Nature through the eyes of my camera

 Tuesday 18th May Distance 1.5 miles  Coastal. (Time taken 55mins) A save journey across the Blyth on a bright, breezy morning and I was in Southwold harbour. There was plenty of fishing gear around and huts that were selling fresh fish. On the other side of the sea defense wall that I was walking along, (trying to keep free from the mud) the reeds were whispering to each other while birds flitted amongst them, trilling as they went. I stood and watched and listened for a while to the sound of nature before heading to the dunes. From the top of the dunes, Southwold lighthouse and church loomed in the distance. The waves could be heard crashing down on the shore and dogs could be heard yapping as they chased each other around.  After a while I dropped down onto the beach and onto firmer sand. The sky appeared huge from here as the storm clouds gathered. Occasionally the sun would put in an appearance and the beach huts and the lighthouse would become luminous. As I neared ...

(Friday 24th May Distance 2miles plus 2miles back. Coastal and heath. (Time Taken 2 hours)  The buzz from the car park soon disappeared as I made my way up the hill towards Greyfriars 13th century, medieval friary. Very little of the friary remains today, but standing quietly along side the perimeter wall I could feel a sense of peace which I'm sure must have existed in this community all those years ago. Dunwich is known as the 'lost city of England' having once been a thriving medieval port. Storm surges causing coastal erosion in 1286 and again in 1287 washed away much of the harbour, buildings and land. The last building to fall into the sea was All Saints Church and now all that remains is one grave stone belonging to Jacob Forster. Standing atop of the cliffs looking out to sea on a calm day, it is hard to imagine a once thriving port below, bustling with people, loading and unloading cargo from the boats, and fishermen landing their catch for the day. Skirting the pe...

(Tuesday 21st May. Distance 1.5miles plus 1.5miles back. Route taken: Coastal and heath. Time Taken 1.50 minutes) It had been a while since my last walk and I was really looking forward to doing another stretch. As there wasn't any parking where I finished last time I started my walk from Dunwich Heath and walked back towards Sizewell. I walked this stretch with my husband and we hoped to walk to Sizewell and back before any rain set in. Leaving the coast guard cottages we headed for the coastal path. The waves could be heard crashing down on the shingle and the many birds could be seen and heard flitting from the shrubs and bushes. The day was warm and it was a joy to be walking among the wonders of nature.  It wasn't long before we were on familiar territory as we walked along the outskirts of Minsmere Nature Reserve.  The raucous call of the gulls and the cry of the common terns was unmistakable, all squabbling over territory.  I was surprised to find a large, perfect ...

(Monday 29th April. Distance 3.3 miles. Route taken: Thorpeness, Sizewell, coastal. Time taken 1.35hours) It is said, 'A change is as good as a rest' and that was how it felt today. My husband dropped me off  at Thorpness to start my journey to Sizewell. My first image was at The Dolphin Inn which was formally known as The crown. The inn used to be attached to six cottages and when these were knocked down the building was extended with bedrooms to become the Dolphin Inn. The Dolphin Inn was consumed by fire in 1995 and was rebuilt and opened again in 1998. From here I continued onto the heath land where I was met by a mass of yellow bloom and a glorious perfume. The gorse across the heath was in full bloom and there was an abundance of it. The smell became intoxicating and soon made me feel very relaxed. It is good to get out in the open among the smells and calls of the birds and to leave the hum-drum of life at home behind. The chorus from the birds was everywhere. I watched ...

 (Saturday 20th April -3 miles. Aldeburgh, Coastline to Thorpness. Time taken 1hr 30min) I was fortunate to walk this section of the coastal path with my husband as we were able to walk to Thorpeness and back. It was a dry day with a moderate northerly wind making it feel quite chilly as it blew directly into our faces. (Upside was, it would be blowing us back later on). The Scallop was my first stopping place. This iconic shell, rising from the shingle is a tribute to composer, conductor and pianist, Benjamin Britten. He lived in Aldeburgh and walked the coastline from here to Thorpeness most days. Maggi Hambling, a local-born artist and a great fan of Benjamin Britten designed and made the sculpture. Having checked we were going in the right direction we continued on our way. There were a variety of wild flowers growing in the shingle and the gorse was a mass of bloom. There are many houses, large and small, of which several are holiday lets or second homes. I think it would be q...

(Sunday 14th April - 2 miles. Route taken: From Church Lane Iken, the footpath taken was beside the River Alde through to Snape Maltings Time taken 1.00hr.). Today I had company. My daughter and grandaughter joined me for the walk. Looking across the marsh and the River Alde, Snape church can be seen in the distance. It was a sunny day although the wind kept it cool. It was good to have companions to walk and talk with. We spotted black tailed Godwits on the water but unfortunately were too far away to get any photos. It was obvious that this path was popular with walkers as we saw and passed several on our journey. My grandaughter was keen for me to take a photo of her and her mum. It seemed no time at all before we saw the famous trees among the reeds that every photography takes a photo of just before reaching Snape. First port of call on arrival at The Maltings was a snack and a drink. Once refreshed we wandered around the independant shops and galleries. Snape Maltings is famous f...