Week 40 08/10/2014 - Autumn, Faded Greens but with Brilliant Golds

Photo Blog Week 40 - Wed 08 October 2014

I arrived this week with all waterproofs expecting a soaking but was treated to a lovely morning with only a couple of short gentle showers. The afternoon did cloud in but luck was on my side. A little down on energy this week, I signed off on time and headed to the car where, as I removed my boots, the rain began to fall on my back. Just after I settled into the car the heavens opened.

Autumn is well underway now and colour washed out of everything that was green across woodland and heathland. The Horse Chestnuts have dropped a lot of their brilliant coloured leaves, the Sycamore leaves are dull dried grey-brown and scaly but the Beech are just beginning to produce yellow and orange highlights in patches across their canopies.

I have been looking at old maps recently and noticed a couple of wells, one on Cage Hill and another on Pursefield so I had a hunt around for evidence. No luck on Cage Hill but a possible sighting on Pursefield.

route: East Lodge track; The Cage; explore slopes of Cage Hill for well evidence (see above); Cage Hill; Mill Pond picnic area; Timberyard complex

Horse Chestnut in front of The Stable

The Hall North face

 The view from Cage Hill toward Manchester, not a clear day

Eery lighting with a glow behind Bowstongate Farm above The Moor

 Summer souvenir, a harebell still flowering in the grass

Cluse Hey and Lantern Wood from Cage Hill

 School party seeing the views and hearing about the heritage of mills, mines and manors from Tom

Buttercups are still around though in low numbers

 fungi fest'

The Mill Pond through trees descending from Cage Hill

 Jackdaws are a surprisingly common sight

Tall Beech trees on Turtle Brew

 Black-headed Gull minus black head

Credit goes to my colleague Delta-Graham who alerted me to the winter plumage of the Black-headed Gull as shown above. The characteristic black (actually dark chocolate brown) hood will return next spring but, meanwhile, all that remains is a dark smudge behind the eye.

 route:  Mill Pond; Pursefield Wood; Pursefield slopes; rock outcrop; Cluse Hey

the 'Dipping' pool

Low light and faded colour across Drinkwater Meadow. Thistles and Soft Rush stand dry and brown.

 It is variously said that 'Witches' or 'The Devil' spit on Blackberries after the 1st October.  I'm not sure about either but they certainly dry and develop mould from about that date.

 

Slender remains of Rosebay Willowherb

Plenty of cones on the Larch.

Soon, the Larch needles will begin to turn gold before dropping to create golden carpets and paths amongst them. One of the few deciduous pines.

Smoke rising from the rhododendron clearance fires

A different aspect on Darcy's Pool through the trees at the edge of Pursefield Wood.

This is the actual pool used for the wet shirt shots in the BBC production of Pride and Prejudice 

Conservation team working on rhododendron clearance

Ripe Bilberries on the slopes below Pursefield

On an old map from 1852, a well is shown in a corner of Pursefield.

I wonder whether this fencing is around the capped remains. Seems to be about the right place.

Bilberry grows across this slope and the leaf tips speckle the scene bright red

Small path descending to Westpargate track and a view out to Cheshire above

 Drystone seat on slopes Pursefield

path climbing out of Cluse Hey toward Park Moor Cottage

Looking straight down into Cluse Hey from rock outcrop

route: along bottom of Cluse Hey to near corner of Knightslow; Park Moor; cross Middle Moor Wall; descend back to Knightslow/Bowstonegate track

The path along the bottom of Cluse Hey crosses Poynton Brook repeatedly (Very wet in places)

Continuing East along Cluse Hey. Knightslow Wood appearing.

Probably an old slag heap from the coal mining which took place in this area

Oak Apples

Bracken producing lovely colours in the valley

 Common Alder - Male catkins

 The image above shows the male catkins with their purple scales. Below are female catkins. Some trees seem to have almost all male or female but others mixed.

  Common Alder - female catkins

 Common Alder are prevalent along this section of Cluse Hey in the valley by the brook.

The 'Impossible Oak' from below. 

I have named it this as from the top path it appears to grow out of the bank sideways, apparently due to a landslip in its younger years.

route: Moor bottom path along Knightslow and Hampers Woods; Top of Turfhouse Meadow; Lantern Wood; Caters Slack; East Lodge track; return to Hall & Car Park

Hazy shining spot where the sun is behind the low cloud

Soft Rush drying out a summer leaves it behind

Cage Hill from Caters Slack with rain clouds

Stag with Hinds on Caters Slack (long lens)

Large group on Deer Sanctuary close to East Lodge track

Resident mature stag at left.  Younger stags are in group together with hinds.

Long lens same group.

Pleased with this one, I actually held camera steady enough on maximum zoom in poor light.

Tree silhouettes on Green Drive taking on a winter profile

Autumn leaves in the grass by East Lodge track as I head back before the rain comes in.

Today's track and profile

6.4 miles  5 hr 45 mn