Crossing paths

On a family walk around Delamere, we kept spotting red paper ribbons tied to the trees. I saw them again alongside the canal at Waverton and a sign for GB trails. Unimaginably to my recovering lungs, they were all part of the same race route: the Chester Ultra 100 mile.

By comparison, we're still trying to finish the Baker Way walking trail from Chester to Delamere. It's just 13 miles but still a marathon effort with little legs. We've managed to complete a few sections as circulars, fuelled by trail mix and led by our valiant scout Caper.

It made me think about which animals paths we cross without knowing it. By day, the garden seems to be under a new flight path, as a family of great tits have taken up residence in the swift box. At night, Caper's bedtime routine includes a stroll around the streets, eagerly following the ribbons of scent left by foxes to mark their routes.

I spotted a good news story about a new wildlife bridge opening in Surrey, providing safe passage over the A3. I hope it's a big success and inspires similar projects to protect nature.