waste bin down to the pond ..

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Bowlee - Reed beds

Not looking their best even in early Spring - no doubt soon they will awake and we'll get new growth.

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Bowlee - Flooded path

This area recently always seems to be flooded - a small stream flows under the bridge and I doubt it would only take a little bit of cleaning work in the channel to cure the problem.

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Bowlee - Old bridge

This old bridge has seen some wear and tear - graffiti and attempts to burn it down by the local lads ..

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Bowlee - New art !!

I'm not too sure if this is an attempt to bring art to the masses or not .. the park has quite a few of these statutes ( or lumps of rock depending how you view them ) each engraved ( not carved ) with a symbol - a horse or fish - a key - something like that.

In a vain attempt to gentrify the place perhaps ??

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Bowlee- New Bridge

This new bridge is one of the few improvements that have been carried out recently within the country park.

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Bowlee - Golf Range

Adjacent to the country park at Bowlee is the golf range which I think is quite popular. Not a sport that has ever attracted me.

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Bowlee - Scrub

I think the word scrub would best describe the scenery in Bowlee country park. A mixture of grass and woodland plus a small pond and an area of extensive reeds.

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Bowlee - Burnt out area

The trees in the nature reserve have recently been subject to a fire - whether accidental or arson who's to know ??

I think I can guess ....

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Bowlee

Bowlee lies between Heywood and Middleton and during World War II this area was used as an airstrip. Throughout the locality there were a great many RAF warehouses which I assume were supplied by this airstrip.

Bowlee remained derelict for many years until recently Rochdale Council turned the area into a country park.

To my mind the Council have tried to satisfy the needs of too many different categories of people for there is a nature reserve, football fields, golf range and an area for car boot sales plus Nov 5th bonfire and visiting fair.

The nature reserve often looks a little sad and perhaps the pictures that I hope to publish in the coming week will reflect that.

It is however a good place for dog walking ( if you can dodge the mini motor bikes )

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