We caught the 10:15 ferry to Tresco from the Quay in Hugh Town. The ferry dropped us at Carn Near at the southern point of Tresco. We walked up past the famous Abbey Gardens around the Great Pool (shelduck, coots, little grebes, Canada geese, heron, a confiding song thrush) to New Grimsby. Then across to …
The weather forecast predicted rain all day, so our initial plan of circumnavigating St Mary’s was aborted in favour of a shorter walk up the west coast. We climbed up to Harry’s Walls Battery, some kind of defensive rampart against the French, the construction of which was never completed. Further on we got to the …
We got on the 10:45 flight from Exeter airport to St Mary’s. The flight took about an hour. The weather was good so we had good views all the way. At one point we could see most of Dartmoor: On arrival a shuttle bus took us from the airport to our accommodation. We couldn’t get …
Yesterday evening we arrived at the NoBody Inn at Doddiscombsleigh. A poky room but nice pub and garden with good beer, good food and an interesting wine list. Today, Thursday, we drove 10 minutes to Steps Bridge and parked in the car park there. We walked along the side of the River Teign for the …
We went to Cley Marshes Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve. A bright but windy day. We heard pinging calls and watched bearded tits for a while, flitting about above the reeds. We walked down to the shingle beach. In the distance the wind turbines showed the curvature of the earth, the distant turbines being much shorter …
Rain forecast all day. Last breakfast at the White Horse, looking out over the rainy saltmarsh. We drove half an hour through rural Norfolk, listening to Harry Cox in the car, to Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse, near Dereham. We spent a couple of hours looking around the workhouse, where there were exhibits detailing workhouse life. …
Read more “Wednesday: Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse, Wells”
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 …
Read more “Sunday: Skegness, Frampton Marshes, Snettisham, Brancaster”
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 …