Reflections

Found a bunch of images from a canal walk from year or so ago on my hard drive. These haven't been tampered with, just shot portrait and not rotated. It was a very still day and I was blown away at how abstract some of the photo's look, lost fractal like on the bottom two.
Think  the walk was on the Stratford on Avon canal just North of Baddesley Clinton

Go One Way, Return Another plus Soundtrack

The above is something I always strive for in a hike. Generally with driving to a place the walk is inevitably circular,  but if you can scout out an interesting looking route you don't have to cover too much similar ground.

Here's a  few pictures from  a recent walk at the Southern end of the Malvern Hills, a favourite place called Holybush.  There are indeed a number of Holly trees in the vicinity, but it's the ancient Oak nearby that most traveler's seek out, along with the steep ascents of Ragged Stone Hill and the quaint  hamlet of White Leaved Oak. This is the Southern end of the Malvern's that most tourists steer clear of, most preferring the ancient  hillfort of British Camp / Herefordshire Becon and Malvern itself, along with the Worcestershire Beacon.

There is another hillfort near to Hollybush called evocatively Midsummer Hill, which has some great vistas, and leads down to the old stone quarry of the Gullet.

Inspired by the earlier Utley post/soundtrack to a walk, I was going to create a musical journey for the walk myself, but on the day, my Walkman came up trumps and did it for me.

Here's the SOUNDTRACK my Walkman threw up on this beautiful day.
 
Tracklist go something like this..

1.Nina Hagen - Born In Xixax
2.GR - Lowborn
3. Die Krupps - Wahre Arbeit, Wahrar Lohn
4. Fujiya Miyagi - Rot
5. BEAK> - Yatton
6. The KVB - Dreams
7.WIN WIN - Salt Days
8. Eat Lights, Become Lights - Carousel
9. The Orb (Feat Lee Scratch Perry) - Congo
10. Rites Wild - Detatched Living
11.Steve Hauschildt - Sequitur
12. Swans - In My Garden
13. Sensations Fix - Cosmic Suadade

Ragged Stone Hill

Old Route Down to White Leaved Oak

Young Birch, Beech and Hazel  plantation

View from Chase End Hill Looking South

Chase End Looking North To Ragged Stone Hill

Beech 'Hedgehogs' atop Pendock's Grove

The ancient Oak 'Wishing Tree'.

Straw Dreamcatcher

Offerings

Some of the charm strewn branches

Wish You Were Here

Adrian Utley - Sonic Journeys at Croft Castle

Many walks I do are often sound-tracked by some great tunes which I often think of compiling into a mix CD or compilations.

Following a similar train of thought, The National Trust have commissioned Adrian Utley (Portishead) to make a Sonic Journey to accompany a walk around the NT property/estate of Croft Castle/Croft Ambrey (which is the Iron age hillfort above the grounds).
I've visited the place many times over the years, and it's a outstandingly beautiful area, with the estate and environs seemingly blessed with more than it's fair share of old or ancient tree's.

Utleys sketch of the walk

 
You can find a freely available download of the composition Here.



Here are a few of my own photo's of the estate and surroundings taken in 2009.

Art Instillation in Stables

Old Scot's Pine

Croft Castle

Castle from walled garden

Estate Church

Art Instillation - red wrapped tree

Sunset over the grounds

Trees from the avenue

Downtime in the Malvern's

Don't get much time off in my current career, so when I do, I gotta grab it with both hands (hence a dearth of blog posts, sorry). Last weekend I needed a countryside fix, so headed out to the Chase End area of Malvern in Worcestershire/ Herefordshire.
If your not familiar with the Malvern Hills, Chase End is the Southern most tip of the escarpment, the place furthest from the 'honey pot' of British Camp and Worcester Beacon, and is a beautiful quiet backwoods of a place. On an otherwise busy Saturday on the major hills, I pretty much had Hollybush Hill and environs to myself. I Even managed to find the fabled ancient oak tree mentioned here and on the Woodland Trust 'Ancient Tree Register' having passed nearby on several previous occasions unaware of it's presence.
It's girth of 7.7 meters could indicate it's nearly 800 years old, which is astounding.

The oak seems be a place of attraction for those of a 'new age' nature, but it's a pleasant and peaceful place nontheless, so I can understand the attraction. The best bit is it's completely hollow, so if your brave enough, you can climb down into the heart of the tree and sign the visitors book. I spent an hour or so just hanging and taking photo's


Had a great (if tiring) tramp about, and found some of the sweetest blackberry's I've ever tasted down a wonderful country lane with 'proper' wildflower hedges.


Anyhow, if your interested, here's a few photo's of the day.

Atop Holly Bush Hill Looking SW

Gate House on the Bromsberrow Estate

If I did The Lottery, This Is The House I'd Like (If I Won Of Course)

A Well Stocked Hedgerow (with yummy blackberry's)

Ancient Oak, near White Leaved Oak

Ancient Oak

Some of the 'offerings'

Gnarly

 

View from tree to Eastnor Park Obelisk

Inside The Oak

Where's Puck?

View to the West

Elephant Skin

View up the outside

more tinkets

Home time

Do The Beltane Walk (and Fire)

Not had much time to post anything of late, kids and half term mean it's a battle for computer time, anyhoo,
had a gorgeous walk out in the depths of Worcester yesterday at a place called Clifton on Teme. A great start to the celtic summer celebration and fire festival Beltane we know and love as May Day. Thought I'd post some pics. Hell, we even had a Beltane Fire, sound tracked by the lush new Lumerians new long player 'Transmalinna'. A wonderful mix of psych and garage rock, with a 69' vibe of oppressive weirdness.
Check em' out here http://www.myspace.com/lumerians

Found this old car/van way up in the corner of a field in the middle of nowhere. With a hawthorne growing up through the engine compartment, May blossom in full bloom.

Dashboard with lichen

Remnants of the cabin.

No clues as to make or model. Hoped steering wheel might say.

Views towards Whitley Court

Back of a beautiful old ramshackle cottage with an old mile stone.

Love the roofline above the upper windows. Think it's a remnant of once being thatched.

Clifton on Teme church spire from across young wheat. A strange squat tower in the manner of Suffolk churches

Old AA sign on the village local

That squat tower from below

Beltane Fie

Strange sprite or apparition which appeared during the night