There and Back

`Make the most of the good weather` was our cry for this year, as summer weather seems in short supply at the moment. This week was forecast as sunny for most days and three days were marked as potential `days out`. We were lucky as we managed all three days. One to Redgrave and Lopham Fen, another to Pipers' Vale Nature Reserve with its stunning views of the Orwell Bridge, and the third to Ramsholt Church on the Deben River, to see the poppies all around the churchyard. So, here are images from all three days to remind us of at least some summer in 2021! As you can see, the churchyard is a riot of colour at the moment. Certainly a view to remember. In amongst this colour, with the River Deben as a backdrop, you have an interesting church as well. See my previous post. Moving on to the next sunny day, and a trip to Pipers` Vale. This is a Nature Reserve that is worth visiting for its flowers and butterflies, but also its views of the Orwell Bridge. Two views of the Orwell Bridge. A...

Having spotted one or two Nature Reserves on the map, we headed to a reserve, spent a little time there, and decided to move on. We then headed onto the Dingle Nature Reserve which was beside a stream and had the added attraction of resident Red squirrels. Sadly, when we arrived we found that the reserve was still shut. Not sure why, but signs indicated unsafe. Luckily there was a cycleway through part of it so we headed along it, cameras at the ready. An early Marsh Orchid This I thought was beautiful - Bogbean Marsh Marigold Robin posing for us - this taken at Dingle Nature Reserve Jay - spotted along the cycleway My shot of the day - a Red Squirrel on  a branch overhead. Magic! The stunning red squirrel is native to England and it's always a special sight to spot one of these cheeky critters scampering through our woodlands. Unfortunately this is becoming an increasingly rare occurrence as the last century has seen a dramatic decrease in their numbers. The reason for the widespr...

The location of our holiday cottage is on the edge of the town of Amlwch.  Amlwch is the most northerly town in Wales, and  is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey , on the A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge Amlwch grew rapidly in the 18th century near what was then the world's biggest copper mine at the nearby Parys Mountain. By the late 18th century, Amlwch had a population of around 10,000 and was the second largest town in Wales after Merthyr Tydfil. It was at this time that its harbour was also extended to accommodate the ships needed to transport the ore. When the copper production declined, a wide variety of industrial activities were developed to take its place. Ship-building in the narrow harbour area and other sites around the coast of Amlwch Port was a significant enterprise from the 1820s and grew in significance after the railway opened in 1864, reducing the use of the harbour for copper and other goods by ship. By 1912 the main shipb...

Before we had travelled to Anglesey, we had plotted a few places to visit - weather permitting! We were lucky with the weather, so today we are heading to Beaumaris to look at "The Greatest Castle Never Built" - as it is described. It was the last of the royal strongholds created by Edward I in Wales – and perhaps his masterpiece. The following it taken from the Welsh Touret site: Here, Edward and his architect James of St George took full advantage of a blank canvas: the ‘beau mareys’ or ‘beautiful marsh’ beside the Menai Strait. By now they’d already constructed the great castles of Conwy, Caernarfon and Harlech. This was to be their crowning glory, the castle to end all castles. The result was a fortress of immense size and near-perfect symmetry. No fewer than four concentric rings of formidable defences included a water-filled moat with its very own dock. The outer walls alone bristled with 300 arrow loops. But lack of money and trouble brewing in Scotland meant building ...