farming | The Dorset Rambler

Tag Archives: farming

Happiness is snow shaped :)

Now Dorset and snow don’t usually go together, especially South Dorset! We get the occasional light scattering, just to tantalise us and remind us of what we are missing and it has usually gone within hours. But recently we actually had a fall of snow that was worth walking in……and I did just that ! Now I don’t like snow for what it does to the community, the slippery roads that can make driving difficult, and the effect it has on the elderly who can’t get out, but I love it for the effect it has on the landscape, turning it into a magical fairyland, a delight to walk in!

This walk started from a wonderful Dorset village, probably one of the prettiest you could wish to see, a designer village that exists simply because one man didn’t want the view from his manor house spoilt by houses and cottages! But more of that later.

A designer village cottage

The village nestles in a valley with its single street lined on both sides with identical cottages and with its almshouses and church part way down. These cottages are always picturesque but with the myriad icicles hanging from the eaves of each one, they took on a real fairy story look – you could almost expect to see Hansel and Gretel appear from the doorway!

I have said that the cottages are all identical, and they are from the outside, but internally they now differ. With their single front door, you would imagine that they were all built as substantial single dwellings but in fact they were semi-detached – inside the front door of each was a lobby with secondary front doors into separate cottages on each side. There was much overcrowding in the days when these were built and it is said that at one time as many as 36 people lived in one of these small cottages……with two bedrooms! Many have now been knocked into one single larger cottage.

The post office and shop

As I walked down this street, I met one of the villagers and we fell into conversation – I was to bump into him again later in the walk. He had lived in the village for 14 months and was undertaking a project to film the village through the year. Naturally with rare snow on the ground, he was making the most of this as he captured the scene! As I left him and continued down the road, I wondered if he was still filming and if I would feature in his production!

A beautiful lane

From the village, my route took me down a lovely lane with parkland on each side and past one of the many manor houses that stand in the area. High on the side of the hill, this manor house had commanding views across this beautiful valley.

One of the manor houses

But this manor house would pale into insignificance compared to the main feature in this part of Dorset, the magnificent Milton Abbey and House.

Milton Abbey and its grounds

The abbey was originally founded in 925 by King Athelstan although those buildings were destroyed by fire in 1309. The current abbey dates from the 14th and 15th century and as huge as the church is, it is only a fraction of what it was meant to be as the eastern chapels have been demolished and the main nave was never built. An interesting story is told of John Tregonwell who at the age of 5 fell from the tower……and lived! It seems that his petticoat which was the fashion of the day acted as a parachute, enabling him to ‘land’ safely!

The parkland around the abbey, designed by Capability Brown, is truly magnificent and my walk took me through this beautiful countryside.

Through the parkland

Coming to the end of the lane in the picture above gives us a chance to turn and look back at not only the church itself but also the impressive mansion that is attached to it. This was the home of Joseph Damer, later Lord Milton. He bought the estate from the Tregonwell family who had acquired the abbey after the dissolution of the monasteries to use as their private residence. Joseph Damer had the ‘new’ mansion built in 1774.

At the time, the village, then known as Middleton, was below it in the valley but Joseph Damer did not like his view being ‘spoilt’ by the cottages so he had them all demolished and built a new village out of sight round the corner! As hard as that was for the then villagers, one of whom refused to leave and had to be literally flooded out, I guess we have him to thank for the picturesque 18th century designer village we now see.

The abbey and house, as is often the case with old mansions, has now been turned into a private school.

Across the Capability Brown parkland

But we must move on! For a short time, our route takes us along a quiet country lane where I again bumped into my friend with his camera filming a different view of village life. And in the distance we can see the next unspoilt village on this walk.

Down the country lane

But we don’t stay on the road long before detouring across the fields and footpaths to reach that village.

Across fields and footpaths

Eventually the path brings us out to another of those quintessentially Dorset villages with its delightful thatched cottages and its church standing proud in the centre.

An unspoilt Dorset village

It is always a pleasure walking through this interesting village whatever the time of year but all too soon, we have to head out into the country again to climb up to one of the highest points in Dorset with its amazing views over the Blackmore Vale and across four different counties.

The route up will take us through varied scenery.

Through beautiful woodlands…….

……..through lovely open farmland…….

…….and out onto the open hillside with another of my favourite views back down the valley. Amazingly, the gorse here was still in flower and provided a lovely splash of yellow in a monochrome landscape.

On the open hillside

Reaching the ridge of the hill, my route took me along the country lane which was a blessing because the views are spectacular and walking on the road means that you can enjoy the scenery to the full without having to look where you are walking……..well, apart from the occasional patch of ice ! Now I know why I carry a walking pole – it has saved my backside several times !

The Blackmore Vale

Soon though I had to turn off the road and drop down into another snowy valley and along this section, it was 12 inches deep in places………apart from where the sheep had worn it away in their quest to find grass.

Snow grazing!

And I even managed to find some virgin snow, not yet walked upon, it almost seemed a shame to spoil it. I never could resist a gate or stile and in the virgin snow, this gate looked particularly attractive.

The gate and the virgin snow

So I spoilt the snow by walking across it and then continued down the valley along a lovely farm lane.

Looking both ways!

As I was walking down this section, the clouds produced a spectacular display and it seemed like it was just for me as it added a different dimension to the pictures. Eventually I had to climb up the side of the valley again and spoil yet more virgin snow which came up to my knees making it hard work climbing up what wasn’t really a very steep hill. But there is always something special about being the first person to walk in the snow !

Almost too lovely to spoil!

And it was the same as I crossed the next field; and looking back with the snow, the sunshine and the blue sky, it was quite breathtaking. Just stand with me a moment and admire the creator’s handiwork. ’The fool has said in his heart there is no God’.

Rolling hills of snow

And so it was on down the farm track again where I could feel less guilty because the tractors had already christened the snow ! It was along this section that there was a sad sight – animal tracks in the snow with drops of blood at regular intervals ! I wondered what had made the tracks and whether they had survived……..I hope so!

Tractor tracks

We are nearing the end of the walk now but there is yet another valley to drop into and a view made all the better by the foreground stubble that has managed to poke through the layer of snow on this more sheltered side of the hill. With the patchwork quilt of snowy fields on the opposite hillside, it made a delightful view as the light faded into evening.

In the fading light

And so my route brought me full circle as I dropped into the designer village again to pass the now redundant old school with its streetlamp shining brightly out into the gathering gloom. And the rows of cottages in the distance seem to welcome me back.

The old school

As I look back at this walk, it brings back such great memories, memories of post card perfect views across not only a designer village but also a designer landscape with its natural beauty enhanced by a heavy fall of snow. It was a 12 mile walk that felt more like 20, but it was 20 miles of heaven on earth ! But aren’t all walks in this amazing creation like that?

I have put up more pictures than I normally would but I hope you have enjoyed walking with me!

Be blessed!

Thanks for stopping by and reading the ramblings of The Dorset Rambler.

Until next time,
Your friend
The Dorset Rambler.

If you would like to contact me, my details are on my website which is http://www.yarrowphotography.com – comments and feedback are welcomed.

All photographs, poems and words in this blog are the copyright of The Dorset Rambler and must not be reproduced without permission.

Tags: church, country life, Dorset, farming, nature, photography, rambling, snow, village life, walking, weather, wildlife

Comments 11 Comments
Categories Dorset, Photography, Rambling, Walking

Twas on a cold wintry day……

23 Dec

Ah what a fabulous walk this was! For almost the first time this year I could walk on solid ground, not because there wasn’t any mud but because for once the mud was frozen. After the rain we have had seemingly all year, it was such a refreshing change to have seasonably cold, frosty weather which froze even the deepest puddles. So it was hat and gloves on, and a hot drink to have on the way!

Mind you, before I even got to walking, the camera came out as I passed the beautiful valley in the picture below – I thought it looked as if Santa had passed by in his sleigh on his way to deliver presents to all the lovely children !

Where is Santa

I arrived at the starting point of my walk and parked in a delightfully picturesque village with its picture postcard cottages and leafy lanes. With the dappled sunlight, it made a beautiful start to the walk – but later, the darkness would reveal something even more special!

Dappled light on a village street

Leaving the village, the first mile or two took me down one of those quintessentially timeless Dorset country lanes. With the crisp frost and the dancing sunlight, it seemed that I was walking in an age more familiar to my grandparents and I almost expected to see a horse and wagon come by on their way to market. It is truly wonderful how some things just don’t change, especially in this fast moving 21st century technological society that we live in. How grateful I am for these timeless places, these quiet moments, and for the ability to enjoy them.

Timeless

Turning off the lane, my route took me onto a farm track, passing the farmhouse on the way. Seeing this farmhouse bathed in sunshine on this crisp day made me understand afresh the pleasures of living in a rural area. I know there are ‘disadvantages’ to being a farmer like having to get up at 4.00 am every day but, hey, as they say, ‘every silver lining has a cloud’! Hmm, or is that the other way round !

The farmhouse

But just standing there gazing at the view…….well, you couldn’t help but sigh and drink it all in. With the frost in the foreground echoing the shape of the fence, and the gentle mist settled over the valley in the early morning light, it was magical What a morning, what a view! Stand there with me and realise afresh the truth of the poets words, ‘What is life, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare’!

‘What is life, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare’

But, move on we must, before the cold freezes us to the spot! From here, the route winds its way across farmland…….and loses its way a little! A lack of signposting and some poor stiles can make it difficult to follow the path, especially when one field looks much like the next, but this is all part of the enjoyment of a good walk, creating some small challenges along the way and making the compass and map worth carrying.

We have a good system here in Dorset, a system that allows any problems with the footpath to be reported to the local authority – you can love or hate the Internet, but how did we manage without it? Within days of my sending through the report, I received an email advising me that the corrective works had been commissioned so next time I walk this way, the path should be clear again ! I bet they love me!!

One of the things I love about this county of Dorset is the variety of habitat and terrain. After the farmland, the path gently winds down into a lovely area of woodland with the frost clinging to the trees and shrubs creating a fairytale land. If you let your imagination go, you could almost expect to see little snowmen running free. And then, it is out into the open hillside again to be greeted by the most wonderful view.

Across the open valley

Lunch time was beckoning and I knew that there was a lovely village church not far away. That is significant because it is always nice to sit down to eat but that is not something that is straight forward in the winter when the ground is so wet. However, most churchyards have a bench or two which solves the problem ! I often think it would be nice if more farmers would provide a seat or two beside footpaths crossing their land – it doesn’t need to be a padded sofa, just an old log or two will do ! But on this day, it was a churchyard, and a beautifully peaceful one at that, and as I sat there, the weak winter sunlight falling on the delightfully coloured gravestones caught my eye.

In the graveyard

On these cold days, it is always nice to have a hot drink so I usually carry either a flask or my small camping stove which in many ways is even better because it means I can brew a hot drink whenever I want to. And today I wanted to! Sat in that peaceful churchyard with food and a hot drink reflecting on life is one of the pleasures even on a cold day like this. And so often, these country churchyards are a haven for wildlife too.

The second half of the walk crosses some pristine parklands, with two old stately homes to pass, with the usual array of cottages. I think the one below with its mansard roof and country garden must be the perfect place to live.

The country cottage

And then a little further on, another old and now disused but beautifully positioned building which probably housed farm workers in time gone by. Its days of usefulness are long gone and it looks forlornly out across the land that its inhabitants once served. And yet it still has a picturesque beauty that enhances the distant view, and a heritage that stretches even further.

Empty but beautiful

Climbing up onto the ridge just as the sun was setting, my route took in some amazing views across the valley. The evening mist was creeping stealthily across the low lying land creating a mystical atmosphere which was lit by the gentle pastel colours that are typical of a Dorset winter evening. And the frost that had lingered on the ground all day, grew crisper as the temperature dropped even further.

The evening mist settles across the valley

And as I dropped down off the hillside again, the village of Evershot was sat in shade with the blue mist creating a winter wonderland.

A winter wonderland

Passing through the village and out into the countryside again, I looked back to see the last vestiges of the milky sunset reflecting off the smoke from the bonfires in the cottage gardens.

Bonfires in the sunset

The last two miles took me across the most perfect parkland with its landscaped grounds and beautifully laid out trees. One in particular seemed as if it was standing out from its peers, like a lookout on the ramparts of a hill fort.

The lookout

And as darkness fell and the frost grew heavier and whiter still, I walked on alone apart from the many deer that roamed free. They were my company for what I often think is the best part of the day.

The parklands

And of course past the old mansion itself, now looming out of the darkness.

The old mansion

Eventually, I walked back into the village I had started from and it was there that the darkness brought to light that ‘something special’ that I mentioned at the start. It was a beautiful nativity scene set up in the window of one of the old cottages, lit up and glowing with its warm light shining out into the cold, darkness outside. I stood and looked, and thought what a great message, light shining into darkness, and a what a wonderful reminder of what this Christmas time is all about!

Be blessed!

Thanks for stopping by and reading the ramblings of The Dorset Rambler.

Until next time,
Your friend
The Dorset Rambler.

If you would like to contact me, my details are on my website which ishttp://www.yarrowphotography.com – comments and feedback are welcomed.

All photographs, poems and words in this blog are the copyright of The Dorset Rambler and must not be reproduced without permission.

Tags: church, churches, country life, Dorset, farming, nature, photography, poem, poetry, rambling, trees, village life, walking, wildlife

Comments 11 Comments
Categories Dorset, Photography, Poetry, Rambling, Walking, Wildlife

Of autumn mists and mellow fruitfulness ……..well, just mist really!!

4 Nov

I think we all like walking in the lovely bright summer sunshine, but I’m a strange person in that I like to walk in all weathers! In fact there are times when bad weather really improves a walk – for instance, on a bright summers day mountains can seem quite tame but bring down some stormy weather and they take on a whole different character, much more threatening and dangerous. On this walk, the day was very misty and with heavy cloud that really suited the landscape so well, as I think you will see.

It started with a walk around the southern shore of Poole Harbour, said to be the second largest natural harbour in the world with 100 miles of coastline. Initially, the walk was straight forward with sandy beaches, gently lapping water, and……and house boats!

The house boats at Bramble Bush Bay

These always intrigue me as some are not really boats at all – because they were effectively falling apart, they have been embedded in concrete to ‘stop the rot’. They still lean at crazy angles and you would be justified in thinking they were derelict, but they are not. They are still occupied in the summer months when the concrete bedded ones are joined by a number of additional floating houses to form a village by the beach. It is one of those quirky things of Dorset that I have known all my life.

A little further on in my walk I came across another of those mysteries, a row of dragon’s teeth – but are they?

Dragon’s Teeth?

This line of heavy concrete blocks stretches a short distance into the harbour’s water and are usually referred to as Dragon’s Teeth, a wartime anti-tank blockade, but I often wonder if that really was their purpose. At one time, Brownsea Island, the largest island in the harbour, had a pottery industry and raw materials were transported by boat to the island, and in turn, the pottery goods were exported. To do this, the barges used to berth at a number of landing stages on the harbour shore and I wonder if these blocks are the remains of one of these. I have never been able to totally prove one way or the other but in many ways, it is the very mystery that makes these utilitarian blocks fascinating.

Continuing round the shoreline, I passed below the beautiful low sandstone cliffs with their amazing array of warm colours ranging from yellow, through the whole spectrum of oranges, to deep browns. And below, the sandy beach begins to turn a little more rugged.

Sandstone

There is quite a lot of debris along this part of the coast, remains from the days when there were thriving industries. This is very evident at Redhorn Quay. The old jetty itself has long since disappeared but there is a rusting hulk, still standing proud, determined to hold out till the last. I fear it will not be there much longer as the weather over the years has destroyed most of it already.

The wreck at Redhorn Quay

I always linger at Redhorn because as you stand there with the wind whipping around you and the sound of the sea lapping on the shore, you can almost sense what it would have been like all those years ago when the wreck was a working barge plying its trade around the harbour. With other derelict vessels nearby, it feels like a graveyard.

But it was time to move on. Now this is not an easy walk and in some ways that is what makes it special because it is not frequented by many people. This makes it seem all the more remote. What makes the walk difficult is that it is extremely marshy and great care is needed to avoid stepping in the wrong place! But it has a very beautiful loneliness about it. With the heavy mist and cloud, the marshes take on real character as you walk carefully beside the water. The tide was out revealing vast expanses of mud flats which were frequented by a whole range of waders, and their plaintive cries echoing across the harbour just emphasised the feeling of loneliness that this area evokes. I love those plaintive cries, especially that of the curlew and the oyster catcher!

Marshes and mud flats in Poole Harbour

I lingered as long as I could but had to move on because there was a lot more to enjoy on this walk. As I left the harbour shore, I took one last look back across the wonderful autumn marsh grass.

Across the marsh grass

From the marshlands of the harbour, I walked on across the heathland further inland, with its famous Agglestone (holy stone). This stone stands proud on its hilltop as if it was monarch of all he surveys…..but the truth is it is not meant to be there! It is a massive block of sandstone, not necessarily massive by world standards but massive in the context of the sandy heathland that surrounds it. It is this incongruity which makes it another of Dorset’s curiosities. Legend has it that it was thrown by the devil from the Isle of Wight when he was aiming to destroy Corfe Castle which is a few miles away. Clearly his aim was not that good…….or maybe it is just that it is a relic of the ice age !

The Agglestone on Godlingston Heath

One of the things I like about this walk is the varied terrain, from marshes to heathland and on to much more civilised ground as I crossed the well manicured grass of Isle of Purbeck Golf Course, famed for being owned by Enid Blyton. Even here though there was wetness!!!

Tracks in the wet grass on the Isle of Purbeck Golf Course

And having passed across the fairway, watching for low flying golf balls , my route took me up over to the top of Ballard Down with its well known obelisk looming out of the mist. This obelisk was erected for the first time in 1883 to commemorate the coming of a clean water supply to Swanage. I say ‘for the first time’ because it was taken down during the Second World War to prevent its being used by enemy pilots to aid navigation. It was erected for a second time in 1952 but somewhat shorter because the bottom section had been damaged.

The ‘shorter’ obelisk on Ballard Down

The view from the obelisk is wonderful and it was a view that stayed with me as my route followed the ridge for several miles. Normally on this part of the walk I would be serenaded by skylarks but not on this day. I did however come across some fungi, grouped together as if they were deliberately posing for a family photograph. Naturally I obliged !

A fungi family gathering on Ballard Down

Having enjoyed the spectacular views…..and the bracing wind……on the ridge top, I eventually dropped down into the valley again to pass through a farm with the usual array of ‘abandoned’ farm machinery. Some of this was clearly just parked until needed again but it always amuses me how much machinery simply gets left to rust away. On some walks it almost seems like someone has deliberately set up a museum of farming through the ages!

Waiting to be used again

I was nearing the end of my walk now but there was still time to look for some more pictures. I like to look for a different view of things and recently have been searching for what I call ‘alternative autumn pictures’. I found one on this walk in a river bed which reflected the trees above – the ‘autumn leaves’ were in fact pebbles under the water.

Autumn in the river bed

The final stretch of this wonderful and varied walk should have taken me along the beach back to my starting point but I took a detour to revisit the early part of my walk again, hoping for an amazingly vibrant sunset across the Dragon’s Teeth and house boats – but as often happens it didn’t come!! Well I guess the sun did set, but hidden from view behind a huge bank of cloud! Ah well, I took the pictures anyway.

Somehow, in the fading light, the random concrete blocks seem even more imposing.

Poole Harbour in the fading light

And standing on the shore on this crisp evening with the water gently washing across the sand with the mist still lingering across the harbour, there was a special atmosphere. It is what makes walking so enjoyable and memorable!

Darkness falls on The Bramble Bush Bay houseboats

By the time I reached the Sandbanks Chain Ferry for my trip back across the Poole Harbour entrance, it was dark – but then, I finish nearly all of my walks in the dark….just to make them last a little longer. And this was a walk I didn’t want to end.

The Sandbanks Chain Ferry

Not much sun, lots of cloud and mist, chill breezes, waders and fungi, marshland, heath, hilltops and beach, and a good smattering of Dorset quirkiness – a wonderfully varied and evocative walk. I hope you enjoyed walking it with me.

Thanks for stopping by and reading the ramblings of The Dorset Rambler.

Until next time,
Your friend
The Dorset Rambler.

If you would like to contact me, my details are on my website which is http://www.yarrowphotography.com – comments and feedback are welcomed.

All photographs, poems and words in this blog are the copyright of The Dorset Rambler and must not be reproduced without permission.

Tags: country life, Dorset, Dorset Coast Path, Enid Blyton, farming, nature, photography, Poole Harbour, rambling, walking, weather, wildlife

Comments 8 Comments
Categories Dorset, Photography, Rambling, Walking, Wildlife

Of summer and autumn, Dorset heathlands, memories of a hero, and a spider rescued!

5 Oct

Betwixt and between seems to summarise where we are at the moment and this was a betwixt and between walk! In terms of flora and fauna, summer has not quite gone and yet autumn is here; in terms of weather, autumn is definitely here! On this walk there was evidence of both seasons and there is such beauty in both and so much to be enjoyed if we just walk with our eyes open.

The walk started off by crossing some classic old Dorset countryside……although there is precious little of it left now – I mean that mix of conifer plantations and open heathland that was made famous by one of Dorset’s great authors, Thomas Hardy. At one time, much of Dorset was covered with open heathland but gradually over the years it has either been built on or reclaimed for farming, making it a rare commodity in the 21st century. Fortunately some pockets remain dotted around the county and this walk took in several.

The beautiful Dorset heathland

Having crossed the high heathland in the midst of changing from its summer dress to its winter garb, my route dropped down into woodlands with ferns in a similar state of change. These look delightful as they gently unfurl in the spring but are equally delightful as they change into autumn colours on the ‘forest’s ferny floor’ as Walter De La Mare describes it.

The forest’s ferny floor

It was at this juncture that I rescued a spider!! Well to be exact, I avoided destroying him and his web! I was walking along the forest track just listening to the birds singing their myriad different songs – its strange really, who told the wren that he had to sing that particular tune, or the yellow hammer his particular tune? The wonders of this wonderful creation!

Anyway, as I walked, I noticed something glistening immediately in front of me so I stopped for a closer look. It was a single slender strand of web that stretched a full 10 feet from one side of the path to the other and that supported the web with the spider in the middle waiting for his prey to fly by (it conjures in my mind pictures of me walking into the web and being bound up by the spider like something out of a horror movie )! Well, I didn’t want to destroy his handiwork and it was at the wrong height for me to get over or under it so I detoured around it by fighting my way through the brambles and undergrowth to the other side, not an easy task!

A very grateful spider with his lunch!

A little farther along the trail, I came across some evidence of summer, just to contrast with the autumn heathland that I had just walked through. This was a hover fly on a corn marigold. It was almost as if summer was saying, ‘I haven’t quite gone yet!’

Hover fly on a corn marigold

For a time I left the heathland behind (although I would return to it later) as my route took me to the resting place of one of Dorset’s heroes. To get there, I had to cross the river, and a beautiful river crossing it was too with its hugely long and thin bridge alongside what was a ford. In fact whilst I was there, a group of cyclists thought it still was ‘fordable’ as they all rode into the river for a short distance before each in turn got stuck as their wheels sank into the shingle……and they fell off!

A delightful river crossing

The goal was St Nicholas’ Church Moreton, famous for being the resting place of T E Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia. It is a beautiful church with some spectacular windows, each engraved with lovely scenes. The original church was badly damaged in the Second World War when it was hit by a German bomber and instead of repairing the windows, it was decided to commission Lawrence Whistler to create new ones. They are beautiful and world famous!

St Nichols’ Church, Moreton and its windows

Lawrence’s grave itself sits in a small detached part of the graveyard.

Lawrence of Arabia’s resting place

For the time being, I left T E Lawrence but there would be more reminders of his life further on in my walk. My route took me back across the long bridge and through another pocket of heathland. This one was covered partly with wonderfully picturesque long, yellowing grass. I love this grass and I sat and ate my lunch in the middle of it, just listening to the gentle sounds of the Dorset countryside. It was a delightful place.

The lunch stop

And here too was a reminder (or is that a remainder!) of summer, with a plethora of butterflies all around me.

A speckled wood butterfly

All too soon it was time to leave my idyllic surroundings and continue on my way to an altogether different area in more ways than one. My route took me out of the heath and onto a country lane, but not just any country lane, this was the very place that T E Lawrence met his untimely death on 19th May 1935 at the age of 46. Having achieved and survived so much during the Arab campaign, Lawrence finally succumbed on this stretch of Dorset road when he lost control of his motorbike whilst trying to avoid two boys who were cycling in a hidden dip. It seemed fitting that as I walked this stretch of road, an army tank passed by.

The spot where Lawrence died

Of course Lawrence was an author, famous for The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, but that wasn’t his only legacy. As a result of his accident, crash helmets were ultimately introduced for all motorcyclists. Just a short distance away along the same road sits Clouds Hill, Lawrence’s cottage home for many years, now in the hands of that National Trust.

Clouds Hill

Leaving T E Lawrence behind, I continued my walk, and crossed yet another pocket of heathland. Here again there was a mix of summer and winter with the delightful Bell Heather still bearing its summer magenta-purple plumage whilst the equally delightful Bog Asphodel had changed from yellow to a wonderful autumn orangey red.

Colours of the heathland – Bell Heather and Bog Asphodel

I was nearing the end of my walk now but there were two quintessentially Dorset villages to pass through, picture postcard perfect villages! Apart from the usual array of delightful thatched cottages, the first village had a rather interesting village post office ! Sitting beside the old village hall, the shop was in what was at one time a granary with its arched foundations designed to keep unwanted visitors out! This was a wonderful village to walk through although I suspect that there may be less residents there now with some of the cottages having been turned into second homes. It is a shame that the soul has gone out of a lot of our lovely villages as local people are priced out by the ever increasing prices of these cottages!

A delightful village

The old granary

My final stopping point was another village of picture book cottages and the nice thing about this one was that although there is recent development, it has all been designed to blend in with the old. It does give you some faith in the authorities that control the planning requirements and a greater hope that our wonderful heritage will never be lost !

New and old alike

I started of by saying that we are betwixt and between and this wonderful walk contained much to prove that. It highlighted the beauty of both summer and autumn – in fact every season has its beauty and this is never more true than in this county and country of ours. With the changing seasons and weather, we never have a chance to tire of anything and I think that is a real positive………..unless it is rain, and I think we have had our fair share of that !!!!!

Thanks for stopping by and reading the ramblings of The Dorset Rambler.

Until next time,
Your friend
The Dorset Rambler.

All photographs, poems and words in this blog are the copyright of The Dorset Rambler and must not be reproduced without permission.

Tags: church, churches, conceptual photography, country life, Dorset, farming, flowers, Lawrence of Arabia, nature, photography, rain, rambling, Thomas Hardy, village life, walking, weather, wildlife

Comments 6 Comments
Categories Dorset, Rambling, Walking, Wildlife

Clouds

3 Sep

Have you ever considered clouds? They are truly amazing and beautiful, almost a landscape in themselves with their ever changing shapes and shades. They are so mysterious and transient. You can really let your imagination run wild and free, seeing all kinds of things – I once saw one that looked just like a crocodile.

Whilst I was walking, and taking photographs of course, it occurred to me how they are never still – in fact I waited for them to get into just the right position in my photograph below so that they echoed the shape of the hills. Then, without stopping, they continued on their merry way. Its amazing to think that someone else might have taken a picture with this same cloud formation, maybe someone from another county or even country.

Well it inspired me to wax lyrical and compose another poem as I walked so I thought I would post it today. Hope you like it !

Clouds

Little cotton wool balls, way up high,
The fluffy white clouds scud across the sky,
Leaving no trace, just the blue,
Of where they have been or where they go to.

Where do they go when they are gone
From my view, having moved along,
To another place, another scene,
To other eyes and lands so green.

They have no time for standing still,
But they go nowhere of their own free will,
Carried aloft on warmth and wind,
With never a thought, never mind.

Like ships afloat the changing tide,
They have no engines, they just glide,
Where do they come from? I cannot say,
Where do they go at the end of the day?

You and I can sit on a stile
To take in the view and rest awhile,
Clouds do not have that luxury,
They just move on, constantly.

To hidden places a secret from me,
Perhaps not England, another country?
Those clouds that have enhanced my view
May feature in others’ pictures too.

And when their journey is finally done,
Do they die or just fade with the sun?

Thanks for stopping by and reading the ramblings of The Dorset Rambler.

Until next time,
Your friend
The Dorset Rambler.

All photographs, poems and words in this blog are the copyright of The Dorset Rambler and must not be reproduced without permission.

Tags: clouds, farming, photography, poem, poetry, rambling, reading, sky, sunbeams, walking, weather

Comments 8 Comments
Categories Dorset, Photography, Poetry, Rambling, Walking

The Drystone Waller – if that is a correct phrase ;)!

29 Aug

Sometimes, well very occasionally, I like to try my hand at a bit of poetry. I say occasionally because I’m not very good at it, but would like to be. I’d love to be able to write fluent, flowing and expressive poetry. Anyway, on a recent walk I found some inspiration when I passed a drystone wall which set my thinking, and the creative juices flowing. I always carry a notepad so I composed this poem as I walked:

The Drystone Waller

One on one on one on one,
The drystone waller’s day’s begun,
Stone on stone on stone on stone,
Lots to do ere he goes home.

A solid build as ‘fits his trade,
Every stone securely laid,
Sweating brow and breaking back,
Another stone goes on the rack.

Perfect symmetry, line on line,
Locked together, looking fine,
From random stones, different shapes,
A cohesive whole he creates.

The master’s hand the holding glue,
Nothing more, forever new,
Come wind come rain ’twill strongly stand,
And remain a part of this ancient land.

These scattered stones have become a wall,
So solid, dependable, standing tall,
For years to come ere he’s gone home,
An epitaph to a job well done.

It just struck me that these random stones just laying around on the ground, in the hands of a master become something useful and strong, something that has a real purpose. Makes me think of people!

Thanks for stopping by and reading the ramblings of The Dorset Rambler!

Until next time,
Your friend,
The Dorset Rambler.

The photographs on this blog are all the copyright of The Dorset Rambler and must not be used without permission.

Tags: country life, Dorset, drystone wall, farming, poem, poetry, rambling, reading, walking

Comments 7 Comments
Categories Dorset, Poetry, Rambling, Walking

A walk of contrasts, of new birth, of a disappearing ghost, and a jar of chutney :)!

24 Aug

Well it’s a grey day outside as I look out of my office window – definitely a day for blog writing, and a walk I did a couple of weeks ago. It was a walk that took me past a number of lovely Dorset churches but the first one as I trod my way through the first village was one that I couldn’t visit. There had been a fire in the church earlier in the year and damage was caused to the roof rendering it unsafe. The good news is that it should be re-opening soon.

So having left the village, my route took me alongside the little stream that runs through the valley and past some historic machinery, relics and reminders of bygone days. These were the remains of sluice gates above the tunnel in the picture below. This was part of the 200 year old irrigation system that was used to flood the meadows, raising the temperature of the land early in the year to ensure a richer crop. Even without the flooding, the land around this area is still a relic in itself as it always seems muddy whenever I walk it!

The tunnel and the old irrigation system

The water meadows are delightful, with many wild flowers, bugs and bees around and it is lovely to walk with the chattering of the stream beside you, almost as if it was trying to talk to me about ‘the old days’. But all too soon, I had to leave its company and strike out further ‘inland’ to reach one of those lovely little hamlets with its own church. A picturesque and peaceful place and a church with an added bonus – there was a stall inside selling cakes, jams and chutneys to raise funds for the church. Well, naturally I had to support it even if it did mean carrying it around all day! I like these stalls though, they are part of Dorset life, and you often find some unusual chutneys on them !

A beautiful church with a chutney stall at the back

A picturesque cottage in the hamlet

Having left the hamlet (and returned 10 minutes later because I had left my hat in the church!), I continued along one of those very old ‘roads’ that always intrigue me. I wondered who had gone that way before me in years gone by – was it a drove trail to the local market, was it just a link between villages or farms? There are many of these routes in Dorset, probably busy byways in the days before cars but that have never been converted to modern roads. I’m glad of course because they make me think about what life might have been like in those days, and they make great walking routes too with lovely hedgerows on either side.

A few miles further on, I passed a beautiful old manor house and another puzzle – what was it now? I was to find out more a little further on in my walk !

A lovely manor house and a grand entrance – but what is it now?

It was actually in the nearby village that I found out more, a village that goes by the delightful name of Frome St Quintin. This village has a beautiful remote church that I have blogged before and I found out more about that too ! The church, in the picture below, has a rather strange tower which looks like some afterthought; that is because it was – the somewhat squat tower was added after the main church was built but what makes it so incongruous is the fact that the tower is rendered. The rendering is a much more recent addition, necessitated by severe damp problems.

What makes this such a lovely place is that the church is surrounded by fields and has no road access – tradition has it that there was originally a settlement immediately surrounding the church but that it was decimated by the Black Death, leaving the church isolated. The church was restored in 1881 so many of its features are late victorian, such as the beautiful carving on the altar pictured below.

The isolated church and beautiful carving of the last supper

While I was there, I met a lady from the village and we fell into conversation – it was she who told me some of the history of the church and also of the old manor house. So what of that magnificent old house? Well the original house built in 1212 was owned by monks from Milton Abbey and it was rebuilt as this amazing mansion in 1612, passing into the private ownership of Sir John Strode. It was said to be haunted by a ghost who on the same day each year would chant, ‘Search for Wat Perkins’ – many years later the skeleton of a murdered Scottish peddler was found in a ditch nearby and the ghost was reportedly never seen again!

In 1951 the Home Office acquired the house for use as a police training centre. At that time a lot of ‘modern’ buildings were added such as accommodation blocks etc. Being surplus to requirements, it was sold into private ownership again and has been used as a Christian retreat centre aimed at the American market, and for weddings etc. The house has been described as the best in Dorset and it would be great to see it restored to its former glory – but somehow I suspect that is unlikely!

This was a walk of extreme contrasts in many ways! As I climbed up to the ridge above the village I could hear the sound of many engines…..clearly the nearby Go-cart racing track was in use. I stopped for a quick look at these tiny machines racing round the track at breakneck speed with just the sound of the high pitched engines speaking of tension. Passing swiftly on down the other side of the ridge, their noise faded and I was able to walk in complete peace again. And in this valley, I experienced a very special moment!

Who will win!

There were sheep on the hillside and one particular sheep was all on its own, laying on the ground. I thought it looked unwell but it was also very big so I guessed it was heavily pregnant. What I hadn’t realised was that it wasn’t only pregnant, it was giving birth at that very moment! After a while as I stood and watched, she stood up and I saw the amazing sight of the head of a little lamb poking out as if it was just looking around surveying the scene to decide whether it wanted to come out! With a head at each end, it looked like something out of Doctor Doolittle !

It wasn’t long before the rest of the tiny lamb appeared and the mother then very lovingly licked it to clean it up whilst the little chap bleated at her – it was clearly a moment of mother/son (or daughter) bonding and it was very special to see. With no midwife, no vet, no farmer, not even other sheep around, the ewe gave birth to a bonny baby. Isn’t creation wonderful! I felt very much like an intruder, as if I shouldn’t be there, so I kept my distance rather than get too close. I did take a couple of pictures but the quality is not great because I have had to enlarge them quite a lot.

Amazing new life

After some time, I continued my journey and as I got to the bottom of the field there were more young lambs seemingly waiting for their new playmate. It seemed strange – new lambs in August. It once heralded the coming of spring!

Waiting for the new playmate

Strangely, in the opposite field there were some really attractive cows with rather ‘wonky’ horns. It seems strange to talk of a cow as being attractive, but I think these really were.

‘Attractive’ cows!

I continued down the valley to the ever present sound of the buzzards and eventually came into another picture postcard village. I have been to this village before and to the church but this time, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before. It was a fireplace actually in the porch beside the entrance door – this is something I have never seen anywhere else. Apparently, before the village hall was built, the porch was used for some village meetings, hence the fireplace!

The village church and its porch fireplace

The afternoon was drawing on and I still had a few miles to walk, so I moved on. I climbed up out of the village through the trees and the beautiful light of the golden hour beamed down between the foliage creating an ethereal atmosphere that took my breath away. I tried to capture the moment but the camera is a poor substitute for being there.

Golden hour sunbeams

And as I reached the top of the ridge again I stole a last look down into the valley and the picture postcard perfect village in the distance.

A delightful last look into the valley

My last couple of miles were down into the neighbouring valley and to the village I had started out from early that morning. This too was a delightful village but in many ways contrasting with the village in the other valley. A villager summed it up well when I stopped and chatted as I walked back to the car, this was a ‘working village’. But to me, it was none the less beautiful for that!

A ‘working village’

What a great walk this had been! Great weather, some interesting conversations, new birth witnessed, delightful villages and churches, and a jar of chutney ! What more could a man want!

Thanks for stopping by and reading the ramblings of The Dorset Rambler.

Until next time,
Your friend
The Dorset Rambler

The pictures on this blog are all the copyright of The Dorset Rambler and must not be used without permission.

Tags: church, churches, country life, Dorset, farming, nature, new life, photography, rambling, trees, village life, walking, wildlife

Comments 13 Comments
Categories Dorset, Photography, Rambling, Walking, Wildlife

Of a walk gone wrong, summer sunshine, and Two on a Tower :)

14 Aug

You can tell the weather here has improved – I’m blogging less often and I have a backlog of walks to upload. The reason for the backlog is that I have been out walking so much, often for four days a week which is not bad considering I am not fully retired yet so still work some days. The forecast today wasn’t great so I thought I would catch up a bit and add a post from a walk a few weeks ago. It was a walk that didn’t work out as I had planned but which had an unexpected bonus thanks to a lovely couple, Liz and John, but more of that later !

This day I decided to take a slightly shorter walk, just 10 miles, and to stop along the way to do some ‘proper’ photography. I planned to do a circular walk taking in a lovely inland ridge, dropping down to the coast to walk along the water’s edge for the return leg. It all started fine with some spectacular views from the ridge on a beautiful sunny day as had been forecasted.

Wonderful views from the inland ridge

After a few miles I dropped down to the coast path to make my way to one of the few places on this stretch of coast where there is access to the shore with the intention of walking along the rocks to get a different view of the coast from the more normal cliff-top path. However, when I got there I discovered that the tide was coming in which posed a problem because the foreshore gets cut off in several places at high tide, making in impassable. Now I had checked the tide tables before going out so clearly either the tables were wrong or I had misread them – probably much more likely the latter! So I had to walk the more usual cliff tops – which turned out to be a great bonus in the end !

The view east from the cliff top path

The flowers along the coast path were gorgeous and walking along this undulating path was a real audio visual experience with the amazing views, gorgeous flowers and the undulating song of the skylarks overhead seeming to match the undulating path. Aside from the fact that I had all my camera equipment with me, it was such a relaxing and leisurely walk.

Beautiful flowers along the coast path

The real surprise came when I reached Clavell’s Tower ! This is a tower I love and have known all my life from its days as a derelict building in danger of falling into the sea, through its dismantling stone by stone and its rebuilding some 30 meters inland, to its restoration and re-opening as a holiday home by The Landmark Trust. I have hundreds of pictures of it already……..but there’s always room for one more ! So I was leaning on the gate taking the picture below when the new tenants for the week, Liz and John, arrived at the gate. We got chatting, as you do, and they very kindly asked if I would like to have a look inside. Well I needed no second bidding and jumped at the chance as I had not seen inside it since the restoration!

Clavell’s Tower from the ‘garden’ gate

The tower has four floors with the lower floor being a basement. That was the only floor I had previously stood on because in the days before its restoration that was the only floor that existed – and it was just dirt. The others had crumbled or been destroyed by fire long since! When I was younger, that floor proved useful as an outdoor toilet (well there is no other cover around that could be used for that purpose ) so I thought it was quite fitting that the basement still provides bathroom facilities – albeit it is nicely tiled now !

The steps to the tower

The entrance steps lead to the ground floor (or is it first floor) and the kitchen and dining area. Then the second floor is the bedroom with the top floor being the lounge. Liz and John kindly allowed me to take some photos even though I was invading their space.

The bedroom – what an amazing place to sleep

The lounge

The only way of getting between floors was via the curving staircase which takes up some space. This means that the tower is only big enough for two – I guess Thomas Hardy knew that when he wrote ‘Two on a Tower’ which was based here – but I think The Landmark Trust have done a fantastic job in restoring the building so sensitively. Probably the best part for me was the gallery that is accessed from the bedroom, this has amazing views!

The curving staircase and the gallery door

What an amazing place to sit with a cup of tea

There are just a couple of downsides to staying in Clavell’s Tower – one is that you will need to book it some two years in advance because it is so popular, and the other is that although there is a track that leads up to the tower, guests are not allowed to drive up it which means you will have to park by the bay and climb the steep hill on foot carrying your luggage! It pays to travel light when you stay at Clavell’s Tower!! There is a lot of history to this place, but that is for another blog.

Thanks Liz and John for allowing me to invade your privacy and view the inside of this beautiful Clavell’s Tower – I hope you had a great holiday !

So, it was on with the walk but only a short hop down the hillside to reach Kimmeridge Bay where I intended to take some time out from walking and take some pictures that would hopefully capture the essence of the sea in summer. This is much more difficult than you might think. I sat on the rocks watching the waves gently rolling over the shoreline and the constantly changing light and movement with the sun reflecting off the water creating an ever changing array of what I can only describe as bursts of light like twinkling stars in the night sky. It was beautiful to watch but to capture it with the camera was like trying to catch a rainbow.

Starlight

I set the tripod up and tried a few long exposure shots, creating a milky smooth water effect against the hard crispness of the rocks.

Across Kimmeridge Bay

Finally I tried to capture some of the activity in the bay which is a popular place for snorkelling, boating, fishing and just rock pooling.

Gone fishing

I sat for some time dangling my feet in the water to cool down but the sun was getting lower and it was time to move on as I still had a couple of miles to walk. As I made my way back, a gentle sea mist rolled across the fields adding a beautiful atmosphere to the golden fields.

The fields are ripe for the harvest

Kimmeridge and the surrounding area is a special place and one that I always love to visit whether it is as part of a long walk, or just to sit and ponder and drink in the beauty. This walk hadn’t gone as planned, but it turned out even better than I had expected because of a chance meeting with two kind people who gave me the opportunity to see something I hadn’t had the opportunity to see before. My only disappointment was that there was no staircase up to the tower roof !

Thanks for stopping by and reading the ramblings of The Dorset Rambler.

Your friend
The Dorset Rambler

The photographs on this blog are all copyright of The Dorset Rambler and must not be used in any way without permission.

Tags: Clavell's Tower, country life, Dorset, Dorset Coast Path, farming, flowers, Kimmeridge, nature, photography, rambling, Thomas Hardy, walking, wildlife

Comments 18 Comments
Categories Dorset, Photography, Rambling, Walking, Wildlife

Of wet and mud; of birds, butterflies, bulls and bullocks; and of tuneful church bells!

1 Aug

Well summer came at last to this ‘green and pleasant land’…….well for a time at least! And as is always the case with these changeable times and changeable weather, you have to make the most of it – and make the most of it I have! So much so, that there has been little time to sit in my office and write. In fact, over the last two weeks I have completed 7 full day walks (work gets in the way on other days), a total of around 100 miles on foot. And it has been great !

But today is drab outside my window so I can happily sit in my dry office and at least commit one walk to my blog. It is a walk I did a couple of weeks ago just as the wet weather was changing to sunnier climes for us. It was a varied walk in every sense of the word as you will see!

It started in a surprising way! Having parked up, I got out of my car and was just putting my walking shoes on when the church clock started to chime the hour. I thought nothing about it until something vaguely registered in my head……the church bells were playing a tune! In fact it was the National Anthem – very strange to hear it played on church bells. I thought maybe the bell ringers were practicing but it seemed unlikely. I thought maybe it was something to do with Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, but I was wrong on that too. I stopped a passing villager who told me that it happened every three hours and that it had done so since the jubilee of Queen Victoria. Very unusual, and a lovely start to the day. I determined that I would be back in time for the evening ringing so that I could record it!

‘God save our gracious queen’ say the bells of St Andrews

One of the things I love about walking is the fact that people are usually so friendly wherever I go – the same can’t always be said about the animals I meet but more of that later. Maybe it is because I am of the ‘older generation’, but most will say a cheery ‘hello’ and some will stop to chat for a few minutes or often longer. As I walked through this village and out into the countryside, three groups of villagers stopped to pass the time of day with me. Clearly this is a village where the natives are friendly !

Once out into the countryside I had company of a different sort with buzzards hunting overhead, making their distinctive pee-yaah sound as they soared. Later they were accompanied by the ever graceful swallows wheeling around catching insects. There were wrens too – I just love wrens! They are so diminutive and yet they have such a clear, crisp and loud song, so easily recognisable.

It wasn’t long before I reached another beautiful village with its own church standing proud in the centre. The first view I had of this was as I passed the end of the tiny lane that led off the road. With cottages on either side and lined with flowers, this was a delightful way to get to the church yard. As always, this was a place of peace and a place with some amazing stained glass too! Every window tells a story and none better than the one below.

The way to the church

The village church with its stained glass

As you can see from the photographs, the day that had started so promisingly had now clouded over, and worse was to come! Underfoot, the ground was difficult and crossing every field was like walking across a lake as there was so much surface water around after all the rain of recent months. Despite the waterproof walking shoes, my feet were wet! But hey, we are used to that! Also, it was rather like an obstacle course as every stile was swamped by overgrown shrubbery – wet shrubbery! I wondered why everything was so overgrown and I came to the conclusion that there are two reasons – one is the rain, and the other is the rain! Well not quite. The first ‘rain’ simply makes everything grow more; the second ‘rain’ keeps everyone indoors meaning that the paths haven’t been walked so much (and that after all is what keeps the paths clear usually) – well apart from The Dorset Rambler who of course is crazy enough to walk in all weathers!

Just as I left the village, I came across the remains of the ancient pound. These were a common sight in days gone by when animals were grazed on the common lands. If they strayed into areas where they weren’t meant to be, causing damage, they were impounded and only released to their owners on payment of a fine.

The Pound

Nearby, there is one of those typical village farmhouses, perhaps predictably called……Pound Farm!

The old farmhouse

So it was out into the countryside again, for a time along a very quiet country lane. Now although I usually keep away from roads, I have to say that I really enjoy walking along these quiet lanes. Because the walking is so easy, it means that I can focus on what is around me rather than where I am walking – especially on this walk! The hedgerows and verges on either side of the road were beautiful with all manner of wildlife, including the cabbage white butterfly that I posted about last time, and lots of Meadowsweet.

The Cabbage White

Meadowsweet

It wasn’t too long before I turned off the road and crossed another of those beautiful meadows. Not so many flowers in this one but the grasses were gorgeous. I am always amazed at the infinite variety of different grasses there are, and how beautiful they are when you take the time to look at them.

Meadow grasses

Along this section of the walk, I passed a number of remote cottages and I confess to a tiny bit of envy – they get all this beauty straight from their own doorstep. Still, I guess there is beauty visible from every doorstep if you look at it the right way.

A beautiful country cottage

Having walked across ‘lakes’ and scrambled through overgrown stiles, my way was about to get worse! My route took me down one of those very old sunken lanes that I have referred to before in my blog. They always intrigue me and I often wonder what they were originally ‘built’ for. Was it to drive the livestock to the local market? Was it for farm workers to walk to work along? Did people use them to get to church on a sunday morning? Were they for the various landed gentry to drive their horse and carriage along as they visited their various properties? I guess they had various purposes and it is a shame that so many of them are being lost to the undergrowth because there is no budget to maintain them. This one started off beautifully as it was a clearly delineated lane with clear banks on either side and fairly easy to walk down. However, it soon deteriorated and I found myself hacking my way through brambles and nettles that were above my head. I could have found an alternative route but TDR is not to be beaten!

The sunken lane

And win through I did, to come out onto clearer ground. As I walked across the meadows and crossed the railway line that marked the final phase of the walk, the rain started to fall….and the track started to get muddier! The long meadow grass is beautiful, and the trees and shrubs are beautiful, but not so much when they are wet and when all they want to do is transfer their wetness to me ! They did that in abundance!

Crossing the railway line

There were still two more hamlets and two more churches to pass before the end of the walk. The first had the distinction of having an upside down font. If you look carefully at the picture below, you will see that the animals carved on the font have their legs in the air. In fact it is almost certain that the font was originally the base of an anglo-saxon cross which at some point was turned over and hollowed out to form the font of the current church. The church sits next to the 17th century manor house as is often the case.

The church with its upside down font!

At this point, things were getting difficult. I was walking in an area which was new to me and there using an OS map……which was getting increasingly wet and unreadable! Ah, the challenges of walking in England! Well no rain had been forecasted that day! Anyway, I continued on instinct more than anything else and very soon came across the final church, the smallest church in Dorset and apparently the second smallest in England. It was right next to a farmhouse and to get to it I had to cross the loveliest small hump back footbridge – and in doing so felt as if I was walking into someones private garden. The church is now redundant and maintained by The Historic Churches Preservation Trust who do a great work in maintaining these very old buildings that are so much a part of the heritage of this country. Their motto is ‘Creative spaces, sacred places’.

The way to the church

The smallest church in Dorset

Inside, apart from being dry , the church was light, airy and had a lovely sense of peace about it. As always, I wondered at the amazing legacy that it has and the thousands of lives that have been impacted by its witness. It was time to move on so I headed back out into the even heavier rain to cross a number of boggy arable fields….although these were nothing to what was to come! Amazingly, there were still lots of butterflies accompanying me despite the wet conditions. It surprised and delighted me that these flimsy creatures still seem to be able to fly even though they were wet. And they still looked happy – well have you ever seen a depressed butterfly??

A very gloomy evening!

The final stretch was probably the worst because it crossed a dairy farm, and where there is cattle, there is MUD! And boy was there MUD, literally knee deep in places. It made the going very hard. And on top of that I had to cross a field with a bull who eyed me up as I walked, but did no more than that. Well they are usually fairly docile. The next field was full of young bullocks, and they didn’t give me such an easy time – they chased me and charged at me incessantly as I crossed their field! They are harmless too, just nosy and with a bit of an attitude !

“You are probably wondering why I’ve called you here. I’ve had complaints from walkers that you have been charging at them and chasing them. You know your mothers wouldn’t allow that! And besides, it’s making a terrible mess, just look at this place! Now go and clean it up!”

Finally I got back to the car and the relative dryness – I was somewhat wet!! I had walked through waterlogged fields, scrambled across overgrown stiles, been stung and torn by brambles, hacked my way through impassable undergrowth, fallen numerous times, got soaked, glared at by a bull, chased and charged by bullocks……what a fabulous day! I was happy!

Oh, and the church bells? I was too late and missed them!

Thanks for stopping by and reading the ramblings of The Dorset Rambler.

Your friend
The Dorset Rambler

The photographs on this blog are all copyright of The Dorset Rambler and must not be used in any way without permission.

Tags: church, churches, country life, Dorset, farming, flowers, meadow, nature, new life, photography, rain, rambling, village life, walking, weather, wildlife

Comments 19 Comments
Categories Dorset, Photography, Rambling, Walking, Wildlife

Of lush countryside, lovely meadows, two hill forts…….and a butterfly at last!

7 Jul

Well as I sit at my desk typing this blog, the rain is pouring down outside – yet again!!! It’s been one on those years so far in England, just rain, rain, and more rain with just the odd better day in between. Ah, the good old English summer – lazy, hazy, crazy days – don’t you just love ‘em! We wish! Actually I don’t mind walking in the rain if it starts raining when I’m already out, but there seems little point in going out if it is raining already…….but I miss walking when I am trapped in by the weather. Still, without it what would we English have to talk about !

I did manage to get out recently for a great walk through some lush countryside and some beautiful meadows, not to mention a couple of hill forts and an old mill. It started with a lovely woodland walk with some gorgeous dappled sunlight filtering through the foliage (sadly the sun wasn’t to last long though )

Through the dappled forest

And part way through the woodlands I came across a rather unusual tree that was playing host to a whole load of ferns. Walter De La Mare’s poem, The Listeners, refers to ‘the forest’s ferny floor’ but maybe this should be changed to ‘the forest’s ferny trees’ ! The tree was still living but was clearly decaying and moss covered, giving the ferns a foothold – or is that ‘root-hold’!

The forest’s ferny trees

Out of the woodlands, my route took me down another of those oft seen ‘Smuggler’s Lanes’. I haven’t been able to establish whether it really was a smuggler’s route or whether it was just named that because it was quite a secret and hidden path. It wasn’t near the coast but I guess contraband needed to be taken well inland so it might well have seen illegal traffic in the long ago past. Ah, if only those trees could talk, I’m sure they would have many a tale to tell! For me though, it was just the beauty of the path that I enjoyed.

Smuggler’s Lane

I told the story in my last blog entry of my ongoing battle with butterfies that taunted me constantly as I tried to photograph them. Well on this walk I fooled them and I actually managed to grab some shots before they took off rather than after!! The picture below shows a Meadow Brown butterfly wearing his rather nice fur coat. He clearly knew what the English summer was going to be like !

Meadow Brown

There were butterflies everywhere along this route, partly because the hedgerows were so thick with plants and flowers, I saw so many different varieties. It is amazing when you look at these delicate ‘flying flowers’ to think that some of them actually migrate and have flown a thousand miles to get here. They don’t look capable of flying that far or indeed of flying in any specific direction – as the poem says, they have a definite gift of ‘flying crooked’!

The hedgerows themselves were thick with wild flowers and were so beautiful to walk through, it was a delight, especially in the warm summer sun. I think it is difficult to capture in a photograph because you need to use all the senses to fully appreciate the beauty, to feel the sun’s warmth, to hear the birds and the rustling of the leaves and to feel the gentle breeze. I did take a couple of pictures though……and tried to find a different angle too !

Hogweed

For some plants, you have no choice but to lay on the ground, like the Common Spotted Orchid below.

Common Spotted Orchid

This was a real walk of variety and the next part took me up onto the hilltop, well in fact, up onto two prehistoric hill forts. The first was covered in lovely meadow grass and wild flowers – it would have taken me a long time to identify all the different varieties. And the views from the ramparts were spectacular on this clear day. There were cattle and sheep grazing and I thought, ‘What a great place to eat’ – so I joined them! I ate sandwiches of course, not grass !

Across the ramparts

Then it was down into the valley and up onto the next hill fort and an even bigger surprise. At the top was a fantastic field of poppies. It was a photographer’s paradise! And clearly a few had been there before me as quite a lot of the flowers had been clumsily trampled down ! Well of course I managed to take one or two pictures as well although I am always careful where I tread. The code of the country says ‘Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time’ but sadly not all observe that!

The poppy field

The colours were really vibrant in the now hazy sunlight, although despite their beauty, it is still quite difficult to get a satisfying composition for a photograph. I guess you are always left with the feeling that you just haven’t done it justice – well how can you! Further along the hill, there are more ramparts, and well defined ones too. It seems hard to imagine that these ramparts were dug out by men with primitive tools. As you stand looking at the views though, you can see why they ‘built’ the fort and with the wind whipping up from the valley, you can perhaps imagine a little of what life must have been like up there in those bygone days.

On the hill fort

Dropping off the hill, my route passed through probably the worst part of the walk and yet there were still lovely things to see. I had to walk through a farm and as often is the case, farms=mud! And there was mud aplenty! Not only that but I had to plough my way through the most overgrown footpath that I think I have ever walked! It led me the next day to make a few phone calls to see if the path could be sorted which is something the local authority will do if you report a problem. However it was not that simple.

There are a number of types of byway – 1) the public roads, 2) public footpaths and 3) all vehicle public routes (these fit somewhere between 1 and 2 and are often farm tracks or old lanes/drove trails. My overgrown footpath fitted into category 3 which is dealt with under roads and highways and whilst they have a budget to maintain the public roads, they have no budget to maintain the lesser routes such as mine. So basically there is a budget to maintain the roads and there is a budget to maintain public footpaths, but there is no budget to maintain the routes that fall between the two extremes! Ah well, I tried.

I did in the end make it through the overgrown lane and came out into a clearing where there was an old mill – I suspect that the overgrown lane once served the mill. This is now a private dwelling but as I looked at it, I could just picture in my minds eye the miller leaning on that stable door getting some air and clearing his lungs of the flour dust that would have filled the mill in those days.

The old mill

Apart from the old mill, one of the other lovely things I passed on this part of the walk was a gorgeous barley field. These fields are always great to see but especially so when there is a bit of wind and as you stand watching the barley waving its heads in the breeze, you can almost feel you are standing before a huge lake with gentle waves washing across the water.

The barley field

My walk was almost completed but there was one more crop to pass, another cereal crop which I thought was particularly picturesque with those curving tramlines running through it. The sun had long since gone by now but at the end of a great day in the Dorset countryside it made a beautiful sight.

Down the tramlines

Another magical day in Dorset, and one to be savoured as I look out at the still falling rain!

Thanks for stopping by and reading the ramblings of The Dorset Rambler.

Your friend

The Dorset Rambler

The pictures on this blog are all the copyright of The Dorset Rambler and must not be copied or reproduced without permission.

Tags: country life, Dorset, farming, flowers, hill fort, meadow, nature, photography, poem, poetry, rain, rambling, trees, walking, weather, wildlife

Comments 143 Comments
Categories Dorset, Photography, Rambling, Walking, Wildlife

← Older Entries

Search

The Dorset Rambler

Happiness is snow shaped :)

Twas on a cold wintry day……

Of autumn mists and mellow fruitfulness ……..well, just mist really!!

Of summer and autumn, Dorset heathlands, memories of a hero, and a spider rescued!

Clouds

The Drystone Waller – if that is a correct phrase ;)!

A walk of contrasts, of new birth, of a disappearing ghost, and a jar of chutney :)!

Of a walk gone wrong, summer sunshine, and Two on a Tower :)

Of wet and mud; of birds, butterflies, bulls and bullocks; and of tuneful church bells!

Of lush countryside, lovely meadows, two hill forts…….and a butterfly at last!

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories

Meta

Flickr Photos

Follow “The Dorset Rambler”