Hook and Warsash Nature Reserve lies a little closer to home than the recent expeditions have taken me. Parking is a little limited and restricted to 2 hours during the week days, but unrestricted at the weekend. Surprisingly warm for the last day of October, which brought out a large number of walkers, but I cannot blame them. The tide was out to start with, which gave the waders chance of a snack. ...
RSPB Medmerry is situated on the South West side of Selsey, West of the Pagham Harbour site. Whereas Pagham Harbour has an RSBP office and facilities and a large carpark, Medmerry is solely a small car park with a 2.1m height restriction, with parking for about 6 vehicles. Thankfully there was a single spot left when I arrived, and the height restriction was a ‘generous’ 2.1m which the little car limboed under without a problem. ...
Pagham Harbour is a natural inlet to the north-east of Selsey on the south coast of the UK. Originally an island, Selsey gets its name from Anglo-Saxon times ‘Seals-ey’, or Island of Seals. No seals were spotted by me today, but the weather was sunny, in fact a little too warm for the long trousers and jacket I was wearing as the day went on. What Google Maps fails to articulate is that the central section is all wetlands which is submerged at high tide (11:45 on the day of visting), so you walk either East or West from the RSBP car park, which is on the West side of the harbour: ...
The final day of the holiday saw a last minute change of plan - a trip to St. Ives instead of a more local walk. We wanted to have a second look at a particular gallery - the Donald MacLeod Maritime Art gallery, having visited it a number of years ago. The Great Western Railway is extremely scenic in this part of the world, albeit a little slow travelling a maximum of around 60mph, over all the old bridges, viaducts and through the cuttings. It must have been a lot of effort to construct all those years ago. ...
The start of the week was marked by a day trip on the ferry between St Mawes and Falmouth. The weather was not fully cooperating with light drizzle and dark grey skies. We arrived and parked up just in time to catch the boat, clambering down the wet dock steps to climb aboard and find a seat out of the inclement weather. ...
The week is flying by - day 4 already. A trip to another National Trust site - Cotehele, a house from the Tudor ages. On the day of visiting, much to Mother’s delight there was a ‘pick apples from the tree’ event on. ...
Day 3 of the adventure in Cornwall - a short bus ride to the coastal town of Looe. A statue of a previous inhabitant of the town, Nelson the Seal. A boat trip returning to the jetty after a run out to sea. The ever present Seagulls, watching for any tourist who drops their guard on their pasty or ice cream - I know too well from first hand experience on a previous trip! ...
A prompt start for a lengthy trip out West to Marazion, down towards the farthest corner of the United Kingdom. After parking in the long stay car park and successfully talked my way past the National Trust St Michael’s Mount ticket collectors having not yet received my National Trust membership card, we joined the line of people walking across the causeway to the busy attraction. ...
A trip the Emily Hobhouse museum at St Ive (Liskeard) in Cornwall was a thought provoking experience, based about the life of Emily Hobhouse at the turn of the 20th century and the second Boer war in South Africa. The experience consisted of a carefully time choreographed walk around ’the War Room’, wearing a headset which detailed the story of the war, and included a virtual reality session set in the harsh environment of a British concentration camp for all the women and children which were captured following the hard battle with the Boers. ...
Parakeets have made it down to Hampshire! What a noise they will make. Still, the more native fauna was making the most of the bumper harvest. I am not totally sure what variety this is - I am thinking a juvenile Coot? Meanwhile, the young boy Mallards are starting to show their colours, magnificent! ...