Where are your favourite walks?

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Today we met up with an old colleague of mine for a walk around Sheffield Park Gardens, where I took this photo:

Lovely! 

PD

[vandermolen]

Lovely! 

PD

Here's another photo I took today:

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Here's another photo I took today:

Looks like it's probably a very old tree.  Any idea as to the species Jeffrey?

PD

p.s.  That photo reminded me of how folks are struggling to protect the ancient and giant sequoias in California right now.     The wild fires have been horrible there!

PD

[Irons]

Here's another photo I took today:

Had a peek at the National Trust website. The Autumn colours of the trees must be amazing.

[MusicTurner]

Today we met up with an old colleague of mine for a walk around Sheffield Park Gardens, where I took this photo:

That's like a painting, and tranquil. Lovely.

[vandermolen]

Looks like it's probably a very old tree.  Any idea as to the species Jeffrey?

PD

p.s.  That photo reminded me of how folks are struggling to protect the ancient and giant sequoias in California right now.     The wild fires have been horrible there!

PD

Not too sure PD. My wife would know but she's gone to bed, leaving me to communicate with my 'cat group' - I'll ask her in the morning.
Here's the website:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sheffield-park-and-garden

[vandermolen]

That's like a painting, and tranquil. Lovely.

Thank you! Some of the photos came out well I think.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Not too sure PD. My wife would know but she's gone to bed, leaving me to communicate with my 'cat group' - I'll ask her in the morning.
Here's the website:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sheffield-park-and-garden

Thanks.  Interesting to look around the website.  Didn't see anything about trees there but did look at their map.  250 acres, oh boy! 

And I've figured out why you like to visit all of those national parks; they all have used bookstores in them! 

And hello to your wife from Kitty No. 659 too.

PD

[JBS]

Visited a small nature reserve near me yesterday. It's restored to its presumed original state.
https://www.broward.org/Parks/Pages/Park.aspx?=22
Before the 20th century, this was a small chain of islands in the surrounding Everglades. It was originally used by the Tequesta people in pre Columbian times. Disease and the Spanish killed them off by 1700.*
The Seminoles came next; this was one of their main settlements during the period of the Seminole Wars. In the end, they were forcibly removed (mostly to Oklahoma), with only about 300 evading capture. That group lived here for the next five or six decades before being transferred a few miles away to what is now the Hollywood Seminole Reservation (site of a Hard Rock Casino and Hotel). The site was then dredged and became orange groves in the early 20th century, and some EuroAmericans built homes here.  A large part of the dredged area is still private property with groves and homes. In the 1960s a small Western themed tourist attraction called Pioneer City operated on what is now the park's site. After it closed, a semi-fancy restaurant called the Kapok Tree Inn was built here. (I ate here with my parents at least twice during my teens.) In the late 1980s the restaurant closed, and Broward County bought the property, demolished the buildings, reversed the dredging, and began restoring both the oak hammocks and wetlands that existed here. (They kept several Roman style columns that decorated the restaurant's front drive.)
A small exhibit hall to show the history and ecology of the site was built where the restaurant stood (most of it aimed at kids).There's a walking trail and a longer equestrian trail through the oak hammocks.

Here's the link to my Instagram account where I posted a few photos.
https://www.instagram.com/jbennetsmith/

*the last Tequesta were taken to Havana by the Spanish. Any survivors presumably mixed into the general Cuban population.

[vandermolen]

Here's a few photos from my recent five days away in a Shepherd's hut in the Cotswolds. We were v lucky with the weather and we went walking every day. On one day I wanted to do the 5.5 mile walk but my wife wanted to do the seven mile walk. In the end, as we got lost (as usual) we both did a ten mile walk! The hut is on the left and the shower and loo is on the right.
The remote church in the middle of nowhere was abandoned during the Black Death of the Middle Ages. I went inside, on my own, to find some wall paintings. As you can see on my photo it's on the Heathrow Airport flight path. We visited a Roman Villa (featuring, incongruously, a 19th Century hunting lodge in the middle), on our way back.

[vandermolen]

Some more...

[MusicTurner]

That's a welcome countryside report, in an otherwise rather dark season - thank you. Lovely with the - to me unexpectedly - hilly views.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Some more...
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Cool!  Particularly like the photos of the old church and the paintings.  Any idea what they were of Jeffrey?  And any efforts to preserve them?

PD

[vandermolen]

That's a welcome countryside report, in an otherwise rather dark season - thank you. Lovely with the - to me unexpectedly - hilly views.

Thank you! We were situated in the Slad Valley, which is associated with the writer Laurie Lee whose autobiographical novel 'Cider with Rosie' (which I haven't read, although I remember my mother doing so) is set in that area.

[MusicTurner]

Thank you! We were situated in the Slad Valley, which is associated with the writer Laurie Lee whose autobiographical novel 'Cider with Rosie' (which I haven't read, although I remember my mother doing so) is set in that area.

Thank you, that's good to know, for maybe-maybe future visits too.

[vandermolen]

Cool!  Particularly like the photos of the old church and the paintings.  Any idea what they were of Jeffrey?  And any efforts to preserve them?

PD

Here's some info about the church PD:
https://www.oxfordshirecotswolds.org/things-to-do/attractions/widford-st-oswalds-church-p457601
If you download the Church Guide it gives you lots of information.
I took a photo of the wall painting:

[vandermolen]

Thank you, that's good to know, for maybe-maybe future visits too.

I'd recommend the area.

[MusicTurner]

Yes, noted - nice with the unspoilt pastoral hills indeed. I've been to Oxford and parts of the Cotswolds many years ago, in the 90s, but don't remember them as quite so steep in places. Obviously, one's choice of roads back then, and one's memory afterwards, tend to be very selective/downright faulty ...

[vandermolen]

Yes, noted - nice with the unspoilt pastoral hills indeed. I've been to Oxford and parts of the Cotswolds many years ago, in the 90s, but don't remember them as quite so steep in places. Obviously, one's choice of roads back then, and one's memory afterwards, tend to be very selective/downright faulty ...

Not as hilly as the South Downs but still quite hilly.

https://hotcotswolds.uk/detail/slad-valley/

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Here's some info about the church PD:
https://www.oxfordshirecotswolds.org/things-to-do/attractions/widford-st-oswalds-church-p457601
If you download the Church Guide it gives you lots of information.
I took a photo of the wall painting:

Thanks for that link; it looks to be quite an interesting place to visit.  *Ethelfleda (I believe spelled "Æthelflæd" originally)...now there's a special name for a female cat.  It means "Noble Beauty" according to Wiki.  A tiny kitten would have a lot of growing-into-that-name to do.   

*She was the eldest daughter of King Alfred (from what I read).

PD

p.s.  Surprised at how empty-looking it appeared to be when you two visited?  I trust that the site has some sort of guard/caretaker/tour guide there to keep an eye on things?