Delta Ged, Volunteer Ranger @ National Trust Lyme Park : Week 38 24/09/2014

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.