Hiding from the sun

[puddleshark]

The heatwave continues. Went seeking shade in the woods near Affpuddle.





Rather chilly when I set out at 7.30am, and not much sunlight spilling down through the trees.



I had originally planned a longish walk to Athelhampton, but by the time I reached Affpuddle, the sky was quite a fierce cloudless blue and it was already warm along the lanes. And I had remembered that it is always a good idea to take hay fever medication before you set off walking in the Piddle Valley in May. So I did the shorter walk, cutting back up through the fields to join the bridleway through Southover Woods.


An unusually tall variety of wheat - five or near six-feet tall. One of the heritage varieties being grown to produce thatching straw, perhaps?


Along the lane from Affpuddle.


The fields looking very dry for May.




Following the green lane back up the hill to Southover Woods. Red Campion flowering on the banks, and Dog Roses, Elder and Honeysuckle flowering in the hedges.




Back into the shade of Southover Woods, passing one of the small wild camping fields where half a dozen tents were pitched, and a small child was swinging in a hammock slung between two trees. I experienced sudden hammock-envy.

Rejoined the bridleway that runs along the ridge of high ground above the Piddle Valley. The first stretch very pleasant, through the near darkness of a rhododendron tunnel.


There must be a grand house somewhere nearby whose owners planted Rhododendron back in the 1700s or 1800s. Two centuries later it has entirely taken over this section of the woods. Nothing eats it, and its leaf litter is toxic to other plants. It's very pretty though while it is in flower.





The next stretch, through the sunlit beeches:











Arrived back at the car just as the day was starting to get too warm, so that was well-timed. But met the traditional Bank Holiday weekend traffic jams on the way back. That was fine. I got to listen to Desert Island Discs on the radio on the slow journey home.

Comments

[runpunkrun]

Beautiful photographs, as always! Especially those beeches.