Category: genius loci

1 February 2019

The elements have been kind to the photographer these past couple of days. Living near the sea, we rarely get much snow, and in fact there was only 2-3cms in the garden. But as a diversion from a grocery shopping trip, I stopped at our local nature reserve…

21 January 2019

Life can be a bit stressful sometimes, but there’s nothing like a walk on the beach on a sunny winter’s day to lift the spirits. I went with a friend to Charmouth, just along the coast from where I live, and enjoyed the low tide and sandy beach…

4 January 2019

We always try to fit in a walk on Dartmoor over the Christmas break, and this year’s had to wait till the 4th for a dry day with some chance of sunshine. The circular walk from Venford Reservoir to Bench Tor is one of our favourites, taking in…

25 September 2018

Warm sunny autumn days are too precious to waste, so when I looked out the bedroom window and saw mist lying in the valley, I quickly got dressed and went out for a short walk with the camera. I’m so glad I did – it was one of…

24 September 2018

Taking advantage of a low spring tide and a glorious warm autumn day, we walked west from Seaton Hole, round to Beer (a surprisingly short and easy trek), and then on to the fabulous chalk cliff and unspoilt shingle beach at Pound’s Pool after a stop for a…

31 August 2018

At only 5 miles long, the Exeter Canal is short and sweet, and was designed to allow ship access to the centre of the city from the Exe estuary. The first post-Roman canal to be built in the 1550s, this ancient waterway is today much visited by walkers,…

23 August 2018

Every August, local farmers, gardeners, cooks and craftspeople get together to celebrate all the best of country life in the West Country. On the Thursday before the bank holiday, fields south of Bridport are host to the Melplash Show, a tradition since 1847. Competitions for prizes are the…

11 July 2018

Making the most of the hot dry weather, I did a clifftop walk along part of the South West Coast Path. We started in Bowleaze Cove, which is bordered by a strange mixture of expensive upmarket housing and budget tourist accommodation, plus a rather intriguing Spanish-style building of…

28 June 2018

A baking hot summer’s day was perfect for spending time on the beach, dabbling in rock pools and enjoying the sea breeze. The Hartland peninsula on the north coast of Devon has a rocky foreshore with strongly folded strata of Carboniferous sandstone and shale, which run out to…

25 June 2018

Tonight I visited one of the many Iron Age hillforts in the local area. The one atop Pilsdon Pen (one of the highest hills in Dorset at 277m, second only to Lewesdon) has a commanding view over the Marshwood Vale to the sea southwards, and far into Dorset,…