Category: Wanderings

It’s nearly November and I haven’t posted anything for a while. The world is still in deep trouble with the virus with no end in site.

Back in the Summer when we could head across the border and back freely we enjoyed a couple of lovely visits with the other halves Brother and Sister in-law who are embarking on their next big adventure escaping the rat race and setting up a new home in the absolute middle of Wales.

The goal of our visits is typically a bit of wandering about on some less trodden paths, some good relaxing company and some watery photography is always a bonus. Rain can be almost guaranteed.

The Cambrian mountains are beautiful but can be bleak and there really isn’t much in the way of actual bonafide paths but the payoff is you are probably the only people up there.

I recommend the Gilfach Nature Reserve some beautiful views to be had a nice upwards leg stretch.

And the Afon Marteg river is so picturesque

I didn’t have the tripod so had to make do with a handy rock or two.

And who wouldn’t want to spend their days here ..

For most of these shots I was lugging around the Nikon D850 replacement for weight lifting in the gym but my preloved Sony A7s is really impressing me. I got it mainly for video but the stills are just stunning .. ok not quite D850 stunning but they do have their own very pleasing character.

Even though I told myself I would just stick with the one lens … well who was i kidding … I acquired a 90mm F2.8 macro and ok not done much macroing with it yet but it does do well with amazing light.

The Elan valley dam and reservoir network is a short walk away and thanks to the amazing rain in August the upper dam was overflowing.

I have never seen it like this before and the engineer in me is sneakily impressed with what was done 100 years ago. Clearly the environmental considerations would be different now, but they are rather grand.

There are lovely walks around the reservoirs complete with bonus waterfalls if you can track them down.

We came across this spooky wookland

while trying to find a particular one, we failed by the way,

but we did discover this on our wanderings.

I really like the Black and white versions .. somehow the textures really pop.

Next up the glory that is Banbury Rings and its famous tree lined avenue followed by destination the lake district. Oooh and excitingly some fireworks photography in epic locations.

In this post you’ll find an odd collection of snaps from our June lockdown wanderings which don’t get a post on their own. Not that they weren’t just as wonderful as the others but I was clearly less inclined to snap away.

June 8th

Back up Claverton Down on the hunt for Day 8 (instagram #30dayswildphotochallenge)… flowers. The lure of the daisies was too much and even though the weather wasn’t up to much the attraction of the flowers and fresh air was enough to get us moving.

Mission success with these .. thanks to the Sony a7S and the 12-24mm f4

We then looped round the back of the university, past the American Museum and down the steep hill to the canal through the village of Claverton.

Found some stunning wild iris growing on the edge of the woodland

and enjoyed the last mile or 2? back along the canal.

June 10th

Just North(ish) of Bath is a lovely collection of villages and this trail wandered up and around and down Solsbury hill through Northend then onto St Catherine. Then up a crazy steep, cutting round Charmy Down and back down to Swainswick.

Found massive shrooms to keep me amused on the second steep up. How annoying is it when you are out with the D850 and the 105 macro and the mushroom is so massive it’s impossible to find a good composition.

And the ferns which live in the St Catherine valley which can be a bit dark and damp and rainforesty at times were fabulously curly.

Check out this lovely fella of the sheep exotica family. He or she? gave us a proper hard stare as we took a wrong turn through his field. My Sheep identification skills are rather poor so I think it’s either a Manx Loaghtan or a Hebredian .. answers on a postcard please.

June 15th

We are very fortunate to have lots of exploring options on our doorstep. Not least the Kennet and Avon canal. It stretches from Bristol and the River Avon to Reading where it joins up with the Thames.

The part which runs through Bath is proper lovely with a very eclectic collection of houseboats ranging from the super posh bling beasties to some gorgeously characterful ones and a few which you wonder how they are actually afloat. Hmm idea for a photography project perhaps.

Several of our walks either start or end up on the canal but on the 15th we just wandered into town along it’s length.

The Sydney gardens part has all these wonderful bridges and tunnels which when the water is still it makes for some great reflections. The a7S does them justice I think and at this point I am wondering why I am lugging 2 cameras around with me especially as one is the D850 house brick with bonus brick of the 105 macro.

We ended up in Victoria Gardens where we found a yummy display of poppies, daisies and cornflowers. What a pity day 8 flowers was last week.

Love a poppy shot and finally the 105 gets a look in….

It’s a Sunny day in June and we are allowed to meet up in groups of 6 for some outside adventuring. Socially distanced of course.

So where to go .. Claverton Down … check, Banner Down … check, Although not sure I told you about that one yet. Charmy Down … check. So Lansdown it is.

Landsdown is the home of some of the most iconic Bath architecture of the Circus and the Royal Crescent designed by John Wood father and Son partnership but we were after much earlier historical sites of note.

Our timing was perfect after waiting for a short downpour to end and off we went towards the village of Woolley with the plan to loop up and around and end up on the Landsdown Battlefields. On  5 July 1643 this was the scene of a punch up between one time friends Sir William Waller and Sir Ralph Hopton respectively a Roundhead and a Royalist. Neither fella actually won it seems.

Back to the route … a short steep up, down and along to Woolley past lovely flowery fields.

Left turn up what is apparently one of the best running descents in Bath if you are in to that kind of thing as a couple of my companions are.

Past another pretty flowery vista.

And up onto Landsdown and the Monument in memory of Civil War Commander and Royalist Sir Bevil Grenville who was one of the casualties at Landsdown as the head of a force of Cornish Pikemen. Not sure why he warranted a monument built 100 odd years later but it is a strange curiosity.

There are some flags marking the battle locations which conveniently mark our route.

We then popped out adjacent to the Landsown Golf course and the route gets more popular and busy with Sunday afternoon walkers.

There is a group of brilliant sculptures near the Golf course cafe which was serving from a table outside. I need to pop back up there with more time and fewer people and find out more about the Artist. This was my favourite piece an I managed to catch a snap with no intruders.

It seemed appropriate for the battlefield and today’s grim times. Although difficult to be too depressed on such a beautiful day.

Incredible views across to Bristol and looking out onto to the Kelston Round.

Then through the race course, past Beckford’s Tower and round the nose of Landsdown to skirt back down to our starting location … you can just see the roof of our house from here.

Wow that was a long one. We waved goodbye to our companions .. no popping in for tea or coffee sadly .. maybe soon .. fingers crossed!

The inescapable truth is if there are Downs there must be tops and bottoms so welcome to Chilcombe Bottom.

It’s a decommissioned reservoir turned mini nature reserve. I didn’t realise but Bath is surrounded buy hidden reservoirs and this one dates back to the 19th century.

You can’t see much of the water as it’s full of bulrushes and quite inaccessible but it is a rather lovely spot and at this time of year (middle of June) it was full of wriggling tadpoles.

Our Route to get there was up and over Solsbury hill

Complete with wild Orchids and big fat thistles with little visitors.

Past my favourite footpath sign.

Then along up and over to the bottom

I think the sheep had been up to no good in this Christmas tree plantation

And more Orchids at the Bottom

Plotting the next Down tomorrow … Lansdown, home of some very fancy Bath architecture and a racecourse and another flipping Golf course.

Well apparently Charmy Down is now nationally famous for its illegal raves according to the BBC … So today we can talk about the next one which is probably most famous for hosting the University of Bath in all it’s 70’s architectural monstrosity and the building frenzy that has kept it growing ever since I graduated from there too many years ago to count.

We recently re-discovered the ancient woodland which climbs up the Bath City side and pops out at Sham Castle.

It seems the well to do residents of Bath in times gone by had a penchant for building pointless edifices either to show off or improve their views.

I have fuzzy memories of summer evenings up here from Student days

We then braved a golf ball to the brain with a dash across the golf course which also occupies the top of the Down and after complaining about the ridiculous waste of a beautiful open space for a privileged few to enjoy had to beg forgiveness as at least they have kept a wild part full of amazing grasses and daisies and other wildflowers.

There are a few different walking routes up here so I expect we’ll be back to explore the woods again.

Today was a quick trip up and down with the return route taking us along the Kennet and Avon canal.

The Swanlings have grown up since our last encounter and Dad has got quite feisty. Well who decides a good place to put the kids down for a nap is on the canal towpath .. honestly!

How many other downs to go?

Oh I also joined a little distracting photo of the day instagram fun courtesy of the Cumbria wildlife trust. A little lockdown exercise & local exploring incentive.

30dayswildphotochallenge

Living here for 30+ years you rather take for granted how beautiful the countryside is and don’t take the time to explore it. We’re always working or dashing off to apparently more exotic locations but having been furloughed for almost three weeks now as the bottom has fallen out of the airplane business me and the other half have pounded the local hills.

They call them Downs round here which I quite like. Dad says what happened to the ups but as any fellow skier will know (well apart from the nutters who prefer the skinning) it is all about the Down.

Down 1 – Charmy Down May 31st 2020

It was an old Airfield back in the day and now it’s just a big old open grassland.

Our Route was more or less past the bottom of Solsbury hill, up a ridiculously steep road parallel to the A46 up to Charmy Down, across the old airfield past some prettily backlit cows and cow babies,

down the other side through what would have been the most gorgeous garlic flowery drop a couple of weeks ago.

Then along to Monkswood Reservoir, all fenced off so not very picturesque, along the valley occupied by lovely long horn cows, need to go back there with the Nikon or Olympus and a longer lens as seemed a good idea to keep our distance .. they were very pointy horns.

Then up to and over the A46. The farm there has built 2 giant minion statues which had attracted the attention of passing motorists .. how odd ..

This looks flat but it was crazy steep.

Found an innovative garage construction

Then along to Wooly, a bit of a bonus up and past more curious cows

The A7s and the 12 to 24mm had a fine time out and about too.

Finally home to the light of the Petzel Duo S head torch (it is soooooo bright). Not bad given we didn’t start until 7pm ish. I do love these long evenings.

Thank you FATMAP for helping us to not get lost.

The next Down on the list is Claverton.