Just photos – no particular theme
It’s a bank holiday: we’re staying close to home… On this warm afternoon, Benthall Edge might be pleasant, and the orchids should be out in the scrubby woodland near the hall. It was – and they were!
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=366297&Y=302972&A=Y&Z=115
The Met Office says so anyway. It doesn’t feel especially summery at first, but the sky’s clearing and it’s getting warmer by the time we get back to the car. The hedgerows are full of summer flowers too, so it must be true!
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=355085&Y=298270&A=Y&Z=120
22 May: A wet day. Will there be any let-up? The window below sums it up nicely – apart from a few minutes around 6pm, when the rain stops. Light streams through the clouds to illuminate the settlement of Geary, beyond the Ascrib islands, around eight miles away across (sea) Loch Snizort. The little promontory at Oans is visible most days, but it doesn’t stand out – you wouldn’t know it was there. For a few minutes, the light falling through the rain brings Oans into sharp relief. Then the rain returns. Tomorrow will be better, won’t it?
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=127519&Y=860678&A=Y&Z=120
21 May: The car has taken us down to Camas Mor, where the rocks of Sgeir Lang jut into the bay. They provide shelter for a slipway which was probably of great value to local fishermen once – I don’t think it’s used much today. The rocks are perfect for a quiet exploration on a dry and calm evening following a damp day.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=137039&Y=870788&A=Y&Z=120
20 May: That’s its Gaelic name. In English, it’s Bornaskitaig. Yes, we’re at our northern office, for just over a week on Skye. We haven’t chosen a very good week – a rainy spell seems to have arrived with us. The evening looks like staying dry, though there are showers around. We’ll park at the village hall, and wander around the quiet lanes through to the cliff top above Lùb an Sgòir (Score Bay…). The shadows are lengthening, and the clouds looking ominous as we head back towards the car.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=138160&Y=870845&A=Y&Z=120
…along Shirlett Lane on a mid-May evening, for a breath of fresh air. It’s quiet along here, apart from the birdsong, and who could possibly complain about that?
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=366090&Y=298085&A=Y&Z=120
It’s not actually raining, but there are spots in the breeze from time to time. We’re walking around Colemore Green – starting out near the old Astley Abbotts school, past Boldings Pools, down through Chestnut Coppice to the old railway track, then back up to the little wayside shop (we’re out of marmalade!). Under a grey sky, today’s interest is in the detail.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=371135&Y=296950&A=Y&Z=120
When the light’s like this, it’s against the law to stay at home. Familiar territory, exceptional illumination!
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=367515&Y=298310&A=Y&Z=120
Thursday 12 May: Staffordshire – a walk from the Satnall Hills car park, near Milford, through the Shugborough estate to find draught Bass in Great Haywood (no, it doesn’t look like rain! The weather’s better than expected too!). We return beside a tranquil stretch of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal to complete a circuit full of interest.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=398720&Y=321695&A=Y&Z=120
Steady rain all morning (we need it!) – then, the forecast suggested, a less-than-perfect afternoon followed by a brighter evening. By 1.30pm it’s looking pretty good – let’s go for it. The ground will be wet away from a good surface – we’ll stick to Shirlett Lane, for a good leg-stretch and some great views in the rain-washed air.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=365660&Y=298545&A=Y&Z=120
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