Photo Blog Week 38 - Wed 24 September 2014
A day with blue skies interrupted by dancing clouds meant fantastic lighting with shadows highlighting the contour of the higher ground which I visited this week. A couple of spots of rain and a realisation that I need to start putting my gloves in my day pack again as the wind whipped over Cage Hill early in the day before it warmed up.
Getting close to the rut now. Groups of hinds are here and there and out on the Moor solitary senior stags are feeding up in readiness to compete for access to the hinds.
route: Hall North Face; The Cage; Timberyard area; Crow Wood play scape; Timberyard Cafe (lunch)
Geranium pots surround the lawn in the garden to side of North Face
Fungi on a stump outside The Stables
One of the Park's many Crows picking among autumn leaves
approaching The Cage
Kinder plateau clear and defined with low sun creating shadows
a few threatening clouds passing overhead
The second sundial on The Cage has an English inscription
Two sides of The Cage have sundials using the path of the sun which hits these two walls. The other wall being permanently shaded do not have sundials.
Canada Geese by the Mill Pond
Crow Wood Play Scape
The 'Bear Pit'
I'm always cautious of taking pictures of the children so a quiet morning with good lighting gave me the chance to show you around this great facility
Speckled Wood Butterfly
route: Timberyard Cafe; Car Park; Drinkwater Meadow; Paddock Cottage; Deer Clough; Cluse Hey; Middle Moor wall
South Face of The Hall nicely lit
Sheep still in Drinkwater Meadow
Cheshire Plain, Alderley Edge with Welsh Hills faint in background
Stile in dip entering Cluse Hey
Rock outcrop from bottom of Cluse Hey
Path climbs steeply through bracken
Heather and Bilberry
A small section of the Macclesfield Canal visible from the edge of the Moor (telephoto)
Hereford Cattle chilling in Cluse Hey
The Walling Team busy on boundary wall repair near Park Moor Cottage
Solitary Stag
Middle Moor Wall splitting the Moor
route: Middle Moor wall; Boundary Wall via Bowstonegate Fm; Direction Finder plinth to Lantern Wood
Orange Fungus
Park Moor and Cheshire panorama
Boundary wall swinging around to right and then across to Bowstonegate Farm
Red Deer on the slopes below Stag House ruin
These birds kept taking off out of the deep grass and performing aerobatic routines in group formation
Landed on the wire between shows
Another solitary stag on The Moor
A fine set of antlers on this senior stag
Red Deer can live to 18 years and the older the stags get the more tines or points on their antlers up to around 16 points.
lone fungi
This boundary wall collapse is the sort of thing that would initially be discovered and reported back by a Volunteer Patrolling Ranger.
The resident Rangers would then make secure and the repair job goes onto the queue of work for the Walling Team and budget for materials.
Wall Art: Some of the drystone walls are quite beautiful in structure
Boundary wall at back of Park Moor toward Sponds Hill
The popular track down from Bowstonegate Farm entrance to the centre of The Park
Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope
JodrellBank is hidden behind the Alderley Edge escarpment from all but the highest areas of Park Moor. Here at the View Point plinth the sight line goes right over the escarpment and the Goostrey area becomes visible.
Plinth and Direction finder at the highest point of Lyme Park
Panorama view to North
Shuttlingslow profile immediately recognisable
Looking down to Cage Hill
A rare sight of Holme Moss aerial 16 miles away indicates a clear day
Through Stones
A drystone wall's structure includes long stones placed a regular intervals which go right through the wall connecting both sides of the wall together. These are known as "Through Stones". Usually, they are not apparent but for a variety of reasons they are sometimes seen, as in this wall, protruding. I could be as simple as they were too long and left that way but some landowners wanted to see them as evidence that the waller was putting them in. I could also just be a wallers preference.
Lyme Hall
route: Lantern Wood; Caters Slack; East Lodge Drive; Turf House Meadow
Path through young conifers at high end of Lantern Wood
Deer Leap in wall of Lantern Wood
This deer leap and a matching one the far side of the wood provides a route that allows mingling of red deer from the Park Herd and Moor Hears.
Cattle on Caters Slack
Hello Ladies! A group of hinds on Caters Slack
On closer inspection, there are young stags amongst the hinds.
Note the stag at right, looking left, the antlers are simple single pointed. Also, centre,a stag with small antlers but 2 points probably a year older.
Beetham Tower (Hilton Hotel) in central Manchester with Winter Hill behind
Low down in the Deer Sanctuary near Coalpit Wood, two groups of red deer
route: Turf House Meadow; Hampers Bridge; Fallow Deer Park; Main Car Park
Another Speckled Wood butterfly
Turf House Meadow with Lantern Wood and the steep climb up Park Moor under a blue sky
The Lantern
Lace like curtain of larch
Sweet Chestnut back lit by sun highlighting the leaves
Today's track
