Caen Hill Locks

There was only one property in the latest auction catalogue that I was interested in, and it was in Urchfont, only a mile or so away from Chestnut Cottage, the last property I had looked at. I arranged to view it this Saturday afternoon and parked at the other end of the High Street to where it was sited so that I could take in the sights.

Urchfont is a very pretty, traditional village with lots of thatched properties, cottage gardens, a post office with a pub next door, cats, a village green and a large pond with resident white geese and ducks, including Indian runner ducks. The property I had come to look at was called Fiddlers Cottage and was another attractive thatched cottage that lay within the grounds leading to Urchfont Manor. All the rooms had beds in them, along with laminated health and safety notes and trays with cups and saucers and electric kettles on them, so had clearly been used to house people attending courses and conferences held at the manor. I got slightly giddy in the loft as the low windows gave a scarily panoramic view of the village. I didn't feel tempted to put in an offer, and it sold later for a few thousand above the guide price.

I took the opportunity to explore the countryside nearby and drove on to Erlestoke, where I had been sent details of another property, and Edington. It was a bright, sunny afternoon.

My return trip took me via Devizes, so I decided to stop at the Caen Hill Café and this time they were open, so I was able to sit in their garden with a Marshfield honey and ginger ice cream cone and a cappuccino. As I left I got into conversation with a woman who wanted me to join a local ornithological group who held meetings in Calne.

I was keen to catch up with the swan family and made my way to the Boto-X Lock where the nest is. They were luckily still in the side-pond when I arrived but before long they swam over to the lock side and clambered up, walking over the swan nest that I had been standing in front of, and I got some shots of them filing onto the bank. The cob swan walked towards me with his neck lowered which I took as a sign to put some distance between me and the cygnets, but having done that the parent swans and the four surviving cygnets seemed completely unconcerned by my presence close by. Others were watching the scene from the other side of the lock, and when I got all my shots I wandered over and had a chat to them, before heading for home.

L.
17.6.2013

Blip #1,003
Consecutive Blip #000
Day #1,171

Alternatives:
Urchfont Geese
Swan And Cygnet
Swans At Caen Hill Locks

Visits to Urchfont and Caen Hill Locks, 8 June 2013 (Flickr set)

Lenses: Pentax 17-70mm, Sigma 70-300mm

Caen Hill series
Canals series
Kennet and Avon Canal series
Swan series

Lozarhythm Of The Day:
Buckingham Nicks - Stephanie (1973)
It was hearing this instrumental piece that inspired Mick Fleetwood to ask Lindsey Buckingham to join Fleetwood Mac. He accepted on the condition that Stephanie (Stevie) Nicks came as part of the package.

One year ago: Ducks