Mystery bird

Distance: 9 miles
Walked: Saturday 3 August 2013
Total miles walked this year: 177
Route: Ashby to Hartshorne and back

This short but pleasant walk was all I had time for today. I was treated to the sight of this bird flapping around while walking through a section of The National Forest and turning a corner he was sitting on a post. I knew he'd fly as I approached so I held the camera (iPhone was all I had with me) ready for that moment. Unfortunately not close enough for ID purposes but it was large, browns with white flashes.

Any ideas?

Blackfordby Spire

Distance: 7m
Walked: Sunday 17 March 2013
Distance walked this year so far: 40m

I'm getting a bit fed up with slopping around in mud, you can see from this picture that there's water just standing on this field and the footpath. More of a paddle than a walk. But some blue sky and nice views.

I  had noticed that an older sign marking 'The Heart of The National Forest' had disappeared, and today there's a shiny new one. It'll look great when all's out in leaf.

Details of this route are here

South Derbyshire 18m circular walk

Distance: 18m
Walked: Wed 13 March 2013
Distance walked this year so far: 33m

Some sunnier pictures from last Wednesday's walk (the hail was short-lived).

This walk starts and ends near my home, walks alongside Foremark Reservoir, goes through Ticknall, by Calke Abbey and the Ferrer's Centre craft centre.

More pictures from today's walk on Flickr

The route is here

Woodland - trying to be creative

Mum and I both like taking photographs, but at Christmas discussed that we were both a bit fed up with the regular old cheesy shots and decided to have a monthly(ish) challenge to get more creative.

For March our theme was 'Woodland' and so while out walking on Wednesday I tried some interesting compositions and also some special effects (nothing very clever).

Can you see what's wrong here?

This oil painting effect is achieved with the camera while snapping.

More photos from this walk are on Flickr

Ashby de la Zouch to Ferrer's Centre - 10m walk

Distance: 10m
Walked: 10 March 2013
Weather: Misty, snow on ground, mud

This is a variation on my original Ashby Ivanhoe walk (5m),  adding some distance and arriving at the Ferrer's Centre at the half-way point. Coffee and loos are to be found there. It starts and finishes at the Beeches pub too, and we all know that a pint tastes so much better after a good walk.

I've added the new longer walk to UK Walks here

And photos from today's walk are here

Misty

I wouldn't normally have turned out in such low-vis weather. But I couldn't wait to get out and start breaking in my new boots - more of that another time.

Maybe sunny shots look better but there's an eerie atmosphere on a foggy day and I challenged myself to try and capture it.

Close-up shots have a different quality, with the light being so unusually flat and even.

I was fascinated by this new willow fence / hedge, see the catkins!

grass or concrete?

Here I'm standing in the middle of the Holywell site just on the edge of Ashby, the Beeches pub is down there somewhere to the left. I'm using the public footpath here, everyone has a right to walk through and enjoy these lovely views. There's a planning application in to build here 400 houses, a shop, school and other facilities. It's in the middle of The National Forest with Prestop Park Wood just in front and to the right, and Ingles Hill Wood behind me. It looks better as it is, I think!

More photos of this morning's walk in my set Walking in and around Prestop Park Wood

Autumn mist

I gather that it was beautifully misty frosty morning earlier, which made me wish that I was a morning person. A quick look at some of this morning's webcam images confirms this. The first signs of autumn colour in the trees, mist hanging over them and frost on the emerging crop.

Then I noticed not so early - pic taken at five to nine. Still wishing I could get up that early.

Ashby Woulds walk, August 2012

Now that the colours are turning autumnal, I've been looking back through some photos from earlier in the year.

On a lovely day in August I walked my 11m Ashby Woulds walk, starting at Shellbrook, to Moira Furnace (ice-cream, coffee, loos and other walking essentials available) to Donisthorpe woods and towards Measham. That part of the walk follows the Ivanhoe Way. Then leaving the IW at Oakthorpe and through a potentially beautiful new part of National Forest to Willesley to loop back to Shelbrook.

More details about the route are here

And this photoset can be viewed at Flickr

The National Forest - still a forest in the making

I'm lucky to live somewhere near the heart of The National Forest - a forest in the making covering most of N W Leicestershire, South Derbyshire and East Staffordshire.

The forest is more than ten years old now, there are trees that are mature and even being harvested. But there are still new areas being added to the map. It seems that whenever I walk in this area, I come across new plantations. Here are just two new examples I've spotted this year.