Maiden Castle, Dorchester in the background, where Romans fought and defeated the Durotrigian inhabitants. Evidence of that battle can be seen in Dorchester Museum
Sometimes we travel with friends. These are my daughter's dogs, Poppy, Henry & Archie, above Abbotsbury. The Fleet & Chesil Bank are enveloped in sea mist
The Cinnebar Moth was in the long grass on the lower slopes of Poundbury. The Cinnebar caterpiller was photographed in Frampton Park
Rawlesbury Camp near Bulbarrow. I used to ride my Welsh pony, Cupid, through here & on through the Dorset Gap travelling between Tisbury in Wiltshire & Frampton in Dorset
Scout makes a useful measure when looking at geological exposures. This chalk is in a valley at Southover, across the Frome from Frampton. I have a large collection of photographs, recordings and fossils from this area.
The sluice is one of many along the River Frome originally for use in flooding the water meadows for early grass and also for directing eels into traps either for local use and later, once the railway had come through, for sending to Billingsgate market
Here Scout is a useful measure for the depth below ground inside compared to ground level in a WW2 pillbox
Micraster sp.
a fossil sea urchin preserved in flint from the Cretaceous Chalk
Sandways & Peacock Bridge over the River Frome
Eggardon, an Iron Age Hill Fort with views deep into West Dorset & to the coast
Puddletown Forest, east of Dorchester. The hollow behind Scout is where sand was removed for brickmaking at Puddletown
Poundbury, an Iron Age encampment crossed by a Roman aquaduct which supplied Dorchester with clean water 2000 years ago
Chalbury Camp, an Iron Age encampment near Weymouth. The Isle of Portland is cloud-covered in the distance
DOG DAYS IN DORSET
I spend much of my time wandering Dorset with camera and a dog. My present companion is a rescue collie called Scout. He's very photogenic so I use him as a focus and 'added value'. Needless to say he enjoys our outings and as he is a gregarious and amiable animal, he eases my way into conversations with all sorts of people. Yellow stars indicate a link to further information on the subject of the photograph or on why it was taken. Blue stars are information pending. The archaeological overheads are from Dorset County Council's "Dorset: A Photographic Atlas" 2000. Orientation is North at the top of each of the map photos. All photos DS unless initialised otherwise
Criffel Cupid 1970-2000
Adders do like to sun themselves in these 'wild' areas. You have to be lucky to see them but this young one didn't quite know what to do when Scout thought he was a stick. And Scout cannot resist any stick. I called him off and eased the adder into the undergrowth to recover from his fright
Scout 'At Home' & 'running free'
There were dozens of these beautiful Parasols alongside the track on this expedition
The lane to the brickyard
Many of the brick houses in Puddletown were built around the end of the 19th Century
examples of uses for the bricks are everywhere
Harebells and Common Spotted orchids do well on the chalk slopes
Blackberry and Hawthorn decorate the trackways
Meadow Brown butterflies can be frequently seen as can ladybirds and hoverflies
Chalbury
Portland
Roman Aquaduct
Dorset County Museum
Agility Dogs
Frampton
Frampton to Compton Valence
Stonebarrow and Golden Cap
veiwed from Eggardon
There are usually buzzards wheeling over the hill forts and chalk ridges
Blue butterflies feed on the clover and herbs which like the sunny chalk slopes. This one is a bit old and battered
Along the track high above Ringstead heading toward White Nothe. A misty autumn day with occasional views of the waves breaking on the reef far below, the Isle of Portland in the distance
If you walk round the south west end of Eggardon you can see the pebbly Greensand rock on which it was raised
Shaggy Ink Cap and a solitary Spindle tree
Early morning sunshine was warming the chalk banks between Notton & Cruxton on the old sheep drove to the south-west of the Frome. A fox had left his calling card in a prominent spot and buzzards were wheeling overhead with their mewling cries. The Red Admiral was motionless in the long grass warming up ready for flight
Note the seeds and beetle bits
Looking towards Lyme Regis from above Charmouth Heritage Centre on a wet and windy October Sunday. Too dodgy to walk to Lyme on a rising tide
Long Horn cattle watched us climb the steep hill from Little Bredy
Above the Blackmoor Vale, we are on the Chalk Ridge, The ponds on the right below are in the Kimmeridge Clay.
The toad was on the track but very dead, I'm sorry to say
Knapweed
Woody Nightshade
When I acquired him at approx. 3 years of age, Scout didn't know what a river was & wasn't at all keen to find out. When eventually I got him into the water, it was 'at least one foot on the bottom' for a long time. 2 years later and it's any opportunity for a dip though we are still working on open sea swimming. It probably doesn't encourage his confidence when I have no inclination to join him. I prefer water at bath time temperatures these days
Sydling Ford
River Frome at Wrackleford
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We are in Puddletown Forest yet again. Scout does like sticks but even he found these to be a bit of a challenge. The soil here is sandy and grows entirely different plants to those north west of Dorchester on the Chalk. Pine trees, gorse & heather are the dominant species.
Lords & Ladies
Boletus
Fly Agaric
These toadstools prefer the acidic content of the soils on top of the alkaline Chalk. In the boggy bits you can find Sundews patiently waiting for their next meal to land on their sticky traps
River Hooke at Maiden Newton
Maiden Newton has a lot of problems with flooding. These posts with their beautiful carvings of fish and otters mark the flood alleviation channel running through the water meadows behind the bakery. The rivers Frome and Hooke meet here.
Chilfrome is a small hamlet between Maiden Newton and Cattistock. This pretty waterway was a sheepwash originally with shutters up and down stream to control the flow and a temporary brick ramp built in so the animals could get back out.
date on the sluices on the millstream
a well disguised grasshopper
Chalbury
Poundbury
Puddletown
Eggardon
Maiden Castle
Ridgeway
Rawlesbury
Frampton
White Nothe
Notton
Blackmoor Vale
Charmouth
The Fleet
Maiden Newton
Chilfrome
Puddletown Forest
Heritage Coast Centre
pyritised
ammonite
'sea-dragon'
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Chesil in the background
He still isn't adverse to returning via the shallow route!
Meadow Brown, lots of these about
This is a photo of Hardy's Monument (as in Admiral!) that I took a few years ago. I abseiled off here for a charity event not long ago. We are looking toward Winterbourne Abbas from a track off the road to Hardy's Monument. We are on the boundary between the Chalk and the Tertiary gravels so there are pine trees behind us while ahead are rolling downs and arable fields on the Chalk
Foxgloves grow on the edge of the Pine Forest while thistles take advantage of the rough field behind Scout
Scout is gazing into Culpepper's Dish on (the other) Hardy's Egdon Heath. It's a very deep hole indeed and must have been an impressive sight before it became overgrown. There are a lot of deep holes, called dolines, along this Dorset ridge because of the geology.
There are plenty of more accessible walks but many of them are rather steep in places so if you are looking for a gentle stroll this is no place to be. This path leads down to Rimsmoor known for the depth of its peat formation
We're at Black Hill, a nature reserve near Bere Regis. Scout waits patiently for a peculiar group of humans who seem to spend all their time looking at and talking about rock. As one or other of them can usually be persuaded to throw sticks for him, he doesn't mind too much. There are interesting pools which support lots of diffferent flora and fauna. Scout gets great enjoyment out of them as well. Getting wet, then rolling in sand and lastly having a good shake next to the humans is guaranteed to get a good reaction
We are at Whiteway Hill above Tyneham, heading for Kimmeridge to look at a friend's fossils. The road from East Lulworth is edged with Pyramid Orchids, bellflowers and harebells.
The Harlequin ladybird, found in the farmyard, is a most unwelcome visitor to Dorset. I photographed the obliging Gatekeeper below on the bramble flowers in the car park
Culpeppers Dish
Ling (heather)
Fleabane
Common Blue damselfly
Teasel
Pyramid Orchid Harlequin ladybird,
Bellflower
Steve Etches
Scout is in the Frome at Bockhampton. It's one of those riverside paths where you are guaranteed to meet wet dogs eager to share their sogginess with all and sundry. He has just heard excited yipping from a spaniel further along.
You can follow the Frome from here to Gray's Bridge at Dorchester and beyond. The Bockhampton and the Dorchester bridges display the 'transported to Australia for damage' notices but I don't think anybody ever was given a free ride for damaging them
Rosebay
Willow Herb
Common Polypody
Bracket fungi
Marmalade hoverflies seem to like the Spear thistles. I found a clump swarming with them. I have 'captured' many different species here in Frampton
