SOPHIE ON THE DEE

We accidentally had Soph TO OURSELVES (Louie had fallen asleep) and it was ACE!

We got on a boat!

We sailed The Dee.

Soph met the cormorant.

 The cormorant was one of a set of 4 other willow bird sculptures that had been created 2 years ago for Grosvenor Park  to mark 130 years of the RSPB and were built by local artist Sarah Gallagher-Hayes.

Soph had a rainbow lolly.

This arch is the old SHIPGATE, built of red sandstone, and was the 5th of Chester's gates into the city,. It now stands just outside the city walls in Grosvenor Park.

The archway was an entrance to the city from the area of the docks on the banks of the River Dee. It was in the southern section of Chester city walls, west of Bridgegate. The arch was built for a Norman earl in the early 12th century when the walls were extended to the south and west of those built by the Romans to defend the fortress of Deva Victrix In the early 19th century the gaol at Northgate was demolished and a new gaol was built at the southern extremity of the city. When the gaol yard was added, it necessitated the demolition of the section of the wall that included the Shipgate. The structure was moved in 1831 to the southwestern corner of Grosvenor Park where it now stands.

The  Grosvenor train was running!

And as we'd parked in Tesco, we nipped in to get some stuff.

"She won't sit in the trolley" said her Dad.

"She will" said NaNaBub.

She did.

They couldn't go back up North without a digging session. ..and the sand  in VX park was good!