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Page updated August 2005
The last couple of years have been limited 'Out and About' wise as you'll discover on the News and Views page. However we are still getting out and things are beginning to improve.
- The wonderful gorge and woods near us have become infested by ticks. I understand that they have made their way down from the north of the country via pheasants and deer. As well as being unpleasant they can carry Lyme's disease in this country and have been associated with Tick Borne Encephalitis abroad. Needless to say our trips into the woods have been restricted to the less infested areas in the summer and even then we have to have a tick search when we get back. In the winter they disappear so there's no problem then.
- We,ve just picked the apples from the tree in the garden and will look for nuts and berries in the autumn as usual. Hopefully by then the ticks will have gone for the winter, but I guess it depends on how warm an autumn we have.
- In view of the above, much of our local exercise has centred around cycling. We have a flat, wet area on the other side of us to the woods and gorges. A ride around this takes much the same amount of time as the local walks so, as long as the weather isn't too grim, we can interchange them. Lots of birds can be seen including herons, swans, ducks, buzzards and smaller birds. At this time of year there are lots of calves and earlier in the year, lambs.
- We've had our usual trips to Pen y Fan and various bits of the Mendips during the summer and winter - Cheddar, Blackdown, and Velvet Bottom, which are always highly enjoyable.
- Our main outing last autumn was to North Devon near Clovelly. This was shortly after the floods at Boscastle and the weather was extremely poor. While we were there we drove down to the Eden Project - very impressive and well worth the visit. An important display of our planet's biodiversity and the things we will lose if we don't look after it. The weather wasn't good and going back to the chalet we had hired, we got lost on Bodmin Moor in the mist. We finally arrived at the Jamaica Inn but too late to get into the various museums there so we just had a welcome pint, bought some local liqueurs and struggled back.
- On the following day we had a look at Hartland point and the wrecks scattered around there. The view across the cliffs to the lighthouse and wrecks, with Lundy in the background, is amazing. We had lunch at the Hartland Quay Hotel and popped into the Shipwreck Museum. I hadn't realised that there had been so many wrecks in the area. Has anyone been watching 'Coast' on BBC 2? I've discovered a whole new lot of possible areas to visit from it.
We've spent a bit of time looking at the south coast and Lyme Regis hunting for fossils. A couple of days ago we did a short walk from Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door and back. The weather was wonderful and the colours out of this world. Things are definitely improving.
For those students and ex students interested, trips are now arranged by telephone and ring around. If you're interested in joining us give me a ring (01934 876181). In the meantime I'll keep you up to date with what we're up to.
Love and light to you all,
Be well and enjoy our fantastic outdoors.
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