a "what's new" guide to the whole of Geoff's Pages, and a selection of bits and pieces that never made it to the site
The harvest has taken the barley that was growing in these fields. The land has been ploughed, harrowed and re-sown – and next year’s wheat or barley (hard to tell at this stage) is starting to come up. There’s the green sheen of spring in this early autumn landscape! In the hedgerows, the season is more obvious.
View OS map on Streetmap https://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=367540&Y=298191&A=Y&Z=120
Friday 18 September: later that day – a walk to Belhaven’s “bridge to nowhere” and along the cliff path to Dunbar harbour
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=367147&Y=679110&A=Y&Z=115
Friday 18 September: a short walk with the family in the John Muir Country Park, through the Hedderwick Hill plantation to the shore at Hedderwick sands. It’s all very pleasant on this fine sunny day.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=364534&Y=679067&A=Y&Z=115
We walked this way two months ago, trying some new (to us) paths on the Wenlock Edge, just a couple of miles from Much Wenlock, We’re extending the route a little today, which adds distance but not much more interest. It’s a hazy day; despite the clear blue sky and sunshine, July’s colours are long gone, and the autumn leaves are still mostly ahead of us. Nevertheless, it’s good to be out – infinitely more enjoyable than long drives down busy motorways…
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=360205&Y=297700&A=Y&Z=120
Thursday 17 September: I could do with a leg-stretch after the long drive, and I’m surplus to requirements for an hour or so – I’ll take a short walk down to the harbour, then along the coastal path for a little way. The light is warming as I wander – is that a Scottish Ayers Rock down there?
Landmarks local to Dunbar, where we’ve been for a few days: the bridge at Belhaven is useful when the tide is out… In the distance (about 6.5 miles / 10km) is the Bass Rock, home to an astonishing number of gannets.
We arrived home this afternoon, after a drive of over 300 miles, so that will have to do for now. More photos tomorrow.
A few months ago, the colour was in the many spring flowers, backed by the bright blossom of blackthorn, then hawthorn. On this grey and gloomy afternoon, we’ll focus on the sloes, hips, haws and other berries. the offspring of that springtime display.
… from Shirlett – a route we’ve trodden before. We walked this way a couple of times in July, on two very different days. Today, although it’s a warm and still afternoon, there’s change in the air and on the ground. The barley’s been cut, the oats are looking ripe, blackberries and sloes abound and the toadstools are proliferating. A fine fly agaric stands half-way up Ned’s lane, first of the season. There will be more, I suspect.
View OS map on Streetmap http://streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=366190&Y=298996&A=Y&Z=120
Once again, we’re seeking the shade – it’s warm, there’s not a cloud in the sky and there’s no breeze worthy of the name. We’ll walk down through Chestnut Coppice, then follow the well-shaded old railway track northwards to Linley. A wander along the riverbank leads us to Dean Brook, where we can rejoin the railway and head back. Very pleasant, perfect for a day like this.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=370965&Y=298125&A=Y&Z=120
Quiet ways on a warm afternoon – not a cloud in the sky!
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=356015&Y=299000&A=Y&Z=120
