Tuesday 16 April 2013

Rainham Marshes


Going back to the week before last, we had our first sunny day for weeks. Although it was bitterly cold with a strong wind we headed out to walk on the marshes next to the River Thames
Who cares how cold it is when the sun is shining



One can take a respite from the wind in the Hides and watch the birds 



and on this 3 mile walk pass the old practice firing range from world war II


The road crossing the marshes with the Eurostar rail line to Paris running along side it and the cows grazing nearby




The reeds had been popping and as they do so it sounds like an explosion


This tree trunk was unearthed when clearing the marshes for use. Buried deep in the ground it is estimated to be
 6,000 years old
Of course now that it has been exposed it will not last so long


A very quick sandwich in the Visitor's centre 


before another walk along the Thames Path



towards London that you can see in the haze in the distance




11 comments:

Needled Mom said...

It looks cold, but like you said, if the sun is shining one doesn't quite feel the cold. It looks like it was a great walk along the Thames. Did you have the warm weather over the weekend? It looked like Sunday was delightful according to our weather reports.

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

All the muted blues, tans and grays in these photos are wonderful. The ancient tree stump makes me want to try and imagine what the tree looked like back then. I suppose it was all forest land in those days.

Elizabeth said...

Looks familiar and a little bleak but interesting.....
good you got some snacks too!
Hope you get some warm weather soon.

Terri said...

6,000 year old stump... isn't that amazing? Beautiful views!
Hugs

Trisha said...

Hey Barbara, so glad you got a little sunshine. Hope you are getting more by now. Must have been so nice to see all the water fowl. Such and interesting way to spend a day. Have a Blessed week.

Julie Whitmore Pottery said...

Very peaceful, I wonder if this would be a good spot to hunt for pottery and glass chards? I've seen many who collect them from the Thames and make jewelry from them, a fun hobby and out in nature too~
xx
julie

Gracie Saylor said...

A lovely walk, Barbara. Thanks for taking me along. It reminds me of our years along the west bank of the Hudson River in New York before Spring fully awakens the landscape into wonderful shades of green.

Our family just went to visit the tulip fields south of us in OR and I posted some photos of a different color scheme if you want to take a peek :)
Gracie

Anonymous said...

The sun can make all the difference!

Scriptor Senex said...

Needled Mom beat me to my first comment - It does look cold!

That unearthed trunk is wonderful. I'd want to put it indoors in a visitor centre to maintain it.

La Petite Gallery said...

A great spot for bird watching.
Looks like an interesting trip.
Nice they had a place for lunch.

yvonne

CherryPie said...

It looks like a lovely place to go walking.