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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
[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 …
[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 …
Drove to Totnes. The satnav took us down some windy lanes, in the middle of one of which was a Buzzard eating a rabbit. At Totnes, we had a look around. Got a paper and a coffee. On the high street, we bumped into friend Nick J from Bristol who had been doing sound for …
We went for a walk. Up to Hay Tor, then along the old granite tramway for a bit and through the remains of a 14th Century village. Lots of Pipits, Stonechats and Wheatears. Buzzard, Kestrel, Ravens. Up to Hound Tor, then along the road to the grave of Kitty Jay, guarded today by cows. Up …
Stopped at Topsham for a wander around and a coffee, then on then to the RSPB Exminster Marshes car park. We walked a mile and crossed the Exeter canal at the lock at the Turf Hotel and had a nice lunch there, sandwiched between the canal and the Exe estuary. Walked back along the canal. …