Tag Archives: uk

Blackwood Forest Stroll

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If you live in the UK, you probably aren’t aware of how fortunate you are to have the variety of places to walk that you do.  Public rights of way are a feature of the UK that are not necessarily replicated in other countries.  They provide the chance to walk in many places that would otherwise be out of bounds.  Also, the woodlands that are accessible are a treat.  We took a wander through Blackwood Forest while we were in the UK and Sam and Chris introduced it to us.  We weren’t going to be taking a major hike based on time available and other things, but we did have a relaxing wander through the trees.  We also had time to stop at the café in the forest, too, which may have eaten up some time while we ate up some good food!

Stockbridge High Street

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For one of our recent stays in the UK, we rented an AirBnB in the Hampshire town of Stockbridge.  I had driven through (or by) Stockbridge on countless occasions over the years but had never stopped to explore it.  Turns out that was an oversight on my part as it is a really delightful little town.  Plenty of interesting shops and eateries to explore.  Also, doesn’t hurt to have a few pubs that are worth a visit too.  We had an excellent time while staying there and here are a sample of some images of the town from our time there.

Parakeets in Their Natural Habitat?

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Parakeets must be remarkably adaptable birds.  When they escape, they seem to rapidly establish themselves in cities from which they did not originate.  When we lived in Chicago, there was a park on the south side of the city which had a large parakeet colony.  Richmond Park in London is a similar spot.  We heard the parakeets before we saw them, but their bright flashes of color made them easy enough to spot when they got moving.  They just seem to flourish wherever they are, even if they really should not be there.

RHS Wisley

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On our last full day in the UK on our most recent trip, we met up with family and the Royal Horticultural Society’s grounds at Wisley.  It has been quite a long time since we were last there and I only had some limited memories of the place.  They were good memories, but I clearly hadn’t seen as much of the place as I could have.  The old house is the first thing you see when you arrive and I’m glad that it is still there since it provides a nice introduction, even if it isn’t terribly relevant to the average visitor these days.

They have built a really nice gift shop and café/restaurant complex, and we did make good use of that on our visit.  Then we headed into the gardens.  They are just as nice as you would expect from an organization like the RHS.  We went through one of the glasshouses and then climbed the hill to the cunningly named Hilltop building.  The grounds around it are nice but they also have a rooftop area which provides a great view across the grounds.  I think if I had been alone and with more time, I might have gone further afield in the grounds, but that day was not the day to do so.  I did see what looked like a nice avenue on the map so wandered up through the trees to a very scenic view down back towards the main area.

Wisley is a lovely spot.  I would highly recommend it if you like gardens and plants or even if you just want somewhere pleasant to wander after a decent lunch.  I suspect we will make a return visit if we have a chance for more time when back in the UK.

Jackdaws Searching for Snacks

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We stopped for a small snack at Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park after our walk.  We were heading to lunch later, but you don’t want your energy to drop so a cake of some sort is a necessity.  The tables around the café provided plenty of food for the local jackdaw population and they were very keen to get whatever fell from the plates of the customers.  With the sun on them, they looked really cool.  I didn’t know what they were at the time, but the grey heads were quite distinctive, and I did a search later on t identify them.  Funny to learn these things so long after I had lived in the UK.

Deer in the Royal Park

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Richmond Park is famous for its deer.  You don’t have to go far in the park to come across some.  They seem pretty relaxed despite the presence of so many people nearby but I imagine it is a long time since anyone in the park was hunting them, so they don’t see us as a threat anymore.  As we went for a stroll, we came across a few groups of deer busy munching away.  Occasionally, they would look at us as we got closer but their lack of interest most of the time was obvious!

Repairing the Beach

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There had been some pretty stormy weather shortly before we got to the UK.  When we went to Southsea to pick up mum from the hovercraft, there was some work underway on the beach that sits below the terminal.  By the look of things, the storm had moved the shingle around quite a bit and they needed to regrade the shoreline.  Someone was busy working on it while the hovercraft was on its way over.  They had to get out of the way before it arrived, of course, but they seemed to have done a decent job of it in plenty of time.  I wonder how often they need to rework the shore to keep things where they need to be for the service.

River Test at a High Level

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The River Test really should be considered multiple rivers because it splits and rejoins as it moves across the Hampshire countryside.  You can cross all sorts of minor streams, but you do also get some larger crossings where the river is well defined.  One of these is the road to Longstock.  There is a weir across the river just upstream of the bridge and it seemed to be flowing pretty well when we were there.  We had experienced lovely weather, but I guess quite a bit of rain had preceded our arrival.  There was a single swan on the river, and it seemed to be making some effort to move upstream.

Family of Blackbirds Out for a Meal

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A family of blackbirds was a regular sight in the front garden of the place we rented in Stockbridge.  They were happily finding whatever they could eat in the grass.  There appeared to be two parents with some youngsters in tow.  The chicks were now pretty fully grown and seemed to have their feathers, but they were less interested in finding food than they were in having their parents do the work.  I will let those of you with children make your own comments.  The chicks actually looked a little larger than their parents, so they are probably eating well.