Catching up, part I: Devon scenery

This is (hopefully) the first in a series of photo-heavy posts summarising what I’ve been up to for the last month or so – I’ve been pretty busy both at and outside work, and also keen to spend free time on birding rather than blogging.

Way back in April, Suzanne and I managed to clear a complete weekend and go down to south Devon, thanks to the kind offer of a free stay in Exmouth from one of her colleagues. The weather was stunning, and we spent a very lazy Saturday on the coast at Prawle Point…

… where a few small groups of Cirl Buntings were typically smart, but hard to photograph…

… and I found a decent approximation to my ideal home. This is slap bang on the coast – just imagine the garden list potential! Might have to get a ringing permit to really do it justice.

And then we headed round to Start Point, a little further east – a totally different place, this one jutting out straight into the Channel, and pretty devoid of cover for migrants.

 

We considered taking the coast path for a while, but the distance was somewhat offputting:

Another highlight of the weekend was the range of excellent food that we splurged out on, thanks to the following places:

• Les Saveurs in Exmouth – great little restaurant, where we discovered Somerset Pomona – cider brandy and fruit juice – awesome with a cheeseboard
• The Pot Kiln pub, just off the M4 west of Reading – first time I’ve ever seen Muntjac on a menu! Our Fallow Deer venison burgers had to be seen to be believed…
• … and finally the Bricklayers Arms, just outside the M25, ideal for the route home – more top-notch nosh here. Eggs Benedict with smoked halloumi cheese: mmmmm!

The latter two of these were great adverts for the Good Pub Guide, given that we picked both at random, and hadn’t booked anything in advance… perfect for gastro-twitching!