Several people in our village have asked recently if we’ve ‘done the quarry walk’? They never go on to say whether it’s a good or bad walk so we’ve thought no more of it. Why would we walk round a quarry? There’s daily drilling and hammering and the occasional air raid-type siren signalling the commencement of blasting – extremely loud and disruptive which sets the dog to a frenzy of nervous barking. Not my wild cup of tea. But we do love the chance to get outdoors….
So two weekends ago, on a glorious sunny but freezing day with patchy snow still on the ground, it was with some trepidation that I agreed to explore the place. They don’t blast at weekends so at least it would be a quiet adventure..
On the Doorstep
It’s a 2 mile round trip walk with the lake just a 10 minute (adult) walk from our front door; 20 minutes with Wild Daughter, initially on a scavenging rampage and then, uncharacteristically stroppy and cold half way up a hill.
I’ve since written some tips on how to keep children going when they’ve had enough on a walk, in my post ways to make walking with kids wonderful.
We persevered to the top and were completely taken by surprise at what we found. It was like discovering a new land because we’d had no idea it was there – through overgrown reeds it appeared from nowhere.
A Flooded Quarry Lake
This was not the working quarry we hear blasting every day, it’s an older, disused quarry pit, flooded with rainwater and a wildlife paradise. Wow! No wonder nobody mentions how special it is, I guess they all want to keep it secret!
Crazy Fidget swam in the truly icy water, though not for long!
Secret Wildlife Sanctuary
It’s amazing we’ve not explored the place before. At this time of year the water was perfectly clear with a pair of swans in residence and a small flock of probably pochards and tufted ducks, though they were too far away to properly identify. It’s a stunning location, the more so because it’s tucked away at the back of beyond.
Skimming Stones & Painted Pebbles
The silken lake surface was perfect to practice skimming stones.
Caroline managed her very first skimmer and then went on to master the art of skimming with ice chunks! To commemorate this milestone I painted her a stone collected from the bank.
Nature Everywhere
Nature was in abundance, with stunning gorse in bloom, the first snowdrops of the year, contoured freeze patterns of cat-ice on puddles and a sun-bleached water snail shell tucked amongst pebbles on the beach.
And as always, Number 1 Wildling ended up in a tree!
Wild Kids rock!
UPDATE Sept 2017 – apparently the lake is sadly due to be drained to make way for a recycling centre so make sure you visit soon!
More outdoor inspiration
For more things to do near water read Kids of the Wild’s Rivers and Lakes section
For fun things to do in the north east check out my Northumberland pages and for more fab family walks check out Kids of the Wild’s walking and hiking pages
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Wild wishes for fun and exploration on your own doorstep, who knows what you might find! Let me know in the comments.
#CountryKids #OutdoorBloggers
What a wonderful place to discover right on your doorstep, it looks like you had fun exploring.
It was a real mini-exploration, like discovering a new world! Thanks for reading
It was a beautiful day too
What a lovely surprise. I bet you’ll be back regularly now. Gorgeous photos. #countrykids
Definitely, as often as possible until it’s drained again
It’s just the best feeling when you make a local discovery like this. We have an old disused quarry up the road from us too, though sadly it is on private land. I have been up there before and it is like entering a different world, just as you say. How wonderful that you can visit yours. Sounds like a perfect family walk and I love your painted pebbles to remember the day.
Thank you for sharing on #CountryKids
Thanks. Those were the first painted stones we’ve done I think. Great fun and a great record of the day
What a beautiful place. Lovely to go somewhere with no expectation and then be pleasantly surprised. Great post and gorgeous photos. Thanks for sharing #countrykids
Thanks, this was definitely a day for great pics, the light was perfect
What a lovely place to explore, a proper adventure x
It’s the best when one has no expectations of a place and it turns out to be a natural gem. Thanks for reading
Wonderful photos. Another fantastic adventure for Caroline. She’s a lucky girl X
Thanks, this one was a bit more about the photos, the colours were so vivid and we had so much fun xx
What an amazing surprise to find at the top. A beautiful, calm, serene place! #countrykidsfun
It really was a surprise! Can’t wait to go in the summer.
What a find! And only ten minutes from your door as well!! I’m sure this will be a place you will return to again and again. Jealous that the snowdrops are out already – still no sign of them here in my hilltop village in Luxembourg. Greetings from #CountryKids
I was astonished to see snowdrops here so early. Such a sign of spring. Thanks for stopping by x
This place looks amazing 🙂 Great post! #countrykids
Thanks, it’s a real oasis!
What a lovely secret or should I say the secret is out now. #countrykids
I know, darn it, but it’s a secret worth sharing!
What a stunning place to discover. I would have been dubious about visiting a quarry too but to find somewhere like this is fabulous. Looks like you all enjoyed your quarry adventure 🙂 #countrykids
It really was a great find.
What a wonderful discovery, I bet it will become a favourite now 🙂 #countrykids
We want to take everyone we know!
Beautiful photos and scenery – I love the stones too! 🙂
A lovely family day of fun. x
Thank you, and thanks for stopping by
Wow you must walk fast – My running pace is 10 minutes per mile! lol. Lovely photos – looks like a really nice walk. #CountryKids
Thanks and yes the 10 mins is just to get to the lake, the whole walk is 2 miles including half the lake circumference and back through fields!! Took a couple of hours.
What a great place to have on hour doorstep. You obviously had a lovely day, and your photos are great.
#countrykids
It was a great day, and thanks about the photos. Photography used to be a passion but children and iphones ruined it!!
What a lovely little place to walk. #countrykids
Beautiful! We love it
Beautiful. We love it!
Oh it’s just brilliant when you stumble upon beautiful nature! Looks like you had a wonderful time exploring and how sweet that you made a little memory token, skimming rocks is a great and fun skill to master! xx #countrykids
It was a genuinely magical place though perhaps not so in grotty weather. We were lucky with the sunshine x
Fantastic adventure! It feels great to discover a new place right on your doorstep. We had a similar experience in France last week, when we went for a walk to an incredible clay canyon close to my hometown, that no-one in my family has ever explored!
Love the painted pebbles as a souvenir of the day – great idea!
#CountryKids
It’s funny how it’s often the things on our doorstep that we don’t think to explore!
How lovely… is it still there or has it been drained now?
Hi Jonathan, sorry for the delay, just found your comment in spam! At the moment the lake is still there though it’s definitely being drained in the next couple of years until 2029. So sad, for local walkers as well as the wildlife.
What a fab idea. I’m going to see if there are any quarries near me now! (Also love the stone painting)
Thanks Kate! Love your blog strapline btw – adventure doesn’t end with parenthood – couldn’t agree more!
That looks such a beautiful place to explore. Shame about the recycling centre – I know they’re needed but this spot looks too nice to lose 🙁
It’s really tragic that it’s going to be drained again. So many habitats lost. We’re making the most of it while we can. Thanks for reading