Bearded Reedling (male) Bearded Reedling (female) Sedge Warbler Avocet Avocets Avocets Mediterranean Gull Bittern Bittern Hobby Hobby

We checked out of the Miller’s Arms and took about three hours to drive to Aldeburgh with a stop for coffee. At Aldeburgh there was a cold North-East wind whistling down the seafront and high street and we couldn’t find anything we fancied for lunch, so we drove 10 minutes to Snape Maltings. Lunch in … Read more “Sun May 10: to Aldeburgh”

We drove 20 minutes and parked on the road verge just west of Seasalter. We walked a few miles along the coast path and back, alongside the sea wall. Inland was Cleve Marshes and a bit further on, a solar farm. Lots of Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings, plus Corn Buntings, Pipits, Stonechats, … Read more “Sat May 9: Whitstable, boat trip, Beaver”

Opposite the pub was once a large flour mill, long since burnt down. We walked across the sluice and alongside the old mill race on the crystal clear River Stour and into Canterbury centre. Got a coffee, and then had a look round the cathedral. Then we had a look around the Beaney House museum, … Read more “Fri May 8: Canterbury”

A few hours to Dungeness, where we drove a mile down a shingle track to the RSPB nature reserve visitor centre. We walked around some of the reserve. It was full of birds, insects and interesting plants. Warblers, Reed Buntings, Little Terns, Egrets, Ducks, Geese, Gulls, Lizards, etc. Then down the road a bit to … Read more “Thu May 7: Dungeness”

We arrived at Yattendon around 5pm and checked into the Royal Oak. We walked along to the church and then followed a footpath through some trees. Lots of birds singing.

We drove to Yatesbury, down a dead-end road and parked at the very small village hall. We walked up a track through some trees and then across fields. Kites, Buzzards and Corn Buntings. We went up to Windmill Hill Neolithic camp. There were two mounds on the top of the hill. It rained a bit … Read more “Avebury walk”

On the way to Silbury Hill we stopped at Avebury Trusloe to see the house where J’s mum lived during the war. We had a look at 4000-year-old Silbury Hill. It was surrounded with water, with ducks swimming. We were going to walk around the hill to West Kennet Long Barrow but the track was … Read more “Silbury Hill etc”

[J wrote this] Local awesomeness trumped the food today. 30 cranes, no less. (That’s 15% of the UK population I reckon.) I said ‘ooh look at those geese.’ R said ‘they’re cranes’. They were squarking away to each other and landing in a field with flocks of starlings swirling all around, and roe deer ambling … Read more “Saturday: the locals are ace”

[J wrote this] OK so let’s get to the important bit first. Food. Luscious lunch at the Sheppey Inn in Godney. Big diner of a pub with a performance stage. They’re looking for musicians to perform apparently – hmmm – do we know any? Dinner at the Devonshire Arms in Long Sutton. Venison to die … Read more “Friday: food, food, rain (and hornets)”