Exmoor day 3 - deep valleys, purple moorland & wistful ponies

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Up for sunrise again and the sky was looking particularly tumultuous, I had half a mind to crawl back into my sleeping bag and pretend that my alarm hadn’t gone off. But ever the dedicated photographer, I pushed on and struggled into my clothes while listening out for the timorous pattering of water of canvas, signifying the beginnings of a rain storm that I was sure would arrive at any moment.

Unusual trees at Hayley Wood

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One of the many important woodland sites managed by the Wildlife Trust in this part of the country, is the always interesting Hayley Wood. I took a trip over there recently, with my camera in tow, to get a few shots of the interesting trees that it contains.

Holme Fen Butterflies

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Last weekend I paid a visit to one of my favourite places, namely Holme Fen Nature Reserve. This beautiful woodland oozes atmosphere, and is a beautiful place to visit any time of the year, mainly thanks to its dense forest of silver birches, which have to be one of the most charismatic of all the UK trees.

I won't go into the history of the Holme Fen, as fascinating as it is, and although there are a smattering of pictures in this post of the woodland, I have taken plenty more through the various seasons, all of which can be found here, here, here & here.

No, I was off to get some images of the summer wildlife that abounds in this Natural England run nature reserve, in particular, the various butterflies that call this place home while they are on the wing.

There were thousands of these colourful little flappers galavanting about the place, twirling around each other and flitting hither and thither above my head, and sometimes on it, if I was standing particularly still, trying to get a picture.

Below are a selection of images taken that day, when the butterflies were at rest, or sipping nectar, predominantly from the blossom of blackberry bushes, of which Holme Fen boasts an impressive number.

Lynford Arboretum at Thetford Forest

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A few weeks ago I paid a visit to Thetford Forest, in particular, to Lynford Arboretum, a beautiful spot located in the North East corner of the forest, and somewhere I’d not been to before, so I was keen to give the old camera a bit of an airing and to see what I could see.

Owned by the Forestry Commission, it is the UK’s largest man made lowland forest and covers over 18,700 hectares, and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The forest was created after the First World War to provide a strategic reserve of timber, since the country had lost so many oaks and other slow-growing trees as a consequence of the war's demands.

Dorset day 4 - A surprising sunrise and a host of tall trees

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My last day in Dorset and I wanted to make the most of it, so I was up before the sun, with a view to getting some shots of the headland at Peveril Point. The weather did not look especially inspiring as I made my way through Swanage town and parked in the upper car park overlooking the piers.

Retrieving my gear from the car, my expectations were not exactly emboldened as the rain began to steadily fall. So I decided against taking the walk to the Point, as the conditions, as well as being determined to turn me into a soggy flannel, were opaque to say the least. 

Dorset day 3 part two - The remarkable Agglestone and a beautiful pine forest

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Following on from my morning jaunt around Studland Bay Nature Reserve, we return to the action, and I use that word in the loosest possible sense, among the moorland of Black Heath. I didn't have a particular destination in mind, I was just out for a walk to see what I could see, when I spied a large outcrop in the distance that seemed too incongruous for it's surroundings to be ignored.

My curiosity sufficiently piqued, I changed course, and following one of the pathways that snake their way over the undulating landscape, I headed towards it. I didn't know it at the time, it was only later when I did a bit of research that I found out all about it, but I was bearing towards Agglestone Rock, also known as the Devil's Anvil, or the Devil's nightcap.

Woodland colours at Holme Fen

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A couple of weeks ago, in my third visit to Holme Fen, the largest stand of silver birch trees of its kind in the country, and a place that has more atmosphere than you can shake silvery stick at, I get a bit of warm afternoon sunshine for the first time.

So taking advantage of that, I took a bit of time to explore and get a few shots of the autumn colours, both on the trees themselves, and on the vibrant carpets of ferns that cloak the forest floor.

To find out a bit more on the history of this intriguing place, including how it rivalled the lake district in its aqueousness, and why eels were used as local currency, see my previous post on the area.

Autumn at Hinchingbrooke Country Park

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A couple of weeks ago my camera and I took a little trip over to Hinchinbrooke Country Park to get some pictures of the autumn colour.

Hinchingbrooke Country Park has 170 acres of open grasslands, meadows, woodlands and lakes and wildlife. It includes 63 acres of woodland areas - an oak plantation; a hornbeam dominated woodland (Bob's Wood); and other woodland comprised of more mixed species (Alder, Ash, Sycamore, Pines, Field Maple, Hazel, Willow, Birch).

I’d like to tell you a bit about the history of the place, but I can find absolutely nothing about it anywhere, so I’m assuming it’s been created relatively recently, so you’ll just have to make do with the pictures of autumn bloom.

Autumn evening at Grafham Water

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A couple of weeks ago I took a trip over to Grafham Water in the hope that I would get a decent sunset, and find a few shots of the autumn colours that line the reservoir. Thankfully I managed to get both, which was a nice bonus.

Grafham Water is a reservoir with a circumference of about 10 miles. It is the eighth largest reservoir in England by volume and the third largest by area at 1,550 acres. The lake was created by filling a valley full of water which is retained by an earth and concrete dam. 

An evening at Wimpole Folly

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I recently paid a visit to Wimpole Estate, 3,000 acres of parkland, which contains Wimpole Hall, the largest house in Cambridgeshire, along with a church, a farm and a walled garden, but I wasn’t there to see any of that, I had my sights set on the folly.

This substantial pile of Grade II listed masonry was built in the 1770’s, and designed to resemble the ruins of a gothic castle. It was designed by Sanderson Miller, who was a noted follies architect of the day, and is probably best known for the Great Hall at Lacock Abbey, the place where William Fox Talbot created the earliest existing camera negative. The folly was actually built by Capability Brown several years later, when he ‘naturalised’ the parkland landscape in his inimitable style. 

I arrived in the late afternoon and made my way over to the Folly, stopping at various spots to admire and photograph the view. Thanks to the time of year, the trees were displaying their autumn coats and lit up the grounds in vibrant hues. Unfortunately sunset was a non-event, there was practically no colour in the sky, but once dusk had settled, a thick carpet of mist began to creep and curl over the landscape, which resulted in some rather nice autumnal scenes.

Autumn at Monks Wood part two

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Following on from yesterday's post from Monks Wood, where we saw the trees changing into their autumn finery, in this post, also from Monks Wood in Cambridgeshire, we look a bit closer at some shots of the leaves and berries that festoon the undergrowth and the vibrant colours they reveal.

Monks Wood is a fair size woodland and doesn't get many visitors, which meant I pretty much had the place to myself as I rummaged through the thicket looking for shots. It was very peaceful indeed.

I hope you enjoy looking through them as much as I did taking them.

Autumn at Monks Wood part one

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Last week I took a trip over to Monks Wood in Cambridgeshire, it was designated a national nature reserve in 1953, and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It has been described as one of the best examples of ancient ash-oak woodland in the East Midlands.

I was in search of some autumn colour, there wasn't a great deal about, but I managed to find a bit, as you see.

The following images show what colour I could find in this attractive woodland. In part two we will have a closer look at the leaves and berries that adorn the trees.

Anglesey Abbey gardens in bloom

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A couple of weeks ago I visited Anglesey Abbey, a National Trust property located a few miles north of Cambridge. I wanted to have a mooch around the grounds and house, as well as visit the vibrant display of dahlias they have every year. 

This first post is all about the grounds. The 98 acres of landscaped grounds are divided into a number of walks and gardens, with classical statuary, topiary and flowerbeds. They were laid out in an 18th-century style by the estate's last private owner, the 1st Baron Fairhaven, in the 1930s. Baron Fairhaven bequeathed the house and grounds to the National Trust upon his death in 1966.

Exmoor Day 5 - Culbone Wood & England's smallest church

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I arose, on my last day in Exmoor, to a dank, drizzly morning, so a sunrise was out of the question. After packing up the tent in the rain, always a delightful job, I drove to Porlock Weir so I could begin a spot of rambling along the South West Coast Path.

By the time I arrived it was starting to brighten up a bit, with the morning sunshine appearing through the ever thinning clouds. I parked up, and strapping on my camera bag, I took the little track to the coastal path. I was only walking a tiny fraction of it, the entire length of the path is 630 miles, the longest in England, and stretches from Minehead, around the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, all the way to Pool in Dorset. And because it rises and falls with every river mouth, the total height climbed, if you were to complete the route, has been estimated at 114,931 feet, almost four times the height of Everest. I wasn’t about to do that.

Austy Woods bluebells

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This morning I paid a visit to Austy Woods, a private woodland located in the heart of Warwickshire. Normally the woods are closed to the public, apart from once a year when the family open them up for two days on the early May bank holiday weekend, to coincide with the eruption of bluebells that occur here every year, and to raise money for charity.

It’s widely recognised as one of the most spectacular displays of bluebells in the county, and beyond I would imagine. Whereas most places have patches of colour, here nearly every part of the woods is carpeted in the sapphire flowers, there must be countless millions of them.

Thankfully they had agreed to let us visit the woodland after the bank holiday, which by all accounts was a bit of a melee, I can’t remember how many thousands of people they said had visited over the two days, but it was a lot. But because we arrived on the Tuesday, we had the place to ourselves, which was rather splendid.

South Wales Day 3 - Exploring Margam Park

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It was my last day in Wales and the weather was, yet again looking very forlorn. I fancied visiting something else other than waterfalls, but thanks to the despondent conditions a coastal jaunt was out of the question, so I decided to head up to Port Talbot and visit Margam Country Park.

Margam Park is an 850 acre country estate situated two miles east of Port Talbot on the narrow coastal plain, set on the southern slopes of Mynydd Margam, a largely forested mountain rising to a height of 349m, and one of the major ancient settlements of Glamorgan. It was once owned by the Mansel Talbot family and is now owned and administered by the local council.

South Wales Day 2 - An autumnal stroll along the River Mellte

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Woke up to a morning slightly improved on the previous one, as in it wasn't bucketing it down, but it was as grey as an unwashed pair of pants, so a sunrise was, again, not on the cards. After a leisurely breakfast I took a drive back to the Brecon Beacons, and paid a visit to Aberdulais Falls. 

The falls are in the care of the National Trust, along with the copper mine that drew it's water from the power of the falls some 400 years ago. It's an interesting place, but I won't go into much detail here because when I got there it was closed, so it seems rather pointless. What I didn't check before I embarked was the opening times, and seeing as I was two hours early, I didn't hang around for it to open. Instead I carried on to Henrhyd Falls, or Sgwd Henrhyd to give it it's local name.

South Wales Day 3 – A walk among the waterfalls

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My alarm was set for 4 am but thanks to my lack of sleep I just couldn't face getting up for sunrise, and I turned it off almost involuntarily, before quickly disappearing back into unconsciousness. Woke up again at 8 feeling slightly guilty for not making the most of day, but not too guilty, and made a quick escape back to Waterfall Country to do the Four Falls Walk I didn't have the time to do previously.

There were already a handful of people about when I arrived at the Cwm Porth car park, it was a Saturday, so I wanted to get started before the crowds arrived. Shortly after setting off, I took a short detour down to where those who have a penchant for potholing can access one of the entrances to the River Mellte as it thunders through an underground passageway, to get a few pictures of a rather fetching woodland scene.

Spring colour at Ditchley

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I took a trip over to the Ditchley estate near Charlbury at the weekend, as there were quite an expanse of rape fields in full bloom and it would have been a shame to let them go to waste. The weather was a bit changeable, with the forecast to be quite stormy that evening, so I thought it might produce a dramatic sky for sunset.

Wychwood Wild Garden

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A couple of weeks ago I paid a visit to the lovely Cotswold village of Shipton-under-Wychwood, a place that takes part of its name, along with a couple of other nearby villages, from the ancient forest of Wychwood.

In past centuries this forest sprawled across a large area of rural Oxfordshire, at its height in the 12th century, the forest covered some 50,000 acres. It is of course now a shadow of its former self, and since it was enclosed in 1887, 870 hectares is all that remains of the woodland that was once home to forest fairs so riotous they were eventually banned.