We made sandwiches and drove to the raptor viewpoint at Highwood Brow at the south end of the North York Moors. A 5 minute walk from the car park through the trees brought us to a ridge with two wooden benches. There were a couple of birders set up for the day there with scopes …
We walked into Goathland village and across the railway line. Our route followed the railway line pretty closely and we heard steam trains chuffing and hooting while we walked. On the moor we saw a Common Lizard. Curlews were calling and flying about. At Grosmont there was a bustle of activity with lots of people …
We went to Scarborough and climbed up to the castle walls. Then came across Anne Bronte’s grave (d. 1849, aged 29) in the churchyard. We looked around the town, Victorian grandeur and a lot of tat, but not too shabby, had a coffee, spent a while in a labyrinthine second-hand bookshop and then wandered along …
Breakfast took ages, but eventually we made it to Flamborough Head Light House car park. We walked along the cliffs and looked at the teeming hordes of Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes. Dolphins were jumping about out at sea., We drove to the Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve. It was busy, we had to park in the second …
Mostly driving today. We left The Eel’s Foot a bit after 9am. Stopped for lunch at Caistor Arts and Heritage Centre cafe, just north of the Lincolnshire Wolds. Looked around Caistor after lunch. That took about 5 minutes. Around 4:30pm we arrived at Bridlington, thinking to have a walk along the sea front before carrying …
In lieu of today’s breakfast we’d opted last night for a packed lunch, which was delivered to our door in a cool box. Consequently, we were at Minsmere at 8am. We saw Red Deer from the Bittern hide, plus the usual Marsh Harriers and so on. We did the route to the Island Mere hide …
We did a good walk. Blustery north winds, very occasional light rain, sunny spells. We followed an overgrown path alongside a drainage channel, lots of nettles and sedge and reed warblers all the way. Then across Westleton Heath. Good lunch in the Ship Inn at Dunwich, a ploughman’s sharing platter that would have served …
Kippers for breakfast, then spent the day at Minsmere. Lots of birds: Cuckoo, Bitterns, Bearded Tits, Marsh Harriers, Garden Warblers, Hobbys, etc. Checked into the Eel’s Foot Inn. After dinner we walked down the lane. Bitterns booming, midges, bats.
We bought some food for lunch in Aldeburgh and then drove to Orford Quay and caught the 10am ferry, which we’d pre-booked, to Orford Ness. Orford Ness is an approximately 7-mile by 1-mile shingle spit, one of the largest in the world. It’s now owned by the National Trust, but for many years was used …
We went back to Weeting Heath nature reserve first thing and watched the Stone Curlews and chicks again. Lapwings, normal Curlews, lots of Rabbits and Hares. A couple came into the hide with a telescope (“Birdwatching for 50 years, been coming here every year since before they built the hide, there’s a Cuckoo likes to …