IN WHICH I
  • ... Write
  • ... Explain

Four short North Norfolk walks

29/1/2017

15 Comments

 
(Try saying that five times fast!)
cliff white at top and red at bottom
We spent a week of winter holidays in Old Hunstanton, a pretty village tucked up in the northwest corner of Norfolk, where The Wash becomes the North Sea. We have several favourite short walks in the area - these are a few of them. I've included GPX files so you can download them if you want, but most of them are pretty easy to figure out for yourself once you're there! They’re all circular or there-and-back strolls that will take 1-2 hours, so they’re perfect for stretching your legs in the morning or for catching a breath of fresh air after lunch.

1. Above and below the Hunstanton Cliffs

Distance: 3mi/5km
Start: Old Hunstanton (or Hunstanton)

Hunstanton Cliffs Walk (GPX)
File Size: 3 kb
File Type: gpx
Download File

Although on paper this walk is pretty much a there-and-back-again kind of affair, the 'there' along the beach is very different to the 'back' along the cliff top. We started in Old Hunstanton, walked up the beach below the famous two-tone cliffs, had a cuppa in Hunstanton at the lovely Norfolk Deli, then wandered back via the lighthouse and old ruins. You could just as easily do it the other way around. (NB: check the tide times if you want to make sure you can get around the bottom of the cliffs.)
beach with rocks and cliff
The beach below the Hunstanton Cliffs. A fantastic place for anyone interested in geology - I found a fossil on the beach here once!
footsteps
The low sun catching on footprints in the sand.
cliff nose
You can see the profile of a person with a beard, right?
black and white bird with long orange beak
Oystercatchers on the rocks, feasting in the tidal pools.
wrecked old boat on beach
Another diverting feature of the beach, the wreck of the Sheraton, a steam trawler built in 1907 and wrecked in 1947.
kite surfers
There were half a dozen kite surfers out on the water. I'd love to try this one day!
Hunstanton town sign
Hunstanton town sign - depicting St Edmund and the wolf, I suspect.
lighthouse seen through arch
The lighthouse seen through the arch of the Chapel of St Edmund.

2. Up through the Ringstead Downs

Distance: 2.5mi/4km
​Start: Ringstead Downs Nature Reserve, Ringstead
Ringstead Downs Walk (GPX)
File Size: 3 kb
File Type: gpx
Download File

Norfolk is famously flat - but it turns out there are some "hills" just out the back of Hunstanton, at Ringstead. We drove out one beautiful frosty morning and parked at the Ringstead end of the downs, following the path straight up between two low, mainly wooded rises. The return walk was much the same, though we detoured up to a lookout over the little park in an old chalk quarry and then down through said park before heading to the car.
path through field
West through the Ringstead Downs. It's a lovely, quiet little reserve - and beautiful on a clear winter morning.
Frost beads on grass
I love how the dew drops have formed and then frozen on the grass.
fish skeleton branch
Not sure what tree this is - we called it the fish skeleton tree.
old barn
A wonderful old barn at the far end of the Ringstead Downs. I imagine lots of bats live at this farm.
Pine
pine
path
The path back - looking east through the downs.

3. Beach huts and holiday homes . . . next-the-sea

Distance: 2.5mi/4km
Start: Old Hunstanton (or Holme)
Old Hunstanton and Holme Walk (GPX)
File Size: 2 kb
File Type: gpx
Download File

This walk follows the River Hun (which is not very big, for a river) from Old Hunstanton to Holme-next-the-Sea, with the golf course on your left. At Holme, walk out towards the beach, then follow the Norfolk Coast Path back to Old Hunstanton. You'll see all manner of holiday accommodation, from hotels to beach huts, caravans to fancy houses - especially if you explore the villages at each end.
sign
It's an inauspicious start to the walk. Looking back over my photos, the number of warning signs implies this is a far more treacherous walk than it is!
golf course and flag
We managed to avoid the golf balls.
rose hips
Rosehips - a welcome splash of colour.
signs
Holme is where the Peddars Way joins the Norfolk Coast Path (they're treated as one national trail). More warning signs!
intertidal sand
I do like the muted colours of the Norfolk coast and the abstract patterns formed by sand and water.
warning sign
Just be careful, OK?!!
beach
Heading back towards Old Hunstanton along the coast.
beach and shed
A hut kind of thing on the beach, but not a beach hut. A beach shed?
beach huts
Now we're talking! Beach huts (or beach boxes, if you're from Melbourne). We slept on the verandah of a box like this last December. Not this time!

4. Handsome Holkham Hall

Distance: 4mi/6.5km
Start: Holkham Park, Holkham
Holkham Hall Walk (GPX)
File Size: 2 kb
File Type: gpx
Download File

This final walk is a little longer and a bit further east along the coast at Holkham. Holkham is a large, walled estate with a fancy hall, a landscaped and well maintained park, farmland, various monuments and loads of deer. They have a number of suggested walks, both shorter and longer than the one we did. We set off a bit after 9am on Boxing Day and by the time we had finished the carpark, the village and the nearby nature reserve were heaving. We'd chosen a good day to come early!
bare trees in silhouette
I love the silhouettes of gorgeous old trees, the lines thick at the centre and dissolving into fine etching at the edges.
deer and monument
The Monument (imaginative name) and lots of deer!
hall and tree
In which I manage to make Holkham Hall look a lot smaller than it is.
trees and little building
Probably my favourite building at Holkham (and one of the oldest): the ice house. Not spectacular, but very cool. (Cool, haha.)
water
Two-tone water on the lake. The line down the middle is a little weir-type thing.
silhouette obelisk
The Obelisk. A high point on the estate and quite the landmark.
straight road into distance
One point perspective - works every time. The trees are holm oaks.
blue sky
And finally, a reminder that winter in the UK is not always gloomy and overcast. Bright, cold days are great for walking.

I hope you found those little walks enjoyable to read about - and if you ever visit that corner of Norfolk, I hope you give them a go. Let me know if you do!

15 Comments

2016 revisited: October

25/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picnics and walks - an autumn to enjoy . . .
Fine weather continued on and off into October and we took advantage of it by having an impromptu picnic in the fields behind our house. It was a good opportunity to start properly trialling our Brukit, which we'd bought as part of our Snowy River adventure preparations.
Picture
We've been very pleased with this so far. It's a good size for two serves of instant noodles or lots of tea!
We did get a few misty mornings, though, and it was clear that ​the seasons had turned.
misty road and street light
Sunrise on Marley Lane - Lake Field is to the left.
misty road and pub
The same morning as above. The mini roundabout in the foreground was the epicentre of the Battle of Hastings (according to Time Team).
In the October half-term break, we went for a two day walk near Cambridge. I posted a lot of pics at the time, but I took quite a few more! Here's a selection.
pretty flowers
Gorgeous flower garden in Cambridge.
Picture
I love the rich red of hawthorn berries (haws) - especially mixed in with the yellows and browns of autumn.
mossy wall
A mossy church wall in Hildersham.
I also made this little video from footage I took on the walk. One thing I've noticed is that when I don't go out with the intention of making a film, the footage I take isn't consistent or well considered. It's something to think about if I plan to make any videos in 2017.

Scenes from an Autumn walk in Cambridgeshire from In Which I on Vimeo.


2016 revisited (so far!): January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August and September.

0 Comments

Snowy River adventure update

21/1/2017

5 Comments

 
Oh my gosh! In less than two months we will be in Australia, setting off the most exciting (and physically challenging) adventure we’ve ever attempted. Eep!
snowy mountain and clear water in foreground
View of Mount Kosciuszko and the Etheridge Range from the headwaters of the Snowy River - Trevar Alan Chilver.
I posted about our Snowy River adventure plans back in July and again in October. So, I reckon it's about time for another update.

Logistics

We’ve organised most of the transport and food drops that are essential to completing the journey. I’m really grateful to all the friends and family members who have offered to help (or allowed themselves to be roped into it). From our perspective, it’s not only about getting a bit of food and a pair of clean socks: I think sharing our trip with other people, even if it’s just for an afternoon or an evening, is going to be a real highlight. We’ve also booked accommodation at the three spots other than my parents’ house where we’ll have the opportunity to sleep in actual beds (Jindabyne, Dalgety and Buchan). Luxury! It remains to be seen if we actually make it to said accommodation on the booked nights. Who knows what might happen?
pool in dry riverbed
Snowy River below Island Bend - Mick Stanic.

Food

Now that transport, food drops and accommodation are pretty much sorted, we’ve given Kate, our dehydrated-meal-producing-kitchen-wizard, a proper breakdown of how many meals we need. These homemade delights will be supplemented by a steady stream of instant noodles, sachets of porridge (not as fancy as Elizabeth's!), scroggin and chocolate bars. I have a spreadsheet. (Of course I have a spreadsheet!) Emily, who is as big a planning nerd as me, is going to do the supermarket shopping side of things and divide everything up into food drop tubs in advance of our arrival. I admit that I’m a bit envious that she gets to do this, but she’s promised to Skype me for a “boxing” video and to take a few photos. I will no doubt share them here or on Twitter.
spreadsheet
Sorting out the shopping list and food drops.
spreadsheet
Sorting out what we'll eat around Jindabyne and Dalgety.

Maps

Thanks to family in Australia, we have a full set of paper maps for the river - nine of them, in fact. I’m in the process of comparing them to satellite images, photos and other sources to make sure they’re accurate where it counts (e.g. emergency access, fire trails) and to see if there have been any major changes since they were printed (e.g. new developments and roads). It might also give us an idea of which side of the river we might like to be on - for example, to avoid cliffs, bluffs and flowing creeks, or to take advantage of wide sandbanks and flatter areas for pitching our tent. Of course, satellite images aren’t necessarily up-to-date and it is the nature of rivers to reshape their immediate surroundings, but this should give us a good overview.
maps
Maps, maps, maps!
satellite view of river
The Snowy between Buchan and Orbost. What.

Access

Having decided to try getting from McKillops Bridge to the Buchan River on foot, I’ve been turning my attention to another problem stretch in terms of access. From the dam wall at Jindabyne to where the river runs back into the Kosciuszko National Park, we’ll be travelling through the Monaro. We’ve been asking around and most people have suggested it’s not possible to walk this section either. I’m not sure if that’s because (a) it’s legally dubious (in Victoria, the river is bordered by a strip of Crown Land which is technically, if not practically, OK to walk along - in New South Wales, only the water itself is public access), (b) it’s not physically possible to walk or (c) it’s not possible from their points of view, although it might be from ours. Other options include wide detours away from the river (probably on bikes, considering the distance) or paddling. We shall see.
boots on sand
New shoes! So far I'm really impressed with these Merrell Grassbow boots. They're very light and very waterproof.

Gear

Back in October, I wrote that we were a falling behind in our gear acquisition. This really started to stress me out, but I think we’re back on track. We have sleeping bags (two Pipedream 400s from Alpkit) and new shoes (originally I got Merrell Moabs, but I had to return them as they didn’t work for me, so I am now the proud owner of a pair of vegan-friendly Merrel Grassbows which are amazingly light; Dan got Meindl Responds). I gave Dan the job of sorting out our electrics - he’s bought spare camera batteries, a nifty little USB/international charger, memory cards and whatnot. My parents got a PLB from KTI - which we’ll borrow for the trip (working out the international registration and transport was just too difficult). Excitingly, our tent has arrived! We ended up going with the Alpkit Ordos 3, which feels huge for its weight. We had fun last weekend setting it up in our friend’s garden. There are a few other bits to get, too: gaiters (to help fend off snakes), a decent digital dictaphone/recorder for note-taking, gas (has to be bought in Australia), toiletries, first aid kit top ups, a map case and so on.
tent
New tent! We bought the footprint/groundsheet, but probably won't use it with the inner as the two layers are very slippery together.

Personal preparation

We really have done bugger all physical training. We’ve gone on some short walks and are planning a few middle-distance day walks over the next month. It’s just so cold and wintery. Bleh! I’ve pledged to carry my bag (with some stuff in it) for all our walks from now until we leave. Speaking of bags, we need to do a trial pack at some point to make sure we can carry everything. No doubt we’ll end up jettisoning a few bits and pieces. I’d also like to set the tent up again - and sleep in it at least once! - before we leave.

Mentally and emotionally, I’m still not really sure how to prepare for this trip. It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve never done anything like this before, never set off on a trek without knowing it was possible. Last week, I realised a lot of my anxiety stemmed from uncertainty - not only about what we’ll come across, but how we will deal with it. So I turned all managerial and decided to write down what I wanted to get out of the journey - a kind of aims and objectives, if you will. What a dork. I came up with six main goals:
  1. To see as much of the river as we can
  2. To learn more about the river
  3. To have fun
  4. To overcome challenges
  5. To stay safe
  6. To document our journey in writing, photos and other media
Dan and I jotted down a few ideas as to how we might achieve these things, too. It’s a sort of contract with myself and it’s made me feel a bit more grounded in the face of the unknown.
Map and notes
I made this map (traced over Google Maps, obvs!) to explain where we're going. Geared towards a high school audience as Dan will probably use it at school.

So, that’s where we’re at. I’ll try to write another update before we leave (maybe about food!). I hope you’ve found it at least mildly interesting to see all of the things that go on behind the scenes in planning a big trip like this. Let me know if you have any questions . . .

5 Comments

2016 revisited: September

18/1/2017

4 Comments

 
Summer started to quietly settle towards autumn and we went back to work . . .
I made this recording for Allysse's Nature Sound of the Month series.
We started the month with the end of the holidays and another go at Champing with friends. The days grew shorter and the mornings darker, which gave us the chance to see some gorgeous sunrises.
Amazing orange and purple sky
An amazing sky! This is the road where I take my Lake Field photos - Lake Field is on the left.
Marley Lane morning
The day when the lights were still on when we went to school was a marker of the shortening days.
Picture
We still made it out for some walks, though, including our monthly outings with the HRRA walking group and our weekly strolls around Arlington Reservoir on the way home from work.
mist in valleys
This is a view from the road on our way to work. Nice commute!
group of walkers on field
Off on a walk with HRRA. They're good people.
Geese and water
One week, the geese had moved onto Arlington Reservoir. A couple of weeks later, they'd gone again.
We also walked the whole of our local long distance path, the 1066 Country Walk. Handily, it goes right past our front door (literally, as our front door is directly onto the street) and Battle is slap-bang in the middle. A good place to rest overnight! Allysse came down to join us and she wrote up a blog about it. A few of our HRRA friends came along for the second day, too. It was a fun weekend.
cattle butting heads
These two are not very level headed. It's a pun, see, because this photo was taken on the Levels and they're butting heads. Woot.
Windmill
Windmill. Reminds me of Australia!
Church and haws
Haws and All Saints Church at Herstmonceux.
hayshed
Hayshed. I like the patterns of corrugated iron and the different bale styles.
people, hill and bright blue sky
Up the hill. I went the right way, not up this hill!
woodland and people
Through the woods. Pretty.
View of valley with farms and trees
View from Winchelsea. Slightly Mediterranean, right? No? Even if you squint a bit?!

Previous year in review posts: January, February, March, April, May, June, July and August.

4 Comments

2016 revisited: August

14/1/2017

2 Comments

 
Wales, Malvern, Birmingham, London, Sussex, Kent . . . August was jam-packed with activities as we made the most of our summer holidays. This is a bit of an epic post - though, to be fair, it's mainly photos.
After walking from channel to channel, our holiday continued with a short stay in Monmouthshire. Our Airbnb wasn't far from Rockfield Studios, actually, and the museum in Monmouth had an interesting exhibition about the studio. We were also delighted to discover Monteas, a looseleaf tea shop with a friendly owner. We bought some delicious tea.
landscape
This was the view just across the lane from our accommodation. Dream house up on the hill opposite...
shop front with colourful produce
Fruit and veg shop in Monmouth.
From Monmouth, we went canoeing down the River Wye, which was great fun. I'd only kayaked before, so it was interesting to get a feel for canoeing - it feels much more sedate and, if you're in a canoe with others, there's more team work and communication.

​After a few days on the river, it was off to Malvern to finally visit the Malvern Hills. The short chain of hills is an eye-catching feature in the landscape, rising abruptly from the low-lying surrounds. We've seen them in passing and have always meant to visit, but it took us several years to get around to it! We just had one morning to climb to the top of one of the hills and enjoy a cup of tea sheltering from the stiff breeze. But what a morning! I loved being able to pick out other places we've been (the line of Hay Bluff was just visible in the hazy distance) and other hills we might want to climb.
Hill and distant views
Looking north along the Malvern Hills. Doesn't that path just make you want to walk (or cycle, or run, if they're your things)?
Sheep on hillside, landscape behind
Lucky sheep, to have this view. Also, the grass is probably quite nice.
line of hills
Looking south towards British Camp. Next time...
crows
Beautiful plumage, innit.
person standing on low bluff
Look! I have finally taken one of these photos! I made Dan strike several ridiculous poses.
person walking with large pack
I was gobsmacked at the size of this backpack - then I realised it was a paraglider. I think I overheard them say they'd glided to Cambridge from here before.
Malvern was an overnight stop on our way to Birmingham, where we stayed with a friend and spent a couple of days exploring the city (and washing our clothes, because after two weeks of walking, canoeing and sightseeing, we were a bit smelly). She took us around the city and we got to spend a few hours in the fabulous Library of Birmingham, another place we've been meaning to check out for years. We browsed books (and borrowed some, thanks to our friend!), admired the old Shakespeare Memorial Room which has been incorporated in the top floor of the contemporary building and wandered around the roof gardens checking out the view.
cladding composed of circles
The iconic exterior of the library. Unmistakable.
round walls with bookshelves
Inside the library, blue neon lights on the escalators.
wood panels and leadlights
Inside the Shakespeare Memorial Room.
two people on roof garden
Up on the roof terrace. The garden is a lovely place to sit (though if I recall correctly, it was quite hot).
On the way back to London, we detoured to visit the Alpkit warehouse and showroom, to look for kit in advance of our Snowy River adventure. That was fun, especially because they let me climb inside the fluffiest sleeping bag I have ever seen. I've always wanted to try one of those out, though I have absolutely no reason to use one in earnest!
old brick building with ghost sign
I love a good ghost sign, though I think this one has been touched up.
canal and city
The canal at Kings Cross with astroturf steps.
yellow lock, red chain
This lock was guarding an inner city garden/allotment of some kind.
stickers
Bikes at the bike cafe, Look Mum No Hands.
In London, we met up with a friend for breakfast and did a bit of city exploring to find some wooden streets. Yep. Did you know that the streets of London (and Melbourne, and many other cities) were once paved with wood? You can read about it in this great article by Ian Visits. I came across this when doing some research for our Snowy River adventure (a proper research rabbit hole) and decided I wanted to see it for myself. Our walk took us down some interesting back streets as well as along main roads, making for a fun afternoon wandering around the city.
Woodblock paving
This is some more recently laid wooden paving near Old Street station.
manhole cover with woodblocks
And here's an old remnant, preserved on a manhole cover.
wood
A closeup of the wood on the manhole cover on Farringdon Road. What a great piece of history!
Home again, home again. But being home didn't stop us getting out and about. We were making the most of our time before heading back to work.
Orange flowers
Pretty flowers in the garden near our house, looked after by the Beautiful Battle volunteers.
riverside - swimmer and a canoe
Wild swimming in the River Rother near Newenden. (Most people venture out in boats hired from the campsite.)
Church
We visited Rye with a friend one beautifully sunny day.
sea
The view from Rye out over the sea. Summer haze blended water and sky at the horizon.
flowers
A few delicate flowers in bloom at a friend's caravan in Hastings.
On the last day of August we walked all the way around Bewl Water. We'd been meaning to do the 20km/12.5mi circuit for a while and the weather forecast was fine, so off we set! Our circuit took us anti-clockwise from the main carpark/cafe area, along dirt and paved paths, down country lanes, around a few small hills, through woods and fields and along the Sussex Border Path for a while. It's a great walk if you're up for doing something of that length.
water, woods, sky
Beautiful still water in the morning. The signs warning of blue-green algae put me off going for a paddle, though!
birds, water
It's always lovely to see the birds and wildlife drawn to the water. These gulls were up and down, up and down, maybe fishing?
lake and landscape
I always try to imagine what places would have looked like before they were flooded by reservoirs - the little valleys and nooks, now gone.
plants
An exciting find: hops in the hedgerow!
boat
Another way to see the sights.
boats
Boats on Bewl Water.
sign in trees
A very helpful sign, not particularly close to the water and totally obscured by trees.
dam wall and clouds
The home stretch: heading back along the reservoir wall under a sky striped with mares' tail clouds.
And on that note, let's call it a day (or a month)!

Previous 2016 revisit posts: January, February, March, April, May, June and July.

2 Comments

2016 revisited: July

11/1/2017

8 Comments

 
A summer of celebrations and holidays!
unlerlit, peachy clouds
A friend came to visit in July. Having visitors is always lovely, partly because it gives us the chance to check out some of our favourite places and share them with other people. One day we went up to Battle Museum and spent some time in the gorgeous Almonry Gardens out the back. A community tapestry to mark the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings was underway, so we all went and stitched a bit of history!
brightly coloured flowers
tapestry
It was a year for anniversaries in Sussex. Brighton was celebrating 250 years of Jewish residency in the town, with a series of cultural events including lectures, concerts and exhibitions. One key event in the calendar was the unveiling of a Blue Plaque dedicated to Brighton's (then called Brighthelmstone) first Jewish resident, Israel Samuel. Israel Samuel is my ancestor and we attended the unveiling along with another two hundred or so spectators and various dignitaries. There were three direct descendents including me, my third cousin from New Zealand and her son who lives in the USA. We were treated very well as guests of honour, invited to a reception in the mayor's parlor, a special opening of the old synagogue and to lunch in Brighton. The Middle Street Synagogue is a beautiful old building which is no longer used for worship and is not often open to the public, so it was a real treat to be able to spend some time inside.
Blue plaque and curtains
stained glass
We had a weekend break with friends in the little town of Haddenham in Buckinghamshire. It was lovely to catch up with them and to feed the ducks in the pond on the green outisde the church. (Plus, we just spotted it in the most recent episode of Midsomer Murders - yes, I have seen every single episode ever, don't judge me.)
moorhen chicks
Ducklings
And then it was the summer holidays. Several weeks off in July and August has to be one of the best bits about working in a school! We set off to walk from the English Channel to the Bristol Channel with nothing but a backpack (and reservations at a number of B&Bs, haha!). I posted lots of photos at the time, but here are a few more from the walk - including some from the last day, which was actually the 1st of August. Shhh, don't tell!
cow
big round rock
river and grey clouds
stream or path
church
green woods
heather
cliffs and sea
I shall sign off with a very short compilation of video footage taken at various places over the month of July.

Five Snippets (July 2016) from In Which I on Vimeo.


Previous 2016 revisits: January, February, March, April, May and June.

8 Comments

2016 revisited: June

7/1/2017

3 Comments

 
The sights and sounds of summer . . .
To start, why not put some sounds in your ears while you read over this post? Below is a compilation of various recordings I made (on my camera, so not brilliant quality) during June. Originally, I intended to do a recording every day for 30 Days Wild, but didn't manage it. Speaking of 30 Days Wild, it was fantastic to get my pack from the Wildlife Trusts, featuring cards with pictures that I drew! It was very exciting to have my art going out to thousands of people. I talked about the process of creating the cards here.
cards
30 Days Wild card designs featuring my sketches.
So, back to our activites in June. We paid a visit to London for a family wedding at the start of the month and enjoyed some green spaces in the city.
Moss
Moss in Mill Hill.
The wedding cakes were a sight to behold. All the fruit and flowers inspired me to try something I'd been meaning to get around to for the last few years: cooking with elderflowers. I foraged a couple of flower heads and made them into pikelets (sweet little pancakes), which worked quite nicely.
cakes with flowers and fruit
Wedding cakes.
Elderflowers
Elderflower.
It's hard to fit in outdoors time around a full time job with a 1-2 hour commute each way, so we decided to start a little tradition of going on a walk on the way home at least once a week. We chose Arlington Reservoir, because it's a one hour circular walk on an easy trail, with a variety of stuff to look at: the water and waterbirds, a bit of woodland, views of the South Downs, animals, buildings, fields. It was satisfying to watch the evolution of the micro-ecosystem that is the reservoir wall over the course of the summer and autumn, until it got too dark to walk any more.
bunny
The cutest bun I ever saw.
daisies
Daisies on the reservoir wall.
view of reservoir wall and hills
Arlington Reservoir with the South Downs in the background.
greenery and flowers
Wildflowers beside the path.
blue water and sky
Arlington Reservoir - the path goes along the long curve of the wall.
There was a gorgeous Chicken of the Woods fungus growing on Battle High Street, of all places. I didn't want to take it, as it looked so lovely and colourful. Somebody else didn't have any such qualms - it had been cut down when we next went past, a couple of days after I took this photo. (I later heard it was a friend of a neighbour, who presented it to a family member for their birthday!)
yellow bracket fungus
Chicken of the Woods (I think) growing in Battle High Street.
We had an amazing microadventure on the South Downs with probably the most beautiful scenery I saw this year. The HRRA walk this month was also on the South Downs, which meant even more fabulous views!
two orange patterned butterflies on pink flowers
Small tortoiseshell butterflies, which have suffered a population decline, especially in the south of the UK.
Green crops and a far horizon
Looking down the undulating flanks of the South Downs.
Green ears of wheat
It's always lovely to see a field of wheat or barley nodding in the wind.
And at the end of the month we went Champing for the first time. Despite quite a grey and drizzly month overall, we did manage to make the most of it.

Previous 2016 year in review posts: January, February, March, April and May.

3 Comments

Lake Field: Autumn to Winter

1/1/2017

2 Comments

 
Mild weather lingers as the leaves turn golden - then the days shorten, mists smother the valley, and frosts coat the grass.
We had fine weather through most of October. The colours only started turning in earnest towards the end of the month and, because there was very little wind, they stuck around for a while. Much to my disappointment, the ponies moved out of Lake Field in November. At first we thought they might have been relocated for bonfire night (a very big, very rowdy night in Battle!), but then a sign popped up informing us that they'd done their bit for Lake Field and the National Trust was moving onto the next stage. This involved felling a patch of sycamores from the edge of Lake Field to the left of these photos. Apparently there used to be allotments here. I'm not sure when they were established or when and why they were left to overgrow, but they must have been disused for a couple of decades judging by the size of the trees.

October

misty
A lovely autumnal mist to start the month. You can't really tell, but the sun was blazing in a blue sky above!
sunny with clouds
Ponies continuing to enjoy the lush grass, the trees barely showing a hint that it's well into autumn already.
sunset
A warm sunset lends the leaves a golden glow.
sunny
A faint green wash across the field by the white house as the new crop emerges. A distinctly autumnal look to the scene, now.

November

foggy
Pretty much the last photo I have of any of the ponies, grazing the dew-coated grass in a heavy fog.
sunrise
The glorious colours of an autumn morning and a frost on the ground. The season turned quickly in November.
bleak
From one week to the next, strong winds blew away the best of the autumn leaves. Winter is coming!
sunny
But still, we had some delightful sunny days. The crop opposite is flourishing.

December

sunny afternoon
A sunny day, but long shadows in the afternoon indicate that the winter sun is riding low in the sky.
sunny morning
Since the clocks changed, we only really get to see this view on the weekend - we leave for work in the dark and we get home in the dark.
drizzly
December didn't feel as cold as November, but it was definitely wintery: lots of close, grey, damp days. It doesn't stop dog walkers, though!
misty
The frost on the 30th of December was impressive, but I chose to photograph the very last, misty morning of 2016.
I hope you've enjoyed this year-long photo series about Lake Field as much as I've enjoyed taking the photos. It's been interesting to see the seasonal changes wash across this one view and exciting to document the National Trust works in and around Lake Field. I certainly wasn't expecting so many changes when I began the project.

A Year in Lake Field
Winter to Spring - Spring to Summer - Summer to Autumn - Autumn to Winter ​

2 Comments

    In which I

    In which I do things and write about them

    RSS Feed

    In which I tag

    All
    #30DaysWild
    Art And Architecture
    Audio And Music
    Australia
    Battle Observer
    Birmingham
    Books And Stories
    Bristol
    Buckinghamshire
    Cambridgeshire
    Cooking
    Devon
    East Sussex
    Eating And Drinking
    Film And Video
    Foraging
    Gardening
    Grand Union Canal
    Hastings Independent
    Hertfordshire
    Housekeeping
    Imagining
    Interviewing
    Kent
    Lake Field
    London
    Manchester
    Marketing
    Microadventure
    National Trust
    Netherlands
    Norfolk
    Northumberland
    Paddling
    Q&A
    Reporting
    Review
    Share The Love
    Sheffield
    Snowy River
    Somerset
    Suffolk
    Swimming
    Tea
    Wales
    Walking
    West Sussex
    Year Of Sleeping Variously
    Yorkshire

    In which I archive

    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.