Week 23 14/05/14 - Sunny, Green and Clear

Photo Blog Week 23 - Wed 14 May 2014

A gorgeous day be in Lyme Park. The sky a mix of white cumulus clouds and big areas of blue delivering a generally sunny bright day with the added interest of shadows. In several areas, skylarks are fluttering high in the air adding a delightful soundscape with their song.
The greens of spring are vivid and everywhere and among them many wild flowers add highlights and interest. The bluebells are at peak along Westpark drive delivering a sweet perfume when to windward.
Not sure where the Red Deer got to today, I saw some of the park herd up on Cage Hill as I drove in but didn't see any more groups, only a couple of loners later on.

route: from North face of Hall; follow Green Drive; continue straight onto track dropping to: Main Drive down to Admissions; Follow Bollinghurst Brook toward reservoirs; small tracks to Coalpit Wood

The lady with the little girl enhance the delight of the sun dappled Green Drive

Manchester through the trees from Cage Hill above the main drive

Same angle as previous photo but zoomed in. Beetham Tower a third in from left

The Cage

Descending track from Cage Hill toward Admissions with classic loan oak

Kinder Plateau in distance

Deer Sanctuary

Part of today was completing the boundary survey going into the back of the deer santuary which is off limits so please don't be tempted to explore this part of my route. Apart from that, it was boggy, fly filled and generally not very nice across the back of coalpit wood.

route: boundary fence / wall through back of Coalpit Wood and around boundary of Red Deer Sanctuary (NO PUBLIC ACCESS).

Narrow fly filled muddy progress along Boundary fence in Coalpit Wood

Reservoir wall with is castellated top

Over the wall in private fishing pond, Mum & Dad Canadian Geese with 4 little'uns

Change in wall character from more recent commercially (left) built to original boundary wall

route: from East Lodge follow track; cross stile into Caters Slack; follow right track to squeezer stile into bottom of Lantern Wood; exit wood to Turf House Meadow ; join track and follow Garden fence; cross Hampers Bridge; follow path through Hampers Wood to view of Hall

Simple stile into Caters Slack

Two Red Deer on Turf House Meadow

New antlers growing with velvet lit by the sun

Peacock Butterfly on dandelion

Great Spotted Woodpecker on fence by Archery Field
(Rather pleased with getting this pic')

Dozing in the warm afternoon sun

Fallow Deer browsing on fresh grass

As you follow the path from Hampers Wood this superb aspect of the hall appears

route: follow Lime Avenue to Knightslow Wood; follow track to Drinkwater Meadow gate; stay in wood and follow track to Cluse Hey; take wall path above Cluse Hey to Paddock Cottage

Knightslow Wood lights up when the sun shines on the new spring beech leaves

Lyme Hall and The Cage with the Pennine Moors high in the background

The sheep are back in Drinkwater Meadow for the summer. Dogs on leads please!

Cluse Hey now full of foliage

I have always liked this path high above Cluse Hey along the wall bounding Drinkwater Meadow. 

This goes from Knightslow Wood to Paddock Cottage.

Bluebells against stone wall

route: descend via track from Paddock Cottage; join Westpark Drive; follow side path in wood to The Knott

Below Paddock Cottage, the remaining rhododendrons are bursting into flower

Sadly, the image doesn't show them but today the Welsh hills could be clearly seen as a final layer

Swathes of aromatic bluebells are at their peak above West Park drive

route: The Knott Car Park; climb up the knoll; descend to Four Winds boundary wall; follow track circling Turtle Brew; follow path around Mill Pond toward Timberyard

Skylarks were twittering away high above near Four Winds but I could only capture this Meadow Pipit on the ground

Turtle Brew - It isn't clear through the trees but before it was so wooded the contour of the top looks like a turtle's shell

Horse Chestnut in full blossom

route: Around Mill Pond; enter Crow Wood at side of Cottages; follow track straight to boundary; track uphill along Boundary fence; return via Playscape

Nature's Artwork

The tape cordons have been removed in Crow Wood now that the tree surgeons have dealt with the unstable Scots Pine dislodged in the high winds

Nice shot! This is the gap they brought a very large tree down through

Buttercups have now joined the colour palette of the Park

Ever wonder what happened to the amazing fungi of autumn/winter?

Some still survive though dried out and colourless

Crow Wood Play scape 

Crow Wood Playscape is excellent for adventurous kids and parent who encourage them

route: Between pond and Timberyard and return to Car Park

The Mill Pond ducks having a good day

5hr 15min  8.2 miles

Week 16 12/03/14 - Sunny and a Woodpecker

Photo Blog Week 16 - Wed 12 Mar 2014

An amazing warm summery day, needed cap to keep sun out of my eyes and should have brought more water; was gasping by the time I returned at end of day.
I expected to be greeted by a lot of spring action but most plant life is still quite dormant. I did see a large yellow butterfly and heard woodpeckers in two locations, the second of which I was delighted to get a photo of.

route: across Hall North Entrance; track toward East Lodge; divert to Coalpit Wood before returning to the track and on to East Lodge.

 A massive blue sky behind the Cage

 Park Red Deer herd down in their sanctuary (On the darker ridge halfway up picture centre).

If you are looking to see the Park Red Deer, the roll of the terrain of the sanctuary blocks the view to where they tend to hang out. Carry on walking toward East Lodge until you reach a sharp bend in the track next to a wood. From this position you often see them down in the dip as in the photo above. Continuing along the track they are hidden again until you are close to the East Lodge Cottage.

 Coalpit Wood and Cage Hill

 East Lodge, the gate house at the Eastern gate is available as a Holiday Cottage via the National Trust.

route: Back along track then over stile and up across Caters Slack to Lantern Wood via Deer Leap; transit Lantern Wood to Park Moor

 The grasses of Caters Slack hillside are pale and bright in the sun

 It some months since I saw dappled sunshine on the woodland paths

Passing behind the Lantern

route: Descend to gate into Turf House Meadow; transit meadow on green path; follow signs to The Kennels

 Barn Owl box in Turf House Meadow. 

(See official Ranger Blog Barn Owls at Lyme for more about this)

View up to the Lantern from Turf House Meadow

The Kennels where the Lyme Mastiffs were housed.

(Informative article at dogworld.co.uk  A long history of Mastiffs at Lyme by Nick Waters )

route: return from kennels crossing Turf House Meadow to path back to East Lodge track behind the Stables; cross grass to Timberyard Cafe.

Some signs of spring in the banks behind the Stables. (Flowers identified using wildflowerfinder.org.uk )

Lesser Celandine

Coltsfoot

Picnic season by the Mill Pond

Lunch stop at Timberyard Cafe

route: Leave car park toward Westpark drive; follow wall then cross steps into Drinkwater Meadow; pass Darcy's Pond then over ladder stile into Pursefield Wood then along to Paddock Cottage

Darcy's Pond looking a little more inviting with a blue sky

Woodpecker Sighting

I could hear the wood pecker intermittently rattling and with a little patience was lucky enough to home in on the tree. Hand held telephoto so not great but I did manage to capture the Great Spotted Woodpecker.

telephoto now on maximum (no tripod)

It moved to an adjacent tree where zooming into pixel level the lower quarters are clearly red. 

(quarter way up and just left of centre)

I was very pleased to get these as I am not at all a wildlife photographer and this is a first for me.

route: Paddock Cottage along Cluse Hey fence ; descend via dry stone seat to West Park Drive. Follow drive to The Knott car park; cross to Four Winds; toward car park left to Crow Wood Playscape; Crow Wood North exit; cross Main Drive to lower path Cage Hill and return to North Entrance of Hall to finish. 

Paddock Cottage

The views today are limited by haze.

Hazy views are typical of when the weather system is High Pressure.  The clearest views are during  Low Pressure, usually either side of rain though you also need the rain not to be falling within the view frame.  On a clear day, the Welsh hills can be seen from here.

No sign on new bracken yet but last years is now so brittle that it is crumbling to a carpet. 

Golden Saxifrage

Broad Leaved Dock - New leaves unfolding from rolled spikes

Another attempt at wildlife photography - Grey Squirrel in Crow Wood

4hr 45min   7.5 miles