Durlston Meadows, late April

[puddleshark]

At Durlston, spring is here, and the cattle have been taken off the meadows, but it's still too early for wild flowers; only the daisies and the cowslips in flower. Notices have gone up asking dogwalkers to keep their dogs on the lead so as not to disturb the ground-nesting skylarks. But on a dark, grey, cold April morning, with the wind in the east, the skylarks are not singing.



On the Townsend Reserve, on the banks and in the ditches of the disused quarry, the cowslips and the violets and the forget-me-nots are in flower, and the first Early Purple Orchids:




Forget Me Not.


The wildlife trust have found a two-headed horse from somewhere, out of some mythology, to help with the grazing.

Along the twisty path up to Durlston meadows, the Wayfaring Tree in blossom. Warblers singing in the blackthorn. And on the meadows above the sea, cowslips dancing in the east wind.




Primula veris, the true "little Firstling".

The wind was cold, and the day was grey, but it wasn't raining, so I walked as far as Durlston Castle in the hope the café would be open. I forgot that first thing on Saturday mornings is when they hold the Park Run, and the country park was full of runners, and cheerful volunteer stewards in pink hi-viz encouraging and directing them. But I managed to navigate a way through the runners to the café. (Last time I visited the café, the person serving was so impatient and rude that I vowed not to come back. But perhaps they were just untrained seasonal staff. The person serving today couldn't have been more cheerful and friendly.)


Coffee and a pain au chocolat at the stately pleasure dome fortress that is Durlston Castle. Views over the cold blue and silver sea. The nearby tables full of runners who had finished the 5k course, and were celebrating with a bacon roll.


Durlston Castle: built as a restaurant in 1887 by a Swanage entrepreneur who was very fond of turrets. There are turrets everywhere. And little windy spiral staircases to defend against tourists trying to get to the loos.

I had the zoom lens on today, impractical for photographing architecture, but here's a picture taken back in 2016:

Comments

[heleninwales]

Two-headed horses are obviously the best for managing grazing because they can eat twice as fast! :-)

I'm glad the cafe was friendly this time.

[puddleshark]

LOL. Exactly!

I think the last time I visited the café must have been in the summer, when they would have been employing students. There was a completely different atmosphere this time. Really welcoming.

[pigshitpoet]

hi, i see you're also on dreamwidth, i'm from livejournal. i never hooked the two.
love the playful photo, it feels like we're off on a lark..
thank god for skylarks!

[puddleshark]

Thank you!

Yes, to hear the skylarks singing above the fields is such a blessing...

[pigshitpoet]

you have wild orchids?! wonderful
again, excellent photos, nature's art
after my own heart, with a stop for coffee!
by the sea!!

are those wild ponies in the silhouette?
it certainly does look like a two-headed horse
; )

[puddleshark]

Thank you!

It's a good walk that includes a stop for coffee by the sea!

Not wild ponies, but they live on the nature reserve and roam freely. The reserve has to be grazed to keep the grass short and to stop the scrub taking over, so that the wild flowers can thrive.

[kaishin108]

Beautiful photos, as usual. So that is where the 2 headed horses originate. I love what heleninwales said, ha ha!

[puddleshark]

Thank you!

They do an excellent job managing the reserve, those horses. And they are very placid (unlike the cattle who chased me through the reserve once a few years back...)

[kaishin108]

I remember you mentioning that cow or bull that chased you, that is horrible!

I love horses, and placid is the best!