We decided on the spur of the moment to have a day out and quickly made up a small packed lunch. We were heading for the car park just past Woodspring Priory. We stopped first by the Priory and were fortunate to be there on a day when you can just wonder into to part of the church that is still standing. From the car park which is at the end of the track to the right, where we parked the car, we followed the footpath to the coast to St Thomas's Head, then along the edge of the land to Middle Hope. There as the tide was going out, we went down onto the beach and found some rocks to perch ourselves on and enjoy our lunch.
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| Towards St Thomas's Head looking over Middlethorpe |
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| Towards Sandpoint |
The views along the path towards Sandpoint were wonderful. At the end we sat on the bench looking out to Steep Holm and Flat Holm with its lighthouse. It was from this little island that Marconi successfully transmitted the world's first wireless radio signals across open water, to Lavernock Point on the Welsh mainland. A fact we didn't realise when we were just enjoying the sea and sunshine.
I recognised a number of rock outcrops as limestone and it was on those patches that I found a little of the flora and insects left from the summer.
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| Bagot Goats blocking our path |
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| Clouded Yellow Butterflies on a late flowering Milk Thistle |
Even on the very end of October, the sun was a little warming and we enjoyed the walk. Mr S had been for several long walk with his friend Paul, and I was walking a little slower than usual, but we still made a lovely effort to be in step most of the way. If I lingered behind to take photographs, I would trot along to catch him up, or if he knew I wanted a little longer to botanise, he would stop and be companionable.
Another plant that I had not noticed before was this Wild Clary which had only a few tiny flowers at the tips left.
We would definitely next time park at the NT carpark at the end of Sand Bay, but would walk along to coast back up to the Priory.
