PUFFINS! PUFFINS! PUFFINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was the purpose of the trip which was to see the Puffins. Madam was not disappointed for how could she be with thousands in the sea, flying over it, flying over us and underneath our feet. There is much more to say for this was an amazing day.

We left the harbour at Seahouses aboard The Glad Tidings to head out towards The Farne Islands. There was plenty to see with Terns, Shags, Puffins and Gannets all around us. We were unable to land on Staples but we ‘ hove to’ alongside cliffs of sheer rock covered in a white dressing – you could smell it too. The rocks were covered with Guillemots and every niche had a Kittiwake clinging to it – telling us their name constantly. There were still a few Razorbills that had delayed their departure just for us with the occasional Fulmar showing.

Grey/Atlantic Seals were plentiful and they are good fun to watch. Thankfully, there is a good population of them here.

We were able to land on Inner Farne. Arctic Terns were everywhere mostly within feet of us and not shy to show there annoyance at the intruders. Intrusion of the human kind you may think would seriously affect them but the alternative is true. It may be that us humans give protection and reduce predation which was what the breeding results show.

There was also a colony of Sandwich Terns with a smaller number of Common Tern also breeding on this rocky island.

For Michelle, she came for ‘The Puffins’ and she saw thousands and did her best to get some good shots. They fly fast and furious and to capture one in flight is difficult. She did very well but you will have to wait to see her results. We did get close up and personal when one of the wardens showed us one that he had caught. They are beautiful, amazing and funny birds. What a privilege to see so many in a small area.

For me, being that close to so many seabirds, was a great experience. It was a good learning day.   

We returned to harbour on a sea that was as though it was a slightly ruffled cloth of silk shining under a re-emerging summer sun. A roadside pub beckoned which quenched our thirst and gave time to reflect on another good day.       

One of my favourite Puffin shots!

NO MORE BLOODY HOTELS!

Finally, no more bloody Travel Lodges or any sort of a hotel room. We have been on the road for two weeks and it is, well exciting, to be in the same place for a week. This holiday accommodation is superb, modern and fitted to a high ‘spec’. It is lovely.

We are now a few miles south of Bamburgh , the northern most point of our travels. It is a relatively short journey from Durham which overall we did enjoy. The friendliness of ‘the northerners’ shone through wherever we went.

Our morning’s journey soon saw us relishing all the greens of an English summer. Yes, it may have been a bit damp, but nothing fell from the skies. After living in Cornwall with the past six years spent in Spain we appreciated every tree that we went past. These English giants are a joy to see.

Amble was the first stop with a boat trip to Cocquet Island on the itinerary but now planned for Sunday- we hadn’t booked! Here there is the largest colony of Roseate Terns in UK which we will see, weather permitting.

Alnwick with its great castle was our afternoon adventure but not really for history but for ‘The Harry Potter Tour’ of course for some of the first two films were shot here. Fascinating, for why spoil a good story for the sake of the truth. We eventually got round to talking about the other ‘Harry’ but who cares about an ancient member of the Percy family who thought highly of himself but not immortal. He died at the battle of Shrewsbury in 1403 trying to keep Henry IV off the throne.

Shakespeare thought it a good enough story to write about it. He just gave another different take on history.   

Tomorrow we will be visiting The Farne Islands and everything that flies.

THE SOUTH COAST NORTHWARDS

We left Hove (on Monday 9^th) and our friends behind after a very alcoholic week-end to head towards the M25 and a quick coffee and a chat with my son Matthew- we will see him later in Yorkshire . The real attraction was the dogs he has which were born in our home in Cornwall on 20^th July 1999. They both looked good and it was good to see them before we head on – after all it may be our last chance to see them in fine fettle.

It was then onto M25 and then onto M40 where we knew there was a good spot to see Red Kites as well as woodland birds. However the weather was against us and so we continued heading north to Stratford-on-Avon and Shakespeare. Planning is always good but a slight slip of the memory and a sudden cold did mean that Monday’s Richard III did not happen. Just one of those things. It is now booked for a matinee in September. Instead, on the following night, we saw a performance in The Swan Theatre relating to the Aztecs entitled ‘ A Soldier in every Son’ which was a bit different to most works of the Bard but, nevertheless, it was all good stuff.

 Who would have thought I would be drinking Estrella in Stratford Upon Avon!

The following morning we were on the move again on the way to Durham via Woodhouse Eves – to visit Joss and the kids, put flowers on Richard’s grave (Michelle’s father) and to have lunch at ‘The Wheatsheaf’ where Richard was born and then to Durham.

We arrived on a very wet evening but when there is a Camra guide on the Satnav what else could we do. Then it was a wet walk to ‘The Dun Cow’ and then we found ‘The Shakespeare’. What could be better than a literary drink of old fashioned English ale?

The following morning saw us gathering our thoughts before we set foot down to the high spots of the city – the Cathedral and University. Scaffolding and signage everywhere does not help the photographer at all. It is some building this monster of a place of religion but I did not feel that comfortable within it. You have to give credit to the designer, craftsmen and labourers that contributed to this structure and you have to believe that they had a great degree of skill and faith in their own ability was necessary to complete it. I wonder how many people died in its construction but they were totally different times to what we know today. The history and the religion did not sit comfortably although I sat very quietly at noon to listen to the prayers and I say unequivocally that I could not dis-agree with any of it. Topics such as Syria, Libya and ‘The Bankers’ were all included and if prayers would do any good, I would happily join in with that. 

We needed a less active day and so a little bit of shopping, a spell of watching the world go by, a little ale and meeting some friendly and informative locals helped us complete our day. There were even notes made for a poem or two and some photographs taken to add to the archive.

Tomorrow morning it is Amble, Alnwick and our first week in one place at Seahouses just along the coast from Bamburgh. This will give us opportunities for seabirds and photography.  

HOVE ACTUALLY

No jokes, (about not living in Brighton but in Hove, actually)  this time around as we had a cracking three days with our good friends Mr Neal Ball and Mr Robbie C Wells (alphabetically listed, of course). We knew that it was going to be very sociable and definitely ‘acofrolic’. To assist in this regard they imported two friends for the evening so that we would be in ever better company. Amanda is a work colleague of Neal’s and Peter alias Pooks is his personal trainer. This did work exceptionally well as the bottles became empty very quickly and were lined up for disposal like soldiers on parade!

Apart from the above need to consume something liquid, there was also a need to eat (it helps to keep one upright, you know) but in addition we had to bring three songs along which we thought were the most favourite/important/or because we just liked them. Then say why these were the chosen ones from our pasts.

 It was easy for me as ‘Bat out of Hell’ would always be top of my list. Meatloaf and I have shared some tearful days together which was then followed by ‘The Famous Final’. You may not even know about Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet Band but it makes no difference to me for the lyrics deserve a good listening to. My third choice was Don McLean’s ‘American Pie’ which keeps coming around and around and seems timeless. It was the most popular song for the boys to sing when we both worked in ‘The Darlington’ in Camelford. There you are three great tracks but the choices are wide.

Interestingly American artists featured heavily with two Beatles tracks featuring later on.

Michelle chose ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’ by Bon Jovi (it had to be one of theirs, of course), followed by ‘Baker Street’ by the late Gerry Rafferty and her third choice was ‘Looking for Paradise’ by Alicia Keyes and Alejandro Sanz. This one was the only one that was 21^st Century!

Amongst the others were Tina Turner, The Eagles, Michael Jackson, Pulp, Abba and Bowie and after that our memories have faded away. However, all bloody good choices.

Our short train journey on The Bluebell is included in a separate article which was written on the request of Neal to be sent to the railway, and is going to  be published in the next Bluebell Railway News.

Sunday saw us visit the old town of Lewes. The main purpose was to go to Argos and to lunch in one of its fine watering holes. It certainly is an interesting place with fine old buildings, a castle and with a river running through it. It was all good.

Robbie did us both proud with his efforts as a host and chef. He was rewarded when we found a suitable novel and film to keep him occupied while he is ‘home alone’ during the week.

Thanks for your company and for some super days when we were all together again.

We will see them in Spain on our return but there is a lot more to look forward to before then  

ON THE SOUTH COAST

Our first two nights in England were spent in Chichester in a Travelodge just up the road from the Cathedral, which we didn't visit!  On our first day, after the birdwatching, we did a little shopping! 

We had done our homework and we knew that Selsey Bill and Bracklesham Bay would allow us to watch gulls, terns and maybe some waders with the former site being more important during the migratory months.

CHURCH NORTON (Grid reference  SZ 872 958 ) is located on the edge of Pagham Harbour and is an interesting location having mature trees and a tidal marsh with shingle banks. Singing over head was a Song Thrush and on a tree opposite was a male Green Woodpecker. Looking over the marsh we could see Black-tailed Godwit with Curlew showing well and calling. Oystercatchers were easily evident and nesting with Greenshank and Redshank feeding in the mud. We saw one Sandwich Tern with numerous Black-Headed and Herring Gulls doing their own noisy thing. Both Heron and Little Egret were seen but with weather and time against us we felt that there was much more to see on a return visit.

We then visited The RSPB Reserve which is located on the Selsey/Chichester road and is sign posted. Persistent rain drove us into a hide which overlooked a lake which provided very good views of various waders, including Lapwing and a Little Gull. Leaving the hide we saw and photographed a White Throat.

The above locations are important sites and we would recommend the latter two. The Wildfowl & Wetland Centre at Arundel is a must. There are many ducks and geese to observe but our aim was to see the Water Vole. We visited this site on both days and saw voles on each of them and more than once on each boat ride. We sat within feet of them while they chewed away. They are just great to see.

Our other stars were Sedge Warblers and a Reed Warbler rattling away in the reed outside reception. Peregine Falcons also obliged on both occasions and we watched a perched one drying himself out after rain. We just needed more time.      

ON THE FERRY GOING OVER

We left Bilbao on the 8.30 ferry to Portsmouth arriving at the same hour on Tuesday 4^th July. The wind was light and the temperature was around 23C. It’s all so easy it certainly is much better than the constant waiting at airports. There is not that much to say but it is relaxing with no need to rush around.

Birds and marine life were very disappointing to start with but we soon had three separate sightings   of dolphin. The ‘ORCA’ representative on board soon enlightened us and I can now tell whether it is a common dolphin or not. I later stood with him on the upper deck and saw clearly the markings of this species. Birding was slow but then there were (possibly) either Cory’s or Sooty Shearwaters skimming the waves. I may be able to tell the difference one day!  Then there were immature Gannets flying overhead. I know that they are not adult because the book says so and the older ones are too busy parenting – it’s that time of year. No bloody whales though – princely or otherwise.  

We arrived and the photo below was our first view of Blighty!

BILBAO GUGGENHEIM MUSEO

This building together with it hosting The David Hockney Exhibition was our reason for staying two nights here. It was the right decision for we enjoyed our stroll through the riverside streets and the experience of ‘The Guggenheim’. Rio Nervión is the central thread of one of the capital cities of The Basque Country. Steep sides either side dominate the sky line as well as ten floors of apartment blocks. Some of it is old but modern is everywhere. The streets are clean with hardly any graffiti.

Well done, the Basques.

Modern is what you will say about the ‘museo’. I am not going to describe it you can see it for yourself because that is what everyone should try to do. The exhibition is wonderful and we have bought a very large book to remind us and to show you.

Both are inspiring works, one of architecture and the other of paintings.  The paintings explore Hockney’s idea of his journey and of how to put space in his work. What an inspirational experience. His technological use of ‘The Ipad’ is exceptional. We would do it all again.

 The two photos are of the exterior of The Guggenheim and John drinking!!!!

OUR APARTMENT BILBAO

Just a quick note about our lovely apartment in Bilbao.  We are staying in a one bedroomed fourth floor apartment looking accross the river and a railway line.  It is a little noisy but nice to have space!  We are a 20 minute walk to the Guggenheim and we have booked to go tomorrow.

ON THE MOVE AGAIN

We are on the move again this morning to head towards Bilbao. First we are going to a wetlands site only 5km from the Basque capital Vitoria-Gasteiz. Travelling north we encounter great rolling fields of corn with the harvesters toiling away before the rain comes, even though it is a Sunday. The deciduous trees have luxuriant growth of varying hues of green. It is great to be in this sort of environment again and away from ‘The Med’.

We find our site easily and there is water! In fact plenty of it and it is teeming with wildlife. Storks (again) are in view by the sackful with waterfowl in abundance. There is not enough time to do this massive area justice and so we will have to come back again possibly in winter or during the spring/autumn migration periods. There is so much to see in País Vasco apart from wildlife or the Atlantic coast but because there is so much history here.

Tomorrow is a day set aside for David Hockney’s exhibition in The Guggenheim and some exploration of Bilbao. Then, on Tuesday morning, drive onto the ferry and hopefully land in Portsmouth the following morning at 8.30am.