Green space has always been important to me. I grew up in the Gloucestershire countryside surrounded by hills and lush green fields, and even in London, I was fortunate enough to either live near an amazing park or to have a garden of my own.
Now I'm lucky enough to live near heathland, but also to be within 10 minutes of two lovely parks – Poole and Upton. Today I'm just going to be writing about the former, simply because I had a rather nice time there in the autumn sunshine on Saturday afternoon!
Poole Park is one of those parks that has something for everyone - no matter what age you are. From soft play to ducks to bowls to tennis to water sports to a mini train, it has it all. But it's also just a nice place to simply go for a walk (mums – there's a rather nice circuit round the lake that's good for buggies and takes about 45 minutes at a leisurely pace). It's the sort of place that everyone flocks to when the weather gets warm, but it never actually feels that busy (except for when you're trying to find a parking space. And the ones near the soft play all get snatched up and are teeny. That's one of my few complaints!). Incidentally, parking is free. Another bonus!
So on Saturday, we headed for ice cream, a play in the park, fed the ducks, had a walk and collected conkers (one of my fave things about autumn, although I never know what to do with them after collection. Any tips?). It was a lovely warm afternoon after a wet start to the day and watching the sun glint off the lake was just beautiful. It was one of those moments that just reminded me why I left London and why I love Dorset.
Showing posts with label country. Show all posts
Showing posts with label country. Show all posts
Monday, 6 October 2014
Monday, 25 August 2014
Welcome to Arne
I've lived in Dorset for 10 months now and I can honestly say that moving here was one of the best decisions I ever made.
My husband's from the area, so it wasn't totally alien to me, but what's amazed both of us is the fact that in the 18 years we've been together, there are so many parts of the county we have never visited. So now we're Poole residents and parents, we've become determined to get out and about and explore - not only will it leave us with a 'bank' of places to go, but it also means we have places to recommend to visitors.
So with that in mind, this weekend we decided to head to Arne, an RSPB nature reserve just outside Wareham. We packed a picnic, our walking boots and the rucksack baby carrier and off we went. As first-time visitors, we decided to walk the red route – a 90-minute trek (that's if you're walking normal pace, not with a 4yo in tow…). No sooner had we set off than we saw a peacock basking in a driveway (as you do) and much to my eldest's delight, a bunny rabbit in a hedgerow.
The walk takes you through some of Arne village, which was used as a decoy during the war to steer enemy bombers away from where the Royal Navy was manufacturing shell propellant near Poole Harbour. In fact, in one evening, the village was bombed by almost 300 explosions. Wowsers!
But it's after the village (which is picturesque, don't get me wrong), that the real beauty of Arne lies. Along fields and through woodland, over heathland and along the coast, it captures some of the stunning Dorset landscape at its best. And if you're a nature lover, you're in for a treat.
Home to many birds, animals and insects, part of the pleasure is seeing what you can
spot – and then reporting back to the RSPB staff so they can add your find to the 'spotted today' list. It's also a great way of keeping kids entertained! We were fortunate enough to see a buzzard in flight, several unidentified birds (I'm a Tweeter, not a twitcher!) and a herd of deer.
We picnicked on the beach, taking in the views of Poole Harbour, Brownsea Island and Long Island while feeling the sand under our feet. With the sun shining, a gentle breeze blowing and the waves lapping the shore, it made me realise just how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful county.
All in all, we were at Arne for 3 hours, which cost us the grand total of £4 in parking fees. It might have been our first visit, but it definitely won't be our last!
For more information about Arne, head to https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/a/arne/
My husband's from the area, so it wasn't totally alien to me, but what's amazed both of us is the fact that in the 18 years we've been together, there are so many parts of the county we have never visited. So now we're Poole residents and parents, we've become determined to get out and about and explore - not only will it leave us with a 'bank' of places to go, but it also means we have places to recommend to visitors.
So with that in mind, this weekend we decided to head to Arne, an RSPB nature reserve just outside Wareham. We packed a picnic, our walking boots and the rucksack baby carrier and off we went. As first-time visitors, we decided to walk the red route – a 90-minute trek (that's if you're walking normal pace, not with a 4yo in tow…). No sooner had we set off than we saw a peacock basking in a driveway (as you do) and much to my eldest's delight, a bunny rabbit in a hedgerow.
The walk takes you through some of Arne village, which was used as a decoy during the war to steer enemy bombers away from where the Royal Navy was manufacturing shell propellant near Poole Harbour. In fact, in one evening, the village was bombed by almost 300 explosions. Wowsers!
But it's after the village (which is picturesque, don't get me wrong), that the real beauty of Arne lies. Along fields and through woodland, over heathland and along the coast, it captures some of the stunning Dorset landscape at its best. And if you're a nature lover, you're in for a treat.
Home to many birds, animals and insects, part of the pleasure is seeing what you can
spot – and then reporting back to the RSPB staff so they can add your find to the 'spotted today' list. It's also a great way of keeping kids entertained! We were fortunate enough to see a buzzard in flight, several unidentified birds (I'm a Tweeter, not a twitcher!) and a herd of deer.
We picnicked on the beach, taking in the views of Poole Harbour, Brownsea Island and Long Island while feeling the sand under our feet. With the sun shining, a gentle breeze blowing and the waves lapping the shore, it made me realise just how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful county.
All in all, we were at Arne for 3 hours, which cost us the grand total of £4 in parking fees. It might have been our first visit, but it definitely won't be our last!
For more information about Arne, head to https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/a/arne/
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