Martin's Mag.

This week’s sunniest day looked like being … WEDNESDAY! So we parked by Cam Peak, north-east of Dursley in Gloucestershire, and walked through the town and up to Stinchcombe Hill following a loop in the Cotswold Way around Stinchcombe Golf Club. It’s a nice seven or eight mile walk with fabulous views over the Severn to the west and Cotswolds to the east. The actual loop around the golf club has, probably, the best views (but not many shown here as grand views never work well, for me, in photographs). On our way back to Cam Peak, a passing dog walker told us that legend has it that the devil was walking past one day with a wheelbarrow of soil to dam the Severn Estuary and asked a local cobbler how far he had to go. The cobbler replied that he had worn out all the shoes in his shop through walking to the Severn and back, as it was such a long way. At this point the devil gave up and emptied his barrow there, which is now this hill. Country folk, eh? Believe anything. Apparently the hill is covered with bluebells in the Spring, so will return.

After our walk we drove a mile or two east and parked at the viewpoint, and long barrow, at the top of Frocester Hill (last picture) for coffee and cake.

On the day when, apparently, more rain fell in the United Kingdom than on any since records began (and what a day that was!) I decided to go for a cross-country run. Partly due to The Virus, I haven’t been running so much lately, but decided to join this trek from a lay-by off the A37 south of Bristol. Glamorous, or what? Part of the route had to be abandoned due to flooded lanes. As it was, we had to negotiate this usually-docile distant tributary of the River Chew.

Picture by Cheryl R.

I like equinoxes and solstices as they have real astronomical significance. Today was forecast as being the last of our Indian Summer, so we had a really nice walk around a loop in the River Severn starting at Fretherne, west of Frampton-on-Severn. Eight or nine miles, with lunch at what used to be The Old Passage pub at Arlingham. Rain clouds on the horizon presaged autumnal days to come.

On our way back from Lyme Regis we stopped for lunch near St Mary’s Parish Church in Brean, on the Somerset coast. Lucy had a run on the beach near a familiar shipwreck which, I’ve only just discovered, was a Norwegian barque, the SS Nornen. The boat ran aground in March 1897. The ten crew, and their dog, were rescued by the men of the Burnham lifeboat the John Godfrey Morris. And here it has been for the last 123 years…

A mile or so north of the more famous Lyme Regis. We were following the weather again. A few nice days on the Jurassic Coast.

My theory that picnics are never as good as one imagines they will be was disproved on a hot September evening on the beach by Kilkenny Bay with Miles and Flo and the two sparring dogs. These photos taken by Miles, and Flo who starts working as a fully-qualified Midwife tomorrow!

This time of year we study the weather forecast closely before deciding where to go. This week, the south-east quadrant of the UK came top of the pops. We stayed on the Sandringham Estate, rather like our own dear Queen is at the moment, although social distancing rules prohibited her from popping round.

A nice wooded site, but, of course, still no facilities allowed, apart from water, “waste” disposal (don’t ask) and wi-fi. We didn’t even have mains electricity, but the van’s fridge coped with Sal’s chilled white wine very well. We explored Wolferton, nearby. Can’t help thinking, when the time comes, “Lord Wolff of Wolferton” has a nice ring to it.

We walked, through the Sandringham Estate, to a town called Dersingham, which was a great walk although the town turned out to be unexciting.

We went to a beach and RSPB area near Snettisham, with views over The Wash towards Lincolnshire. Lucy absolutely loved it here as it was safe, and isolated, enough for her to run around madly but keep her eye on us in the distance. This was one of those slightly bonkers places which we seem attracted to. Like The Carmargue or Île de Ré in France, or Severn Beach or Dungeness in England. Because the land is so flat here I’ve rather over-exaggerated the texture of the sky, which makes it look far more “glowering” than it was.

North of Hunstanton we happened upon Holme next the Sea, another nature reserve. Vague memories of childhood holidays.

And, to make the holiday complete, we found a fresh seafood stall (an outpost of http://www.gurneysfishshop.co.uk in Burnham Market) and bought their last three Norfolk crabs and some real East Anglian shrimps!

Paintworks in Arnos Vale is Bristol’s new “Creative Quarter”. We walked around there while the campervan was being serviced at Heritage.

Then we walked past some impressive graffiti, at the end of a Victorian street, and on a building in Arnos Vale cemetery.