It's been a bit of a busy few weeks I'm afraid, so apologies for the delayed post. I've now moved to Winchester, so have been getting to know the area. I've also managed a few nice walks in between unpacking!
Before I left Salisbury, I squeezed in a trip along the Clarendon Way through Clarendon Park. The ancient woodland was looking very green - lots of fresh shoots contrasting nicely against the ancient dead wood and gnarled oaks and beeches. Red kites and skylark flew overhead and the hedgerows were alive with birdsong.
Having unpacked, we treated ourselves to a day at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard - beautiful sunshine and a relaxed potter among the various sites, including getting the boat across to the Gosport Submarine Museum.
Next was a busy weekend of socialising - a walk for a birthday near Wilton Windmill mid-Wiltshire in wonderful sunshine and balmy temperatures, followed by a long and intrepid couple of walks through the New Forest for Mothers Day. Navigating in the Forest is always tricky - the map doesn't help too much, as people have created numerous paths as it is all open access. So trying not to get stuck on the wrong side of a stream is important - unfortunately, attempts to find a way across resulted in a scramble and then realising we were stuck on an island, then having to head up towards the main road and route march to the pub for lunch. Annoying but we were on time in the end! Our afternoon walk through conifer plantation - and recently-cleared areas being restored to heathland - also featured our first cuckoo being heard - very very early!
Last weekend we had friends visiting so we showed them a few sites in the area - starting with a lovely afternoon stroll along the Itchen Navigation from ST Cross south to Otterbourne and back. Lots of blossom on the trees, fresh green leaves on the bankside trees, lots of bird life, and of course, numerous posh gardens to admire!
Then the Sunday saw us walking through the watermeadows into town via Winchester College and Wolvesey Castle (or rather, the ruins of this 12th century palace for the Bishop of Winchester), admiring the blossom and the beautiful buildings.
Our final afternoon featured a lovely loop through Farley Mount Country Park on the outskirts of Winchester, with its mosaic of ancient woodland, scrub and chalk grassland. Although a tad too early for the flowers, the oil beetles were emerging en mass - they were literally all over the footpaths, with several having been squashed. For a declining species that relies on solitary bees, who in turn need flower-rich grassland to survive, this was a shame. Great to see so many of them though!
