After breakfast R went to Titchwell and J stayed at the Inn and played fiddle and went for a walk. At Titchwell there were lots of waders on the shore: sanderlings, knot, turnstones, oystercatchers. A male hen harrier appeared, flying low over the fields in the distance. Pinging calls from some reeds, and then good …
We spent the morning at Titchwell reserve. Lots of people the by the time we left, many with spotting scopes and long lens cameras. Overheard some talk of the rare rufous bush chat that has been causing some excitement down the road in Stiffkey. On the beach there were lots of shells washed up in …
Checked out of the Black Horse at Donington on Bain (8/10, excellent value for money and very friendly) and headed straight for Skegness. Huge sandy beach, wind turbines (132kV from the off-shore substation to land via an undersea cable). Went on the pier. Quiet. Back towards town the vendors were starting to open their souvenir …
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Good walk in the Wolds. Rolling hills and farmland, woods, chalk streams. Lunch at the Green Man in Scamblesby. A bit damp and misty when we set off, but it brightened up as the day went on, and the last few miles were in warm bright sunshine. On the high ground, lots of skylarks, and …
Drove northeast to Lincoln, past Stow-on-the-Wold, Moreton-in-Marsh, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Coventry, Leicester, Melton Mowbray, Newark-on-Trent. In Lincoln we parked at the top of the steep hill near the castle and had a look around the castle grounds and the cathedral. We walked down the steep hill called ‘Steep Hill’, where some of the roadside shops from …
After work we drove to the Wheatsheaf in Northleach, near Cheltenham. The evening sun cast long shadows and made the fields and autumn trees shades of orange and gold. The pub was expensive. The room was big and the bed comfortable, but all in all more style than substance. Food (steak tartare, partridge, beetroot, calves …
Crab Kedgeree, French toast for breakfast, then a good 12.4 mile walk. Blue is the planned route, red is where we actually went. Through the church yard and out of Dunster past the cemetery. Climbed up onto Exmoor through a deer park, good views back of the castle, Exmoor ponies, no deer. At the top …
Drove to Dunster stopping at WWT Steart Marshes on the way. Walked around the reserve for a bit. Birds seen: Kestrel Raven Lapwing Golden plover Linnets Stonechat Reed bunting Cetti’s warbler Wren Wigeon Teal Shoveller Mallard Shelduck Cormorant Pheasant Skylark Pied wagtail Brown hare (not a bird) Staying at Luttrell Arms hotel.
We drove 40 minutes to the car park next to Bel Tor. From there we did a 9.5 mile circular walk that took in wooded river valleys and high moorland. We walked to Ponsworthy, and a few miles further on we passed a farm and a number of dogs of various shapes and sizes ran …
We planned a walk to a pub in Chagford. It started out drizzly and misty. We walked along the side of the River Teign and watched dippers. We passed an open air swimming pool, closed now and with dark brown dead leaves on the bottom. After a steep climb up a muddy field followed by …