Firepool Lock

A kid and his dad fishing next to Firepool Lock.

The Lock connects the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal to the River Tone and allowed the barges full of coal to reach the wharf.
The canal itself was opened in 1827 and was intended to be part of a larger network connecting Bristol to Exeter but the railway took lots of the traffic intended for the canal so that never happened.
Commercial traffic ceased in 1907 and after the 2nd World War the canal fell into disrepair.
Like most in the country it is now 'only' used for recreation.

I love canalsides, so much wildlife jammed into a small area. Some of my best memories of my father are from when we walked for hours on the canals around Hyde, Ashton & Glossop. I learned so much about plants and trees and animals from him then. I pass on a lot of that sort of thing now when I teach bushcraft and survival skills.

A funny thing happened to me today, I was walking in town with Ada when a woman approached me and asked "Are you the man from Taunton Daily Photo?" - I thought I was famous! However it turns out she recognised Ada! What a cheek - its MY blog not hers, she can't even use a camera yet!!! grrrrr ;)

Anyway, it was one of the people who run the About My Area website, a fantastic resource for communities. If you live in the UK check out your own About My Area, get involved...

Grey Heron at Firepool Weir

Not the photo I was going to post today but having seen this magnificent bird sat sunning itself on its nest tonight I had to change the plan!

I don't know if it had just been for a swim but it certainly seemed to be drying itself in the last rays of the early evening. I had not noticed the nest before today, it is only 2 minutes walk from the house so I think it must be new. Normally the herons are to be seen a few minutes further along the river or at Hankridge Water Park about 2 1/2 miles away on the outskirts of town.

Polo

Just over the road from my house is Taunton Canoe Club. I don't know if this girl was just early for a meeting or if she planned to play polo with the swan.

The Tone towards French Weir

Almost at the same point that I photographed the Bluebells was this view of the Tone at dusk. I love the way Willow trees look - very dreamy.

Light on the Tone

While walking down the riverbank I though the light reflecting off the water was worth a quick snap. It was really bright!
Here's hoping for much more sun this weekend.

Tone Angler

This is a pretty tranquil scene for a midweek afternoon.
Without exaggeration this chap was angling no more than 50 metres from the main road through Taunton, I suppose it's a great illustration of how far we have come in cleaning up our rivers.