Morning dawned bright, sunny and breezy over a landscape unerringly familiar despite being at the other end of the planet. A rugged wind swept, treeless landscape, a dark rocky shore and white sandy beaches, with brownish green grass meeting a brilliant green and blue sea. I could be in the northern isles of Scotland and … More New Island, The Falklands
Antarctica, that realm of untouched, unparalleled wilderness, beauty and unique wildlife. For so long the realm only of bold explorers who faced extreme conditions, being the first to touch and lay eyes on this stunning landscape. Names like Cook, Ross, Amundsen, Scott, Shackleton, Wild and Cherry-Garrad, to name only a very few and by no … More The Southern Ocean Explorers
Across the river from the lodge the jungle sat on a narrow strip of land. Here there were more lodges hidden amongst the dense parts but also a village. Sandwiched between the river and the sandy beach, the village essentially had one narrow, main road. Not that there were any cars. Along both sides of … More The Place of the Turtles
Having arrived along the river and been faced with a wall of jungle, we were eager to explore. The trails around our lodge had given us a glimpse of the jungle world beyond but we wanted more, and the best way to do that in Tortuguero is by boat. So it was back onto a … More The Rainforest at Tortuguero
The long, narrow boat skims over the brown murky water of the river, sending white water rolling from its hull, creating a loud rushing sound. The boat has a solid roof and plastic sides that are rolled up, straps flapping in the wind. On both sides of the boat the wide brown water stretches away, … More Costa Rican Rainforest
I was standing on the very familiar deck 10 if Brittany Ferries Pont Aven as she steamed out of Plymouth heading into the English Channel. A breeze tugs at my hair and jacket like an incessant toddler wanting my attention. The sky is clear and blue, the sun casting a molten gold that shimmers across … More Where I Belong
‘Just seen this’ came the message, accompanied by a still photograph, a screenshot from a video, of some dry, shriveled up, brown plants in front of some generic green foliage and the water of the river behind, just the odd group of bubbles in the right-hand corner. Despite this rather nondescript photograph I knew exactly … More Morning mustelid moment
A hot summer’s day. The sky a blazing blue. The tang of saltwater wafting on a slight breeze. A short distance away there are steep crumbling cliffs that overlook an azure sea lapping at golden sands of the North Norfolk coast. In our immediate vicinity the sun beats unrelenting on dense bramble and scrub that … More Oh how I love these birds of many colours
Past experience tells me the Devon countryside is stunning. Narrow, single lane roads with tight passing places. Towering hedgerows that block out all but a narrow strip of sky above. The occasional gaps in the hedge or where the road dips up and down, reveals undulating green fields with thick lines of hedges and round … More Devon’s Bunting
It has been a very dry April in our corner of the world. Cold too. Unseasonably cold and dry. There has been little sign of any April Showers and I don’t remember the last time I felt, saw or heard a deluge of rain drops. The lack of rain may not only be causing consternation … More To Catch Crossbills
Wild Barley 