We started on the road at the national trust car park, after talking to a ranger about the amount of rubbish left behind. We reached a gate and turned across a field, the lake and the mountains to our right across the long grass. We crossed a bridge and paused to watch a dog madlyContinue reading “16/04/23 – Bog myrtle and hollow tree trunks in the Lake District”
Author Archives: bradcliffe2
08/04/23 – Dusk with the iron men
We walked through the dunes and saw them, all spread out, staring to sea. Antony Gormley’s Another Place, 100 iron men standing amongst the elements. The sun was setting, a band of pink below deep blue streaks of cloud on the horizon. The sand was dimpled and swirled, stuttered into bands by the tide, andContinue reading “08/04/23 – Dusk with the iron men”
02/04/23 – Mermaid’s purses and egg sacs on the shore
Yesterday I went to the tide pool. It was windy and I wobbled as I walked out to the first ladder. Great swathes of seaweed had spread since I’d last been and they were spread-eagled beneath the surface, black through milky grey. I climbed down the ladder into chest clenching cold, swam across with theContinue reading “02/04/23 – Mermaid’s purses and egg sacs on the shore”
18/03/23 – Seven Sisters
We took the path beside the low lazy river through the marshland. The tide was low and the banks, straight and ochre, stood a foot above the flat surface. A kayaker paddled seaward and we noticed that, at the very edges, we could see the sandy bottom. A cormorant took flight and we kept walking.Continue reading “18/03/23 – Seven Sisters”
11/03/23 – Seals and roosting rooks in Norfolk
I walked down the slope towards the waves and their heads popped out; sleek dark bodies, everywhere. Big dark eyes, backs curving out of a cresting wave. I was told there’d be seals here, but I never thought they’d be so instant, so obvious. I walked beside the water, waves white and loud, rushing intoContinue reading “11/03/23 – Seals and roosting rooks in Norfolk”
03/03/23 – Turkey tail mushrooms and budded daffodils
I went for a lunchtime walk by the river. At first I noticed only cyclists and joggers, bits of rubbish among the leaf litter. Then I watched a dog charge into the water. Chasing a gull, it launched itself, paws paddling furiously, a triangle of wake lanes rippling behind it. The bird planed low overContinue reading “03/03/23 – Turkey tail mushrooms and budded daffodils”
20/02/23 – Dusk in the city and sunset at the coast
Two walks this weekend, one at dusk when I walked to the car and saw the sky was lighter than I expected, tree branches wriggling across it in dramatic lines. I walked past the car and down the street as the street lamps came on. I took my gloves out of my pocket and heardContinue reading “20/02/23 – Dusk in the city and sunset at the coast”
12/02/23 – Low tide at West Wittering
At the weekend I went to West Wittering for the first time and it was packed. I’d hoped a grey February Sunday wouldn’t be too busy, but there were huge groups of people all over the wide expanse of sand. I turned right, towards East Head, which I hoped would be quieter. The tide wasContinue reading “12/02/23 – Low tide at West Wittering”
06/02/23 – Cleared undergrowth and snowdrops
Yesterday I found that the undergrowth in the wood has been cleared. The narrow path I usually squeeze down is wide now, the bracken and brambles gone, with only a few brown stalks left to show what was once there, what has been there for years. The trees still made a tunnel overhead, and IContinue reading “06/02/23 – Cleared undergrowth and snowdrops”
21/01/23 – Frozen sunset in the woods
On the way to the woods I spotted the furry buds of a magnolia. The end of one branch had snapped, leaving a silky prong on the pavement. I picked it up and carried it with me. The birds were loud as I went through the gate and up the mulchy path. I don’t knowContinue reading “21/01/23 – Frozen sunset in the woods”
Bonnie Radcliffe 