Walk Around The Mere, Ellesmere - Llangollen Canal

Thursday 20^th June

The Boathouse Cafe

Today we are off for a walk around The Mere, a big lake here at Ellesmere.  It is the biggest mere in Shropshire.  These meres were formed by the retreat of glaciers during the last ice age some 12,000 years ago.  The meres that were formed are known as kettle holes' and resulted from large blocks of ice from the glacier creating deep holes in the glacial moraine. 

Info Board

Lots of Wildfowl

Lovely views of the lake

Two of a kind

There is another story however for how the mere was formed and it is that a Mrs Ellis lived in a house where the mere is now and there was a well next to the house where people used to come to drink.  One hot Summer Mrs Ellis stopped people from drinking at the well to save enough for herself and the well got fuller and fuller and overflowed and flooded the land including the house and Mrs Ellis drowned and so the mere was formed.  It was originally called Ellis mere but over the years it got changed to Ellesmere, it’s up to you which story you believe, I know which one I like the best even if it is an old wives tale!

Our picnic spot

Sculpture at end of walk

We packed a picnic as it is supposed to be dry today, although just before we set off, we had a shower but then the sun came out.  We walked off the towpath, up the road and soon came to the mere.  There is a nice café on the lake so we stopped off for a coffee and sat by the lake where there were lots of ducks, geese and swans hoping to be fed.

Bee Sculpture

We then took the path around the lake, it doesn’t go all the way around but a fair way.  It is a nice walk with lovely views of the lake and through lots of trees.  There is a sculpture trail around Ellesmere and a few of them are around the lake.

Another Sculpture

Motte & Bailey

We found a nice bench overlooking the lake and had our lunch in a nice quiet spot, our first picnic of the year!  We then walked back to the visitor centre and then crossed the road into the arboretum and walked up the path which led us to Ellesmere Castle, a motte and bailey castle, it is just a mound.  There were some sculptures part of the sculpture trail around the mound.

We walked up the slope and back down to the road and back to the boat.  It was a lovely walk and the mere is a beautiful place to visit and it turned out to be a lovely sunny afternoon.  We are staying here in Ellesmere tonight then off we go in the morning.

The Mere