Helena was held up a little sorting a few things at the bungalow, and that suited us fine because we had enjoyed a sleep in and a meander around the garden at Trym House soaking up the morning sun. When Helena arrived we had just started a coffee in the sunny courtyard and she thought that was a great place to be and was not in any hurry to head off anywhere ... "this is my idea of a holiday" she reckoned. So ... it was approaching noon and we decided while we were relaxing that we would just take our time at the Quarry, have some lunch and were not worried if we did not make Cheddar Gorge.
The Quarry turned out to be just that ... and old quarry where the stone for most of the original grand homes in Weston originated (beautiful to drive through on your way to the Quarry). After many years of dereliction and abandonment, local community groups rescued and restored it as it is now. The main building is the cafe and some exhibition arts & craft spaces; there are various outbuildings used by artisan blacksmiths, ironworkers, artists and potters.
Here are a couple of shots of the ampitheatre showing some more of the outdoor seating spaces.
So, apart from catching up with Beccie, we had a really nice lunch and decadent hot chocolate (with the works ... which is best left so described!). However, the real treat was to watch the jackdaws flying in and out of their nest holes in the walls of the quarry - I tried in vain to capture a shot. Even better, though, was a large raven nest on a ledge on the quarry wall ... I really enjoyed getting these shots because you will have seen several ones in earlier posts of these same types of nests in the bare trees (which I have been going on about a bit too much perhaps!) And of course, robins always co-operate!
The best moment of all though, was being able to get some shots of a pergrine falcon sitting on a ledge under a bush growing on the quarry wall ... a REAL treat. I have been to Norwich Cathedral a few times now in the hope of seeing their pair, but to no avail. So this was a most unexpected bonus. This was one of a pair, and it took off after we had been there about 45 minutes but they are not nesting at this stage apparently. Anyway, very cool to get some good pictures in the wild ...
I included on one with the bush visible for context. If you look under the bush (it is round, green and right in the centre of the first photo, you can see a white (shit) stain on the rock right at the centre bottom of the bush ... that is much clearer on the zoom shot in the second photo.
I actually walked down and was able to get much closer (under the lime green trees to the left of the grassed area in the photos above of the ampitheatre). Unfortunately, my timing coincided with it deciding it was heading off and while I was still focusing it alighted it's perch and took wing ... it turned out a blurry image but one that will be a reminder to me a very special experience.
So, while we did not make Cheddar Gorge (it will remain on a to do list if there are future visits), we did enjoy a really good Indian meal at Redland Tandoori. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable evening to round off a busy, somewhat hectic week in the south west. We really hope we get back there ... a finished bungalow to see, Cheddar Gorge to visit, head over to Moorlinch to see Audrey, and that's without doing any planning or research ... of course, Wales is literally over the river too!
Next stop, the RHS Malvern Spring Festival at the the Three Counties Showground. Another treat!
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