An afternoon with a friend..

at Calshot..  in particular the little spit of land laid out like a crooked finger in the sea and marshes which surround it.

It's one of those strange, hugely characterful areas whose layers of history make you feel it's a place out of time.  Sea on three sides.  And when we were there, no visitors.  I'm struggling to get my facts straight but here goes. The castle was built as one of Henry VIII's  'Device Forts' so a Naval base to protect Southampton.  From 1913 an RAF base used it for early testing of torpedos, pilot training, coastal patrols, and a temporary home of the 'High Speed Flight' competing for the seaplane Schneider Trophy.  It still has some military presence today, though I'm not sure what (comms, perhaps, there's a high tower).  There are also yachts, aircraft hangers - one re-purposed as an activity centre where young people learn to rock climb, etc - a nearly empty cafe selling excellent coffee, and a view of both the Fawley Oil Refinery and the ex-Fawley Power Station over the water.  And it has a coarse pebbly beach with long lines of those blipper favourites, deserted beach huts!

So, it being WidWed on the subject of 'solitude', I'm showing you Calshot Castle.  If you notice there is a curved set of what looks like terraced brick houses on the left.  They back onto a high stone wall which has really nothing in the way of windows at all.  The ones in the brickwork (some still with filthy-looking net curtains) only get light from the side which directly faces the stone-built round tower.  Such a strange place and now I think completely empty - I didn't see anything that suggested they allowed in visitors - there were certainly none when we were there, the place was locked up!

In Extras is a shot through the side supports of a line of empty terraced beach huts looking out to another circle of concrete in the water.  What for?  I've no idea..

Very many thanks to JensPhotos for hosting this week.  And enjoy your evening, all  xx