Travel and Walks

the ‘Firs’ are located opposite Dobbies Garden Centre at  44 Harlestone Rd, Northampton NN7 4EW which is on the northern edge of Northampton.   There is a large lay-by for parking. However, at weekends it gets very, very busy and parking can be a problem. Vehicles by and large do not observe the speed limits at all. So if you have pets or children do take care.

Yesterday I visited Summer Leys Nature Reserve thinking huge space no problem, there were lots of people and in some parts of the walk you cannot avoid them. Anyway some great photography and good bird spotting. Especially the Common Snipe, Oystercatchers, Redshank, Finches, Tits and Chiffchafs.   That evening the BCN WT closed the car park for the time being.

Summer Leys Nature Reserve is part of the The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire. It is a place I now visit very regularly for two reasons, a very nice walk and good opportunities to see and photograph wildlife.  It is situated on Hardwater Road near Wollaston.

I started by taking the woodland walk to find the Bittern Hide and eventually the Island Mere Hide. Just into the woods and there in front of me a Tree Creeper. I still have not got a good image of a Tree Creeper and failed on this day as well. Good to observe it though. Once in the Bittern Hide, no sign of one (another day then). I did see a Marsh Harrier in the distance.

I was advised that I would enjoy Dungeness for its photographic opportunities and strangeness.  

I researched the area before visiting and writers often use colourful language to describe it, using words like dystopian, bleak, stark and wild.  I had looked at a variety of images of the area and therefore had a sort of preconception about it. 

I decide to pop! along to Ravensthorpe to maybe sit in my car and watch for birds etc. As I arrived it stopped raining and the sky cleared a little with even some sun peircing through the clouds. I judged that I had time to walk around the reservoir, which I did.