The Essex waterways: There’s lots of nature near my Pop’s canal boat, and there’s some inside it as well

I wander through a secret passageway to the canal, past ivy-wound fence panels and pebbles crunching under my feet. The pathway used to be overgrown but it’s clearer now that chilly autumn has arrived.

As I walk along the path, I notice the ruby red leaves, grasp some of the last blackberries and enjoy the bitterness on my tongue. Further along I see the familiar horse chestnut trees that always reveal the signs of the seasons. There are hedgehog-like conker shells scattered under their majestic branches. I know some have been collected by my Pop – there is a myth that conkers keep spiders away, so he has bowlfuls of them on his canal boat. I don’t believe this is true though as his boat is still full of sneaky spiders that give me shivers up my spine.