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…
Category: genius loci
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
A quick walk to see the last of the bluebells on my way to the shops today. Whilst much of the population was glued to their TVs watching the Royal Wedding, I was wandering happily in the sunshine through a sea of fragrant blue, and admiring all the…