Isle of Wight - Day 8 (3rd July) : Afton Down, Yarmouth

We left the cottage at 10.00 on the Friday morning - just as the cleaner arrived!

This badger sign was about 100 yards from the cottage. We didn't see a badger this holiday even though Niton is quite a hotspot for them and the visitor book in the cottage mentioned that one of holidaymakers had seen them in the garden. Opposite the cottage at the back there was what looked like a badger run in the bank leading from a field. We have seen badgers before on the Isle of Wight - one on the outskirts of Niton and one running down a field behind the house where we used to stay in Chale.

I forgot to mention in the last post that at dusk on the Thursday evening we had gone a drive along the coastal Military Road looking for barn owls where we have seen them before and we were lucky enough to be able to watch one from a layby one hunting along the margins of a field and on the grass verge.


We had a few hours to spare before the ferry so drove to Yarmouth along the coast road - is there a more lovely stretch of coast?

The first few photos are taken by D with the Canon (some from the car window) - the zoom coming in handy again.

Looking towards Freshwater Bay and the Needles

Freshwater

Chalk Cliffs Compton Bay

I persuaded B to stop off at a small quarry car park between Compton and Freshwater on Afton Down. I had read on a website that this was the best place on the Island for butterflies. Marbled Whites, Skippers and Meadow Browns were everywhere. Sadly, I didn't see one "Blue" butterfly all holiday - I think it was probably too late for the first emergence of Adonis and too early for the second and too early for Chalkhill Blue. It was my last chance to see Glanville Fritillary but as you already know yet again I was unsuccessful.

The next two photos were again taken with the Canon - my telephoto zoom was packed away in an inaccessible part of the car boot.

Large Skipper

A few photos of the downland wildflowers (with the Olympus)

There were dozens of Pyramidal Orchids

I will definitely revisit to walk this Down again when we have more time - there is also access to the coastal path from here. I am going to have to do some research and find the nearest patch of chalk downland to where we live (I can't wait another year before visiting this habitat again.)

We had about an hour to look round Yarmouth before we had to catch the ferry.

This is one of my favourite second hand bookshops. I managed to resist temptation this time but I did buy an ammonite necklace from a fossil and gem shop a few yards down the lane from the bookshop - again a shop well worth visiting :)

Finally, a few more photos of Yarmouth taken by D

Apologies for so many frequent posts - I know how hard it is to keep up when there are regular posts. I just have one more post to do on a day out D and I had in Stratford just before the holiday and then I'm up to date! Will at some stage do a post on plants growing in walls on the Island but that can wait a while!