Design work has kept me away from English Country Walks over the past few days, so instead of a new walk report this week I’m posting a handful of HI-RES images taken on walks we’ve done in the last month.

These should be suitable for using as desktop wallpaper for your Mac or PC. Just download the file that best matches your display resolution. If you don’t know what your display resolution is, you can check it here (requires Javascript enabled).

Hope you like the photos that follow. Comments welcome. Enjoy!  –DW

White Cliffs
Seaford Head
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See more photos from this walk.

Stonehenge & Salisbury
Waterfowl on the River Avon at Amesbury
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West Somerset
Evening primrose, Oenothera fruticosa
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New Forest
Night train at Lymington
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Tiptree
Pale tussock moth caterpillar, Dasychira pudibunda
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WALK REPORT A big thank you to Sumeet, Priya, Anne, Aleks, Russell, and Zac for helping me test out English Country Walks’ first overnight trip, to Somerset in the west of England. On our walk, we encountered lots of apples, mushrooms, wild garlic and snails, rode a steam train, visited Dunster Castle, spent the night in a cozy bed and breakfast, drank local ales and ciders, and feasted in country pubs. 40 shots in this set. Click on the montage below to see the complete photo stream. Comments welcome!

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This is kind of cool. In amongst the photos I took during last weekend’s trip to West Somerset (walk report here), I found two shots which show a piece of Dunster Castle. Quite by chance they form a stereo pair, which means you ought to be able to view this image in 3D. [read comments]

To make the 3D effect work, start with your head about 15 inches from the screen. Slowly begin to cross your eyes so that the pair of Xs in the foreground line up and overlap. Then freeze; after a few seconds your brain should recalibrate to this new way of seeing. Don’t worry if you see 3 images – ignore the outer two and just concentrate on the middle one. It helps if you shield your peripheral vision by cupping your hands around your eyes.

Once you’ve lined up the first X, the second should appear further back up the hill. Now can you see the castle in 3D? You’ll know you’ve got it when the bottom X appears to sink back into the shrubbery. The top X should float somewhere above the bushes.

With a little bit of patience and practice, and as long as you’re not wearing glasses, it should work. When it does, it’s pretty nifty! The individual leaves and tree branches jump out of the picture, giving you a sense of the image’s true depth. Hint: relax your eyes and don’t try to focus too hard. Also try varying your distance from the screen a bit.

If you want more help on how to view a stereo pair, try this page for more thorough instructions. Or watch this 3D animation I made here.

More pics from this trip here.

— DW

ps please leave a comment letting me know if you can see it or not – I’d be interested to hear what proportion of readers it’s working for

At 8am tomorrow, we’re off to Somerset for the trial run of our West Somerset Steam Railway walk. A couple of preview shots for you, courtesy of Geograph:

Steam train at Bishops Lydeard.
© Copyright Martin Bodman and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

A view of the railway from the village of Old Cleeve.

© Copyright Steve Edge and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

More photos when we get back on Monday.

— DW

WALK REPORT Photos from our most recent visit to Seaford and the White Cliffs of the Seven Sisters last Saturday. This time out it was just me and Joe, Dorry‘s brother. The day was crystal clear and we came home sunburnt – not bad for mid-autumn at latitude 50° North. 33 shots in this set. As always, your comments are welcome. Thanks! — DW [walk profile]

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WALK REPORT Here are some photos from my test walk to Tiptree and Maldon yesterday. This time I went alone, and it was just as well, as I spent a lot of the day lying on the ground in attempts to get good photos of berries and mushrooms! 24 pics in this set – scroll down to see the full-size images.

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I’m doing a test run of a walk to Tiptree and Maldon in Essex this weekend. All readers invited!

The route runs from the market town of Maldon on the Blackwater Estuary up into the farmlands of East Anglia, finishing at the Roman settlement of Canonium (now called Kelvedon). We’ll be stopping for lunch on the way at a pub called The Swan in Little Totham village, and later, cream teas in Tiptree, a town famous for its jam. Estimated total cost for this walk, including train fare and lunch, is about £25.

UPDATE at 0749 on Saturday 29 September:
Originally, I was going to do this walk today, but the weather’s not looking so hot for photos, so I’m postponing it until tomorrow.

New meeting time will be 8am on Sunday morning (Sept 30th) at the main ticket counter, Liverpool Street station.

If you’d like to come, please let me know, either by email or by phone:

email david@englishcountrywalks.com
tel 07932 953 174

Thanks!

— DW

WALK REPORT This was meant to be a test of my New Forest mushroom hunting walk. Sadly, we only found one mushroom. It was up a tree, and not very photogenic, so you won’t see it featured in the pictures below. I expect to have more luck in October and November, when the growing conditions will be better.

Our route today starts in Brockenhurst, on the edge of the New Forest National Park, and follows the Lymington River valley down to the sea. 23 pics in this set. Thanks for coming, Nadine!

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WALK REPORT Last Sunday I organized a trial walk to a new destination for ECW – Stonehenge! My flatmates Aleks and Mai came with me. The day before, I posted ads on the online classified boards Gumtree and Craigslist, inviting others along to help test the route … and hey presto, bright and early Sunday morning at Waterloo station we were joined by Lucas (from Australia) and Thuan, who was over in London on business from San Francisco and had the day off from her crazy work schedule.

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WALK REPORT Pics from our walk in the Len Valley in Kent on Sunday. This time I was joined by two fellow Americans-in-London, my old friends Steve and Mike. Highlights included lunch at the Pepperbox Inn, a visit to the grounds of Leeds Castle, and a look inside the rural 12th-century chapel of St Margarets Broomfield (there’s something creepy in the basement!). 24 photos in this set. [walk profile]

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