Coast Path

[puddleshark]

Sun shining inland, but grey cloud hanging over the coast, and a strong cold north wind blowing. Much better weather for walking the coast path than the unseasonably warm weather we have been having lately. Took the steep stone steps down to Dancing Ledge. My knees were not impressed, but it was worth the descent to watch the grey waves crashing on the old quarry ledges.




The steep path down to the ledges, with Thrift flowering among the stones.




Thrift and Flower Beetles.


Dancing Ledge.


On the right, climbers with their helmets and their ropes. Dancing Ledge is always popular with climbers. On the left, obsessive compulsive landscape artists have been laying out stone spirals.


Ledge fishing.









Rather than climb back up the horrible steep killer steps to Spyway, followed the coast path a little way, before coming back up the combe at Hedbury - a slow gradual climb, made even slower by stopping to admire all the glorious chalkland wild flowers growing on the short-grazed turf.


Mouse-ear Hawkweed.


Horseshoe Vetch and Salad Burnet.


Chalk Milkwort.

It being a Sunday, and the quarries not operating, I could sneak back along the dirt track by the working quarries, to rejoin the Priest's Way.




In the distance, the Priest's Way, a white chalk track running through the landscape.

Comments

[mallorys_camera]

It's a working quarry? Wow!

Those steps look daunting!

[puddleshark]

There are a surprising number of small, family-owned quarries still in business in the area. I suppose people will always have a use for a nice block of limestone.

I find those steps very daunting indeed these days. It's sad. I would have run down them when I was younger.

[loganberrybunny]

For some reason I always think of the plant whenever I read Americans referring to charity shops as "thrift shops". The idea of a shop specialising in selling those flowers tickles me somehow!

[puddleshark]

Heh!

They must be very beautiful, those American thrift shops...

[kaishin108]

That's cool you could sneak back behind the closed quarry!

The Chalk Milkwart is beautiful.

[puddleshark]

It was rather dusty, the track past the quarries. But it's better than the usual deep mud. :-)

It is tiny but incredibly beautiful, Milkwort, coming in all shades of pink and lilac and deep indigo blue.