Martin's Mag.

Fifty or sixty Santa Clauses (or whatever the plural of Santa is – oh, of course, there isn’t one!) riding around Bristol’s Durdham Downs.

Not a frequent tourist destination, Avonmouth has been, since WWII, a huge, sprawling industrial estate, closely linked with with the docks, which were initially built two hundred years ago to overcome the problems with lager ships getting up the Avon to Bristol’s harbour. We were prompted to visit because Rob and Sophie have been “livening up” Avonmouth railway station with their brand of public mural art.

While we were there we had a wander round. Lots of previously very grand architecture, reflecting its Victorian past.

It was a wild and windy morning up on Walton Common in the aftermath of Storm Arwen. Here looking across the Bristol Channel to Wales.

Sal spotted this scarlet waxcap, Hygrocybe coccinea (thanks Wikipedia), on our morning dog-walk around the Lake Grounds.

And a couple of days later, in Ashton Court, we saw lots of these well-named Hygrocybe splendidissima.

18th and 19th-century park, in a Cotswold valley, with five lakes. We had lunch by the recently-restored boat house, now containing a bat roost.

Remote, very watery, flat part of Somerset, south of Burnham on Sea. The rivers flow into the river Parrett, which, in turn, flows into the Bristol Channel.

This new rustic bench in a quiet part of Prior’s Wood (another favourite for longer, local, dog walks) will be over-looking a spectacular display of bluebells in the Spring, and is in memory of Joan Cant, a Wildlife Trust volunteer.

A regular venue for dog walking, and just a few minutes from home.

Clevedon’s popular and, normally, attractive and modern marine lake is being drained and cleaned for the Winter. Necessary, but not its best look.

Always photogenic, even on a less-than-perfect day.