Delta Ged, Volunteer Ranger @ National Trust Lyme Park : December 2015

Photo Blog Week 86 - Wed 23 December 2015

Hi readers, I wish you a (belated) Happy Christmas and everything you wish yourself for 2016.

Not an 'official' patrol but Mrs Delta-Ged and I nipped in 2 days before Christmas for a walk. Unusually, this route starts from the Knott Car Park rather than the House and wee had lunch sitting on the side of the Knott looking out over Manchester. It seems odd to choose to look at the city and urban sprawl when there is so much beautiful countryside around but it is a novel perspective on where we lead our lives and so many land marks to spot and discuss; it has a beauty all of it's own as so many lives lay their trail in the landscape.

I somehow managed to switch my phone off just after we set off so the track and distances are remembered rather than recorded. This is largely why the the post has been delayed, I uploaded the photo's Christmas Eve but then got too busy to finish the job.

route: The Knott Car Park; Westpark drive gate; up to Pursefield ridge; Paddock Cottage

Looking across The Knott to the city beyond

Unusual section of wall. The slope is steep and the bed rock near the surface and several steps have been built into the wall profile

gorgeous blue sky behind Lantern Wood and Park Moor

approaching Paddock Cottage silhouetted against cloud lit by a low winter sun

Cheshire plain from Paddock Cottage

Kite surfing

Paddock Cottage Door

route: Paddock Cottage, ridge path, Cluse Hey and Poynton Brook, Middle Moor Wall

looking down into Cluse Hey from the rock outcrop

The purple hue that appears in the new growth on silver birch through winter into spring

path through the birch above Poynton Brook along Cluse Hey bottom

Paddock Cottage high above us now

shadows creeping across the valley as the winter sun lowers

gorse beginning to blossom high up on the south facing bank

catkins; unfortunately, I hadn't noticed the camera focusing on the rear rather than centre ones

the bracken which only weeks ago stood tall and verdant is now limp and matted on the floor

Nature's Artwork: I liked the view through the hole

unfortunately, I got the focus wrong again :( but still interesting so I've kept it in

blue to white and light shadow

This deep path up from the brook to Park Moor now totally in shadow

coming out of the darkness toward Middle Moor

Higher now; looking across Paddock ridge to Cheshire plain.

That bank of cloud is heralding a change of weather on it's way in.

zoomed in on Paddock Cottage

zoomed in on the city of Manchester. Beetham Tower (Hilton Hotel) left of centre.

route: pass over Middle Moor wall; Knightslow Wood

2pm shadows on Dec 23rd

long lens shot of the Moor Herd red deer

The House and The Cage

Nature's Artwork: A nugget of purest green.

Blackadder fans will understand

sun sinking through the beech trees of Knightslow Wood

route: Knightslow Wood, Drinkwater Meadow, Car Park; Timberyard

low sun lighting up the pines by Drinkwater Meadow

Sky changing over Drinkwater Meadow as the bank of cloud begins to pass across the sun

Mallards and Black Headed Gulls sharing the Mill Pond

route: Timberyard; Turtle Brew; track return to The Knott car park

nice reflections looking away from the darkening clouds

a hint of the House through the tree tops

Fungi fest'

classic South Face shot with shadows creeping up as the sun begins to dip behind the trees

Today's Track and Profile

Track hand drawn from memory & time estimated as phone switched off just after star.

All Approximate.

Total: 3.3 miles (5.34 km) 3hr 0min

duration includes stops for chats, inspections, photo's and snacks

This Time Last Year

Have a look at This Time Last Year

Week 50 24/12/2014 - Christmas Eve In The Park

Week 49 18/12/2014 - Low Light but Long Views over Cheshire and Manchester

Week 48 10/12/2014 - Weather and Stags

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Photo Blog Week 85 - Fri 04 December 2015

I have been missing my Patrolling at Lyme as I continue to be involved with Walling and other work. I came in with my wife a couple of weekends back and was amazed that all sorts seemed to have moved on - it almost felt as if it wasn't my park anymore. So, on Friday this week I had some time to spare and popped in for a Patrol. It was lovely, in no time I felt right at home again. Oddly, picking up a radio felt like completion, it was great to be back in touch with the Ranger Team and to hear the random goings on in all departments throughout the day.

I did feel a bit of an interloper and hope none of the Friday Rangers felt I was treading on their toes. My traditional Wednesday there would be two or three of us and our paths didn't tend to cross except deliberately when Graham and I would meet up for lunch. I arrived just after nine o'clock and had just signed in, collected radio and litter picker when four others arrived. Some of them don't know me and I hope I wasn't a disruption.

After all the winds past and forecast, we discussed different wooded areas we would cover, checking for hangers and moving plates. Hangers being branches which have detached but not fallen to ground and the plates being the root areas which, particularly with tall conifers, sometimes show movement as the tree rocks indicating a risk of toppling.

My arrival was greeted with this view which I simply had to stop the car on the drive to capture:

The jet trail was an unfortunate addition to the sky but does present an eerie image of the flagpole on The Cage as an aerial drawing energy down from the mothercraft up in space.

route: House, Timberyard, Mill race bridge; Turtle Brew, Four Winds

Palms behind the Christmas tree in the Timber Yard present an interesting juxtaposition

Chimney on the House with the high moor behind

Moorhen near the Mill Pond

This nest box on a large beech tree clearly well used going by the wear around the entry hole

Fungi fest': This large oak came down a year ago, already dead it broke up on impact and is now a haven for insects and fungi.

route: Four Winds, John Brown's Corner; Knott Car Park; Hase Bank

Nature's Artwork: I was caught by the silhouette of this wall against the sky as it turns and climbs over a brow

New and Old: The concrete city of Manchester and the drystone walls of Derbyshire.

Echoed by the new and old as this wall at Four Winds is gradually stripped and rebuilt.

Oddly, the city centre remained in sun almost the whole day whilst Lyme only managed brief sunny periods

There is a massive amount of surface water after the recent rains

Revisiting a little history; before the railways arrived at Disley leading to the construction of a road up to the House from the A6, this would have been your view as you left Lyme heading home or off on your next tour.

Apart from the bright green field to left, everything in sight is part of the Park. Always somewhere new to explore.

The lumpy area of The Knott. This area offers a self contained adventure with hills, slopes, dips and valleys. The views from the summits are amazing, a good spot to bring a guest to look over the Cheshire Plain and Manchester and a very popular Kite Flying spot.

The Cage and a grey Kinder Plateau

Nature's Artwork: remaining green leaves look as if dabbed on with a paintbrush

Nature's Artwork: vivid colours contrast against the carpet of brown

On the woodland floor, the Wood Sorrell strikes me as 'chirpy'. I cannot see it as anything but spring like even though in spring it will have a wonderful fresh iridescent green

Lighting a little dull but I do love the golden carpet that the fall from the Larch creates

There are several rock outcrops along Hase Bank which add interest to the woodland scenery

Chinese Lanterns

Ever stop and consider what happens to them?

This is litter; it just dropped a long way from the litterer.
This is a Fire Risk; this one is at the edge of a wood in undergrowth that would have been full of dry flammable material in some seasons
This is a risk to animals; legs get caught up in them, they end up around necks, parts get ingested and when broken, sharp wires are exposed.

If you question the latter, when I folded it to get it in my litter bag, the ring promptly snapped and stabbed out through the side.

Please spread the word. They're lovely on take off but Nasty on landing

Fungi fest'

route: Hase Bank, Westpark Drive, Deer Clough, Park Moor

Planting along Westpark drive to encourage regrowth of mixed English woodland following rhododendron clearance

Sunshine breaking through high up on the bank

Water tumbling out of Deer Clough

Looking up to the young oak by the rock outcrop from Cluse Hey

View back into Deer Clough from the path out of Cluse Hey up onto Park Moor

Manchester continues to sit in sunshine

This grass looked like fur, not sure it carries though to the photo

Looking across the Moor from one end to the other. Lantern Wood to left and the high viewpoint dead centre

Wheel tracks show where Bracken spraying has taken place.

Bracken is being controlled is several patches to avoid a mono-culture developing as it has a knack of spreading and drowning the grass moorland

route: Park Moor, Middle Moor wall, Cluse Hey, Bowstones track

Not seen this for a long time. I thinks it's the flare at Carrington so I'm guessing they had something the needed to burn off quickly; it was only burning a few minutes.

How times have changed, I remember this flare as being almost constant and when at it's brightest used to actually create orange shadows in our bedroom when we lived in Sale around 1980.

Oak Marble Galls

I always called these "Oak Apples" but Oak Apple Galls are actually different. Wikipedia

A sunny period highlights the contours of Park Moor

Red Deer Moor Herd

I just spotted the dots of darkness amongst the grasses of the Moor.
All of these shots are on long lens and hand held

Strategically grouped with a line of sight to the winter feed station just in case a tractor bucket of beet arrives

route: Bowstones track, Knightslow Wood (wall path), Eastern Moor, Turfhouse Meadow

The Fallow Deer sanctuary and Lime Avenue is now closed for the winter months

South face of Lyme House through the trees

Yeah, I know it looks like I have short legs. Not funny.

route: Turfhouse Meadow, Lantern Wood; Cluse Hey; Red Deer Sanctuary

The Lantern is open again as a haven from the weather

Autumn leaf drift

INFORMATION PLEASE

I have no idea what lives here and have never seen anything like this before. If you know, please leave a comment.

The hole is about 7mm diameter and the white looks like a web type fibre matter with a white glue.

Getting a little drizzly heading off Cater's Slack toward Cage Hill

3 Hinds

Small group of hinds in the Red Deer sanctuary but not far off the path

route: Deer Sanctuary, Coalpit Wood dip, The Cage, Green Drive, North Face

climbing up from Coalpit Wood to The Cage

Green Drive

Green Drive is the original route created to the House from Disley direction after the arrival of the railways. Previously, Lyme was accessed from the Potts Shrigley direction.

Green Drive arrives at the House

Christmas has arrived in the Courtyard