Amelia's photos

This delightful pub is the oldest in Mere and dates back to the 16th Century, boasting a remarkable history. According to local records, in 1651 King Charles II stayed here on his way from Trent to Heale house whilst fleeing after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester. We stayed here too after a visit to Stourhead.

Please enlarge to see these small fungi especially photos 1 and 3.

Eva Cassidy - Autumn Leaves

RNLB Elizabeth and Gertrude Allan May 5th 2018 saw the official naming ceremony for Girvan’s new Shannon class all-weather lifeboat RNLB Elizabeth and Gertrude Allan. The Shannon class is the first of the RNLI’s all-weather lifeboats to be powered by water-jets rather than traditional propellers, making it the most agile and manoeuvrable lifeboat in the charity’s fleet. Shannon class lifeboats are built in-house by the RNLI and the £2.1 million cost of Girvan’s new lifeboat was funded by the John & Elizabeth Allan Memorial Trust. Capable of 25 knots, the new lifeboat is 50% faster than RNLB Silvia Burrell, the Mersey class all-weather lifeboat she has replaced.

We went to Girvan mainly because the harbour looked interesting, and I wasn't disappointed. Folks in Ayr wondered why we went there.

Ailsa Craig is an island of 240 acres in the outer Firth of Clyde, 16 km (8+1⁄2 miles) west of mainland Scotland. The microgranite has long been quarried to make curling stones. The island is now a bird sanctuary, leased by the RSPB until 2050. ] Huge numbers of gannets nest here. Rats were probably introduced via shipwrecks; supposedly, a coal boat that sank offshore was the first culprit and caused great harm to the nesting bird populations, with the puffins proving vulnerable to the extent of extinction as breeding birds. After a long campaign using pioneering techniques, the rats were eradicated in 1991, and now puffins are once again raising young on the island with many other benefits accruing to both the fauna and the flora.

This relatively new bird hide was the last part of the restoration programme on the Montgomery Canal near Queens Head. It's a bit slippery in places to get to, but the view over the lake is really good. We first ventured there in the summer and there was too much growth to see anything. Now that things are dying down we spotted a heron and 2 diving ducks which might have been grebe, but I can't be sure. I had to stand up to look through the viewing window, but most folks could just sit down on the bench and look out. ;-) We'll visit again in early winter to see what's there.

Mud, Mud Glorious Mud

This is a fascinating area to explore, but Adrian didn't think so, so my time was limited here. I have included a video of what the site looked like 6 year ago. Not a lot has changed but these two boats have deteriorated. Annan Harbour, Dumfries and Galloway Here is an example of what is planned for this area; www.annanharbour.org.uk/our-vision I wonder what your views are on that?

The 2 flags flying here are the Saltire and the Lion Rampant. The Flag of Scotland, called The Saltire or Saint Andrew's Cross, is a blue field with a white saltire. According to tradition, it represents Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The Lion Rampant of Scotland is also known as The Royal Standard of Scotland as well as Banner of the King of Scots. A royal warrant was issued which allows the flag to be displayed as a sign of loyalty to the crown and the Lion Rampant is a popular emblem in Scotland. In the background is The Kingdom of Fife.

This photo was taken right next to the weir in town. We went there to see if we could be lucky enough to see the salmon leaping. They are leaping but we have to be there very early in the morning or at dusk after rain, so no no photos unfortunately.