A Local Walk (part 2)

Leaving Coaley Peak I backtracked
up the road slightly towards
a wee place by the name of...

Here (just before the first house)
I picked up a footpath which took me down
into woodland once again.
Here I was menaced by the
woodsedge along the path side

but also enjoyed spotting
some slimemold














and other boscy dwellers















After a little while I emerged from the woodland
into the upper reaches of the village of Uley
(that's "you-lee" to the un-initiated!)

I was amused to find that Uley has an old
style petrol station which I wouldn't normally
spot driving through the village.
It stated that it was "Open" and I momentarily
believed it! (I wonder how much petrol was the
last time it WAS open!)
It is now of course, merely preserved
for show.

Another unusual feature to Uley is its Brewery,
producing only its own local ale.
A pint of this suited as a lunchtime refresher.

Suitably refreshed after this I headed out
of Uley climbing over "Uley Bury", an Iron age
hill fort which also has archeological evidence for
a Romano-british pagan temple.
Unfortunately rain stopped play
with my camera here. Await another blog.

After the climb up, a decent towards
the base of Cam Long Down














In this dip between hills wild clematis and dog rose
bloomed




























I then followed the Cotswold Way
once again,














with views of Downham Hill
to my left














and back to Coaley Peak on my right




























This time I took a route skirting around the lefthand side
of Cam Long Down






















Then I crossed over the "saddleback" and down
across fields once again.........















...over stiles.....















......and through gates, heading for Upper Cam
















where once across the Cam river again I was
on the homeward straight!
















A very satisfactory 5 hour round trip, I hope you'll
agree!

A Local Walk (Part 1)

This is going to have loads of pictures, so I've split a day's walk over several blogs. Some come from a walk a few weeks ago, others from a walk on 1st July.
The first section from home heads across the little river Cam,














and over a stile or two...



and through quiet pastoral scenes...





























in the direction of Coaley village.















When I walked this way a few weeks ago Coaley
was having an "Open Gardens" event, and several
addresses had created scarecrow figures.
I particularly like this one outside the old school building.

This time when I walked past I discovered the figure
had come to life!

Leaving Coaley I continued uphill
and into a quiet little lane,

made not so quiet by haymaking while the sun shone
(well it was when they started), last time I passed by


The lane ended at the edge of woodland....

..from where I picked up the Cotswold Way to take me
onto the hilltop towards Coaley Peak.
The main appeal of Coaley Peak is for its super views,
but it is also a spot to discover numerous wildflowers,
butterflies etc. Its also convenient for a picnic
....or at least for an icecream!








This is also favoured spot for activities like flying kites,
model aircraft, or even paragliding. Proper glidering also
takes place from the airfield at Nympsfield nearby. It also
has a "long barrow" iron age burial site like this one which
goes by the lovely name of "Hetty Pegler's Tump",
although no-one called Hetty Pegler ever got buried here
that's for sure!


This blogs photos were a mixture of Flickr.com and
using the blogger photo adding icon. I have to say the
using the blogger one is very handy and alot quicker
than posting to flickr and then pasting the url into
the blog. I recommend this way!
My next section of the walk will be created shortly
just using the "new" approach.

Nibley hill again

Another hot and sunny afternoon, too nice simply to spend
the time watching Wimbledon.
I decided to visit Nibley hill again and enjoy a walk in cool,
shady woodland.
Parking my car in the village I set off
initially with a steep climb…….



……past knarled rooted old trees, clinging on to
their hold on the slope….



…finally emerging onto the hill top by the Tyndale monument.
This was erected as a memorial to William Tyndale who ended
his days burnt at the stake for having had the temerity to
translate the bible into (what was then) intelligible English.
It was (or is?) believed by some that this W. Tyndale was born
in North Nibley. Evidence suggests, however that it was merely
a namesake born here, not the martyr. No doubt the local
Tyndale would be very chuffed to have ended up with a memorial
to him at his native village.



Here seemed a good place to stop and catch my breath….



…..and enjoy the view…..



….before setting off across grassy meadow….



for the shade of the woodland with its maze of pathways.
Perfect for a peaceful communion with the natural world!



Finally, though I headed back out into the sunlit grassland
for a final look at the views before heading home for a
refreshingly cool drink.

A trip to the beach

Arriving in Dover at 9.30 today, I was in plenty of
time to have a chat with mum and dad before they
were off to Canterbury for an appointment.
They told me of there 7 mile walk of yesterday,
along the cliffs from Langdon. Obviously mum is
feeling fitter and stronger for having the treatment!
Once they went off at 10 a.m. I was left to my own
devices and had decided that today was the day
for my first swim in the sea for this year.





I recalled visiting the beach with the Brunein's
a few weeks back.



Today it was less breezey, although enough for a
group to be out sailing in the harbour. Last time
one man lay on the beach, sheltered behind a breakwater.
Today there were a scattering already, more arriving as
time past. So, in I went. After the initial shock of cold I
got into my stride and enjoyed 20 minutes swimming.
Then I returned home for a quick shower before going
off to Bridge to meet mum & dad at the White Horse pub for lunch.

Blogs got pics(I hope)

Since I now have the technical wherewithal to add photos to my blog I here present my first attempt.



Here I am sitting at my back door (looking a little serious I admit- next time I'll remember to smile when taking a photo of myself!)
Jessie is wondering what that funny thing with three legs is on the other side of the pond. Why is it flashing that little light?

Off to watch birds in the Forest of Dean. Wye not?

On Sunday morning (6th) I was up at the crack of dawn. I planned to join the local birdwatching group over in the Forest of Dean, lured by the prospect of seeing a Goshawk or two (they are buzzard sized birds of coniferous woodland. I’ve not seen one before as far as I know). I was wrapped up well (5 layers!) which was just as well as the air way very chilly still by 8.30am when the group met up. It may have been cold but it was a beautiful morning- lots of blue sky and bright sunshine.
Initially we walked around some of the woodland near the Speech House car park. We nearly saw a Hawfinch (which I have not seen before either!) Unfortunately nearly wasn’t near enough and the bird lived up to its species' reputation of being shy and secretive by quickly moving away before any of the group (including me!) got a good look.
Wandering on we had a nice look at a nuthatch feeding on the trunk of one tree, and I passed beneath a noisy jay, getting a good look at that too. We then crossed over the road to overlook a field where it was possible that we might see another hawfinch. The leader of our trip reported that he had seen one fly up from the ground as the group assembled. He cautioned that it was a now going to be a bit of a waiting game, as having fed on the ground the finches retreat up into tree tops for indeterminate spells before plucking up courage to return to the ground. We waited, and waited. Then we gave up and moved off. I expect that as soon as our backs were turned the hawfinches were doing cartwheels across the field!
We then wandered through a section of an arboretum, and some people reported seeing a handful of species here and there. I nearly saw a great spotted woodpecker that someone found feeding at the top of a spruce tree. Just as soon as my binoculars found the relevant spot the bird flew off. Another near miss then.Our walk took us on past an Araucanian pine (“Monkey Puzzle”) about which one member was seemingly knowledgeable. I enjoyed remembering having seen one or two of these in the Villarica Volcano National Park which I made a short taxi ride visit, when I was in Chile in 1990.
Or tour then ended up back at the car park. The leader said how he had found the forest rather quiet generally of late as far as bird life goes. Aparently this may be a sign of a wider malaise in british woodland birdlife, and woodland birds may be in as much trouble as farmland birds have been. I sincerely hope not. At least farmland birds might be rescued by more wildlife friendly policies from the EU etc such as the new subsidies being offered to farm more greenly. But what could reverse problems for woodland birds?
Anyway, you will have noticed that I haven't mentioned goshawks. Well, having given up at this location the leader suggested that we might see various raptors if we were to drive around to the "New Fancy" viewpoint (or something like that.... I didn't know where that was.) I hoped just to tag along being the other cars. However, having left the car park and tried to tail someone I eventually realised that I was actually on my own...no-one was following me. I gave up on trying to find the group, and still have not seen goshawks, but of course with that group's luck today, the chances are that they didn't see one today either!!
Instead of finding the group again I drove on around to Symond Yat, arriving there at the still earlier time of 10.20 a.m. I visited the peregrine observation point with its beautiful view down into the Wye Valley gorge, sun shine streaming down. I had a look through the RSPB volunteer's telescope, spotting a female peregrine resting on the cliff face, apparently having recently fed on a fat pidgeon. I also watched ravens and buzzards souring over the scene. Gorgeous.
Then, I decided to have a walk along the river-side before return to my flask of hot soup (in the car) later. Here I watched three goosanders ("sawbilled" ducks) on the river and enjoyed the tranquility of the place. It was so much more tranquil for being chilly March, rather than flaming June or July. The summer brings with it the school or scout campers, tourists etc etc!....Nevertheless, even then the Symonds Yat area of theWye Valley is a lovely place to spend a sunny Sunday. Or any day!

World Book Day

Today being World Book Day I thought I’d tell about the books I’ve been reading over the past 6 months. As you look at the list you will notice a theme: these books form the bulk of a self-imposed “project” to update myself in knowledge about the Great Apes and the course of human evolution and prehistory. Arcane, you might say. I say “It’s just taking an interest in family history to its ultimate limits!” (Well actually Richard Dawkin’s book “Meet the Ancestors” which traces the family tree back to the first genetic fragments of prehistory does that. I’ll get on to reading that someday soon!) Here is the list:

1) In the Shadow of Man, by Jane Goodall
2) Through a Window, by Jane Goodall
Two enthralling books tracing the first 20 years of Jane Goodall’s life with (and study of) the chimpanzees of Gombe, with some passionate appeals that chimpanzees in captivity be treated with the dignity appropriate to our intelligent nearest relations.

3) Gorillas in the Mist, by Dian Fossey
Dian Fossey’s account of her encounters with, and passion for, the mountain gorillas of Rwanda’s Virunga National Park

4) Woman in the Mists, by Mowat Farley
A biography written using some of Dian Fossey’s personal notes, letters etc giving a different angle on Dian Fossey’s life and character. Okay, but shame about some of the (offensive) language she quotes.

5) In the Kingdom of the Gorilla, by Amy Vedder & Bill Weber
This is a really excellent book. The two authors detail their own studies of the mountain gorillas in the Virungas, mentioning the own first hand dealings with and impressions of Dian Fossey. The book goes on to discuss the efforts they made to create an Ecotourism project in Rwanda as a mainstay towards ensuring the future of the mountain gorillas. They give an illuminating and sobering account of the background to the terrible genocidal killings in Rwanda

6) Reflections of Eden, by Birute Galdikas
A wonderful read (although the printing is in a rather small typeface…..good lighting was required to read this!). The book tells of Birute Galdikas’ life and her sense of vocation to live with, study and champion the cause of the orang utans of Indonesian Borneo. Please donate to her work!

7) Lucy, The Beginnings of Humankind, by Donald C. Johanson & Maitland A. Edey
An account of what was known of human ancestry up until 1974 and how Johanson’s discovery of the now famous “Lucy” remains changed our understanding.

8) Origins Reconsidered, by Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin
The story of Richard Leakey’s fossil hunting work, particularly of the (1.5 million-year-old “Turkana boy” skeleton in 1984. He also goes on to discus other aspects of human evolution.

9) Fairweather Eden, by Michael Pitts & Mark Roberts
This is another gripping read, describing the amazing archaeological digs at Boxgrove in Sussex. It has some really interesting discussions about flint knapping and what the numerous hand axes uncovered at Boxgrove can tell us about how Homo heidelbergensis (500,0000 years ago approx.) may have thought and acted.

10) The Prehistory of the Mind, by Stephen Mithen
The author sets out to try and get into the mind of various human ancestors to try and work out how our human mind evolved from its less complex beginnings, stage by stage. Intriguing!

11) The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odessey, by Spencer Wells
One of several similar books I could have read which looks at the evidence provided by modern human genetics to indicate how humanity spread out of Africa and around the world.

12) The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee, by Jared Diamond
Another really enjoyable book. The author looks at human behaviour and prehistory from all kinds of angles, throwing out all kinds of thought provoking nuggets along
the way! I’ll re-read this for sure.

13) After the Ice, a Global Human History, 20,000-5, 000 BC, by Stephen Mithen
This book nearly brought me back into the present (well after a “journey” through several million years of evolution 7, 005 years isn’t that long ago!) I enjoyed this book because of the way Stephen Mithen puts us imaginatively back into the sites of archaeological discoveries as seen through the eyes of a time travelling character, John Lubbock. John Lubbock is the modern namesake of a Victorian writer on human archaeology, whose work the time traveller occasional reads from whilst he waits for a particular group of hunter-gathers to return from the hunt!

As well as all that there is of course lots of stuff in National Geographic magazines, chapters in other books I own and various web sites which I have looked at in the course of this project. Indeed, first and foremost in my project (indeed the prime mover in getting me going along this reading strand) was the series of excellent lectures that I attended in October at “@Bristol”