The walk began with a distinct chill, the ‘feels like’ temperature hovering between 10°C and 18°C, though the actual air temperature sat warmer at 12°C to 23°C. A brisk easterly breeze whipped up at 15 to 16 mph, creating a walk of total contrasts—bracingly breezy in the open, but delightfully hot the moment I found sheltered sunshine.

    Skirting the edge of the recreation ground, I spotted a lone corvid foraging in the grass on the far side, whilst several small brown butterflies fluttered through the long grass and hedge-bottom weeds.

   Stepping through the cemetery gates, I followed the central path up towards the empty top field. My arrival sent a commotion of around fifty rooks and a few wood pigeons into the skies, scattering in all directions. Nearby, another small brown butterfly danced over the flowers and a hedgerow shrub. I paused by the wild natural bank, treating myself to the spectacular view of the sea twinkling in the distance beyond the golf course.

   Up in the canopy, rooks kept up a busy commotion, swirling around the treetops as they came and went from the rookery. Reaching the cemetery gates once more, my presence sent a sparrow diving headlong into cover.

   Heading down the cemetery road, I noted the Holm Oaks looking remarkably brown. A quick look online later confirmed my suspicions—perfectly normal behavior for the species at this time of year.

    With that mystery solved, I pushed on to the finish line of today’s active wild nature walk.

Daily Stats

Distance: 1.73 miles

Duration: 36 minutes

Google Fit: 23 Heart Points

Duration: 36 minutes

Google Fit: 23 Heart Points.

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.

A Sea of Scarlet and Sovereignty

   The air sat at a mild 16°C, but a brisk easterly gusting up to 26 mph threw down a 12°C chill as I set off. No matter—the local wildlife and flora were out in fine form. On the recreation ground, a couple of corvids were busy drilling into the turf, whilst further up at the cemetery road, a brilliant explosion of scarlet poppies had officially announced the arrival of summer. Naturally, the camera came out.

   The local rook brigade was out in absolute force today, filling the treetops with chatter and blanketing the empty fields. Nearby, a half-dozen jackdaws held a brief, hopping committee meeting before dispersing at my approach. Amidst the usual weeds and wild banks, one absolute monarch stole the show: a massive, purple-coloured oriental poppy, growing majestically tall and looking down on its lesser neighbours with pure, regal disdain.
   A long-tailed tit darted into the hawthorn, a dunnock made a high-speed exit through the gateway, and a solitary corn marigold added a brilliant splash of gold to another sea of roadside poppies. Rounding off the stroll, a tiny sparrow claimed the leisure centre roof, whilst a duo of curly-coated dogs—a friendly brown Cockapoo and a handsome doodle-mix—brushed past to close out a highly successful trek.
Walk Statistics
Distance: 1.8 miles
Time: 37 minutes
Google Fit: 23 heart points

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.

Narrative
   Dodging the forecasted bad weather, I set out early today. Though the thermometer claimed 20°C to 26°C, a brisk southerly wind made the shade feel a chilly 17°C. On the move, I shared a pleasant greeting with a lady walking a familiar duo—a lively golden retriever and a black labrador.
   Nature was out in force. Small white butterflies danced over the recreation ground bank, and purple comfrey peeked from beneath the cricket field hedge. At the cemetery, more white butterflies fluttered near the nettles whilst dunnocks darted into the thickets. Ground-hugging bird’s-foot trefoil lined the paths, overlooked by foraging rooks, wood pigeons, and a surprisingly bold jackdaw.
   Heading to the top field, where a farmer’s young trees promise a future woodland, the rooks were circling high. Turning back, I noticed the vibrant yellow Laburnum blossom had sadly faded and withered. Sparrows dashed into the hedges by the wild dog roses, and the cemetery road was ablaze with the deep pink of oxalis and the bright blue of phacelia. A true showcase for wild flowers!
   I finished the loop by the leisure centre, noting a solitary wood pigeon on the roof and a lone sparrow dancing in the hawthorn by the care-home.
Stats
Distance: 2.07 miles
Duration: 45 minutes
Google Fit: 20 Heart Points
 
 

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.

The Narrative
   A late evening departure at 6:00pm offered a respite from the day’s forecasted 20°C heat, courtesy of a cooling northerly breeze. Foxglove Lane’s resident wood pigeons were easily startled today, lifting from the pine-shaded grass as I passed. The local recreation ground was alive with the thwack of leather on willow, though the fielding team had to share the top end with a second pair of easily disturbed pigeons. A solitary Comma butterfly danced along the exit hedge. Over at the cemetery, a peaceful scene of foraging rooks, pigeons, and vibrant bird’s-foot-trefoil was suddenly shattered. A blackbird’s lovely solo was completely usurped by a raucous, 50-strong parliament of rooks taking flight above their rookery. The final stretch offered a pleasant parade of local canines—a sleek black greyhound and a beautifully coated Red or Apricot Poodle mix—while six stoic feral pigeons watched the end of the cricket match from the leisure centre roof.
The Stats
Distance: 1.72 miles
Duration: 36 minutes
Google Fit Points: 27 heart points
Temperature: 11°C to 18°C (Feels like 16°C to 18°C)

Flora & Fauna Observations: Wood pigeons, Rooks, Blackbird, Dunnock, Feral pigeons, Comma butterfly, Bird’s-foot-trefoil, Common daisies, Dandelions, Buttercups.

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.

   The temperature sat around 22°C to 23°C, but a 13 to 15 mph southerly breeze made it feel closer to a warm 25°C—a truly beautiful, mild afternoon.

   After Margaret dropped me off at the golf club gates, I set out under a fiercely bright sun. Several jackdaws were already busy feeding on the grass along the outskirts of the course. Nearby in the hedgerow, a large shrub caught my eye, its dazzling yellow tree lupin flowers looking absolutely stunning in the sunshine.

   Heading towards the cliffs, I passed more jackdaws pecking at the turf. At the exit leading down to the shore, I came across another glorious patch of tree lupins, their branches covered in golden, pointed candles and alive with fluttering sparrows.

   Reaching the clifftop, I looked down at the promenade. The tide was fully in, sending tiny waves rippling towards the shore, and I paused to photograph a sea-fishing vessel just offshore. Oddly, the entire area was completely devoid of gulls—it then occurred to me that they had likely vanished to their breeding grounds.

   Down on the promenade, my approach startled a delightful mixed flock of starlings and sparrows, which burst into flight from a large Hebe shrub teeming with birds. Re-entering the golf course, I watched more jackdaws wheeling about the grass and snapped a photo of some vibrant red and white dog roses tucked into a corner by the path.

   A man walking a golden retriever offered a friendly greeting as he passed. Nearing the end of my route back at the main gates, I spotted a pair of dunnocks perched quietly on the brambles next to the railway line.

Stats Summary

Distance: 2.23 miles

Duration: 48 minute

Google Fit: 28 Heart Points

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.

The mercury hovered around 17°C, but a brisk westerly breeze chopped that down to a chilly 14°C. With ominous black clouds threatening an imminent downpour, I grabbed an umbrella and set out. Along the way, I passed a lady with an elderly black greyhound that was rapidly turning grey.
   Reaching the recreation ground, I skirted the cricket pitch. My ‘friend’ the Pitbull Terrier was in his usual spot—perched like a gargoyle on the garden trampoline, quietly watching me pass with an amiable gaze. At the cemetery entrance, a robin made a cameo on a gatepost before diving headlong into a thick shrub.
   Inside, the avian drama kicked off. Three partridges bolted into the air as I approached, touched down in the adjacent empty field, and sprinted away across the grass at an amazing speed. Overhead, a crowd of rooks took flight alongside a few startled wood pigeons. I paused by the wild bank to snap photos of the dramatic sky over the fields.

Alongside a fertile mix of bird’s-eye trefoil, green alkanet, veronica, and mouse-ear hawkweed.

    Heading for the exit, I was treated to a wonderful aural symphony. On one side, a male blackbird poured his heart into a beautiful territorial solo from a treetop; on the other, the rookery fired back with their customary, guttural rasping.
   On the final stretch past the care home, three sparrows darted from the hawthorn hedge to the leisure centre roof, while a pair of pigeons were happily billing and cooing on the roofline of a new-build house.
Clean Stats
Distance: 2.84 miles
Duration: 1 hour 4 minutes
Google Fit: 24 Heart Points

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved

The Daily Walk
   The temperature hovered around 14°C, though fresh 15 to 20 mph southerly breezes dropped the ‘feels like’ closer to 12°C. Rain was forecast all day, but it held off just long enough for me to set out—umbrella firmly in hand, just in case.
   Heading towards the recreation ground, a young man passed by with a small white Terrier-type dog. Over on the town football ground, a lone corvid was busy feeding on the turf, joined by three more spread across the rec itself.
   Reaching the entrance to Cemetery Road, I spotted my ‘friendly’ pitbull neighbour flat-out asleep on his garden lawn. The cemetery itself was a hive of activity, seemingly alive with solitary birds feeding in the grass. Rooks kept up a vocal chorus around the rookery, while several jackdaws and wood pigeons mingled at a safe distance from the main assembly.
   At the top of the cemetery, I stepped into the empty field rumoured to be the future site of a woodland cemetery. A younger patch of trees planted a while back is already thriving, and a small white butterfly was busy fluttering along the weedy bank by the allotments. I paused for a couple of photographs: one looking out over the farmer’s fields patchwork-coloured against the horizon, and another capturing the young woodland with the sea gleaming in the distance.
   Turning back towards the gates, I was treated to a spectacular close encounter with a pied wagtail. The bold little bird dropped down right in front of me, almost within touching distance, wagging its tail briefly before darting away.
   My return route took me down Cemetery Road and onto Leisure Centre Road, where six feral pigeons, a gull, and a jackdaw stood in a neat line along the rooftop. A lone sparrow watched from the care home’s hawthorn hedge, and a final group of six corvids fed on the recreation ground, punctuation marks at the end of a splendid active wild nature walk.

Activity Stats
Metric Details
Distance 2.19 miles
Duration 49 minutes
Google Fit 27 Heart Points

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.