#Devon sent: a short, epic #train ride into the wintry wonders of the #ExeEstuary | #Exeter holidays | The Guardian
A little local promotion.
#exeestuary
Beware, this is going to be a long post...
My standard longer #bike ride is a 30 km round trip to #Starcross, which is #village on the west coast of the #ExeEstuary on the way to #Dawlish. The ride is motor-traffic-free for a goo 80% of the distance. It's also through a lot of #countryside and it's my intention to photograph some of the #trees through all the seasons. However, this set contains a little more for your edification.
Not all trees are alive. For example, this one is a hulk of what was once probably a magnificent specimen.
Most #FarmFields have been replanted after harvesting and even now, shoots are appearing. Meanwhile most #Trees still have their #Foliage.
The #plants and #insects that feed off them are also a food source for these male and female #pheasants.
The village of #Starcross is small but it happens to have a #RailwayStation on the line from #LondonPaddington and #Penzance, though the #IntercityTrains don't usually stop there. This is the last part of the journey for me before I turn and head back homewards at the station itself.
Here is an #IntercityTrain passing. It is run by #GWR or #GreatWesternRailways, which was a company in existence before nationalization and which came back after privatization.
Starting to head back, you can get a good view of the other side of the #Estuary, where the #town of #Exmouth can be seen. There happens to be a nice ferry trip on which you can take your #bike between #Starcross and #Exmouth
The #ExeEstuary has a few #wrecks in it. I presume they are #NavigationHazards but I guess it would prove too expensive to clear the #waterway. Perhaps they provide a #habitat for #MarineLife. Here you can see #Birds (I can't tell whether they are #Cormorants of #Shags).
Next, we come to #PowderhamCastle, which is now a #NationalTrust property. It has a herd of #deer numbering in the hundreds.
The mild #autumn #Sun is seen shining through this #tree's #branches.
More #trees in the grounds of #PowderhamCastle.
At first glance, this may look like a dead #tree but you can see that parts of it still has #foliage.
This #tree, on the other hand, looks completely dead.
This #Pheasant is eyeing the #photographer warily.
This #cycle #bridge was installed not much longer than a decade ago. It makes traversing the #RailwayLine easy. I think there was a #footbridge before this but I'm not sure. A nice addition to #cycling #infrastructure.
From the top of the #bridge, you can see the #barracks of the #RoyalMarines in #Lympstone. Technically, this #photograph is a #Selfie too.
Getting closer to home now, here is the #M5 #Motorway which links #London to #Exeter. This #concrete #viaduct goes over the #Estuary, thankfully leaving much it intact.
Some parts around the #Cyclepath form natural ponds.
Any #journey of moderate length or longer often leaves one #reflecting. Here, you can let the scenery do it.
This #swan was preening on the #ExeterCanal (and so was its #reflection).
Lastly, this is the #bridge over the #RiverExe, which is a sign that my home is a mere 5 km away. A sight that is always welcome. The bridge is old but it a #cyclepath was constructed as an extension to it on the far side, which blends in very nicely with the existing #masonry.
Today's #cycle trip was to #Exmouth which is about 18 km away by #bike and either on #cyclepaths or very low density residential #MotorTraffic. It has been a bright sunny day but still a bit cool. This is a #photograph of the #ExeEstuary which opens out into the #EnglishChannel or #LaManche. It was #LowTide and so you can clearly see #SandBanks in the middle of the #estuary which form a #habitat for #birds but also a #NavigationalHazard for boats. You can see the opposite #bank too which is in #Starcross.
#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Spring #Beach #Cycling
A longer #cycling trip on 25 December has become, if not quite a tradition in the past three years, a bit of a ritual for us. The advantage is that there is almost no traffic; motor, pedestrian or #bike and so you can enjoy quite a carefree trip. In the morning, the weather had been pretty lousy with heavy intermittent showers. However, it had started to clear from about midday and so as we reached the #RiverExe and then the #ExeterCanal the weak #Winter #Sun had made an appearance. No breeze to speak of either, which made for quite a speedy #cycle ride. One highlight was after we'd got to the #ExeEstuary and a flock of around a hundred duck were passing directly overhead, maybe 10 to 20 m up quacking away and heading east. I let out an audible "Wow!" as I rode by underneath. Another was on the return leg when a rainbow appeared in the north eastern sky.
Today the maximum temperature here is about 30°C but is likely to breach 40° in some part of the country for the first time in recorded history. It's particularly worrying as the last record was only set three years ago. I decided to do my #cycling in the morning to avoid the peak. It was a route along the side of the #ExeEstuary and so outwards, there was a fairly strong #headwind from the #OnshoreBreeze but as soon I got to the turning point at #Starcross, it became pretty easy.
In the house, the side not facing the #Sun is very comfortable and so I think I will be moving around the house to avoid the #sunlight. The kitchen is at 24° where as the conservatory next to it is at 31°.
#Biking #Bicycle #Cycle #Weather #Summer #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming
As today's a holiday, we #cycled along the western side of the #ExeEstuary. As it's only accessible to #cyclists and #pedestrians, it's a lot cleaner and quieter than in town. It therefore is a great place to see #flora and #fauna, particularly #birds. I'll be several images of today's excursion but to start off with, here's one with a #stonehatch as the subject and a couple of cyclists approaching.
#MyWork #MyPhoto #CCBYSA #DSLR #Nikon #D7000 #Nature #Bike #Biking #Bicycle #Cycling