Sowley Brooms I, New Forest, Hampshire.
Two dozen wild horses roam freely on the lanes. Most of the occasional vehicles passing are Land Rovers which have to wait as the horses saunter past. Flocks of pheasants rise squawking from the side of hedgerows as I walk past.
Pylewell House, Boldre, New Forest, Hampshire.
Pylewell House grandly isolated with its private shore is still in aristocratic hands with a thatched cricket club house adjacent. Damp bonfire smoke wafts across the lane.
Sowley Brooms II, New Forest, Hampshire.
Otters Crossing, Drive Slowly. In Lymington a lot of the men wear boating brands and wander about looking tanned and leisured even though it’s off season.
Kill Cord, Lymington Yacht Haven, Hampshire.
At upmarket Lymington Yacht Haven a ‘Danger of Death’ sign replete with a skull and cross bones leaves me unsure as to what danger could possibly exist here different to any other harbour. Too many Gin and Tonics prior to an impulsive sail across the channel perhaps? The next notice around the corner “Don’t forget your Kill Cord” adds to the feeling that Lymington residents like to be regularly reminded of their mortality like a Victorian Memento Mori.
Struts & Stripes, Lymington Yacht Haven, Hampshire.
Inflated Ego, Lymington Yacht Haven, Hampshire.
Euromix, Eight Acre Pond, Lymington, Hampshire.
The Observatory, A temporary artist’s studio, Lymington Salt marshes. Architect: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios for SPUD
The Observatory, Detail of wood charred cladding (Shou Sugi Ban), Lymington Salt marshes.
Keyhaven Marshes I, Hampshire.
Keyhaven Marshes II, Hampshire.
“There’s a Dowager over there, you’ll want a photo of that”
“Err I’m not a bird watcher” I reply
“Oh sorry assumed you were a serious birder ”
This has happened so many times now I’m starting to get a complex – definitely need to get a “NOT A BIRDER!’ t-shirt printed!
Keyhaven Marshes III, Hampshire.
Keyhaven Marshes IV, Hampshire.
Hurst Point Lighthouse, Hampshire.
Yachts , Keyhaven Lake, Hampshire.
Hurst Point Low Lights within the west wing of Hurst Castle. Being Decommissioned they are painted grey to camouflage them and prevent confusion for mariners.
Marker, Hurst Castle, Hampshire.
Bag of Blanks, Hurst Castle, Hampshire.
Hurst Castle East Wing, built 1973, Hampshire.
Hurst Castle is only accessible on foot via a two kilometre shingle spit giving it a particularly forbidding countenance. Originally built by Henry VIII and enhanced for both Napoleonic and the World Wars for its strategic position in guarding the Solent. Outside the main gate a large plastic bag of machine gun blanks and spent parachute illuminating flares, it’s not a military site today so I wonder what they are doing here.
Embrasure I, Hurst Castle, Hampshire.
Embrasure II, Hurst Castle, Hampshire.
Embrasure III, Hurst Castle, Hampshire.
6-pounder quick-firing gun mounting plate overlooking the Solent, Hurst Castle, Hampshire.
At Milford on Sea gulls are fighting over bread in a car park. The bird that commandeers the largest crust isn’t the biggest but certainly has the most attitude.
Caravan Park, Milford on Sea, Hampshire.
Shingle cliffs eaten by erosion. WW2 metalwork has been emerging as a result of erosion making the beach unsafe for swimmers. My stride has no power and my mind feels numb. I lay under a browning chestnut tree on a dry bed of fallen leaves which feel good against my bare feet – I could easily fall asleep but the sky is already darkening.
Cliff Erosion, Milford on Sea, Hampshire.
First I loose sight of the silhouette of the Needles on the Isle of Wight and ultimately of the horizon itself. Stabbing pains in knee – just keep going a bit longer.
Love the autumn colours of Keyhaven marshes
Indeed! It looks, to my untrained eye, like a wonderfully rich ecosystem
These are all wonderful, but I particularly like the contrast of the bricks and the rust at Hurst Castle.
Thanks, they are the stand out images for me too – They’d look good printed as a triptych. That steel is about a foot thick!
Reblogged this on Geometry & Silence.
Loved these as well, especially the rusty ones. We went to an open day at Derby University. One of the stalls was a wildlife stall. The women on the stand, seeing we both had camera’s said “You obviously love Animals too”.
She was very upset when I politely told her that we weren’t and that we simply had our cameras with us incase we saw a photo opportunity.She then got a bit uppity.
I hate it when someone blames you for their upset when you answer a statement with an honest answer.
Yes people make the most incredible assumptions about one’s interests when carrying a big camera about!
Dear Quintin,
I would like to ask permission to use two images of Hurst Castle embrasures from your blog on my Instagram feed. I am an artist and it is a post about material and erosion. I will not post them unless You give me specific permission. I will credit you in the post if so.
Hi Gareth, hopefully you got my email. Yes that’s fine – sounds interesting