The Ripon Canal, one of the most northerly in England, came within a whisker of being filled in the late 1950s, but now it has been beautifully restored.
It runs almost from the centre of the city over just 2.5 miles to its junction with the River Ure, through three locks and this elegant bridge.
We detoured here on our way back from Norfolk to Durham, and found a fantastic display of wild flowers along the canal bank walk and in the canal itself.
White water lily
Yellow waterlily (a.k.a. brandy bottles)
Valerian
Meadowsweet
Meadow Crane'sbill
Amphibious bistort
Mare'stail
Marsh woundwort
..... and with all those flowers, plenty of butterflies too - like this comma.
Well worth a visit if you're in the area and fancy a short but very enjoyable canal-side walk.......
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