Irchester Country Park, Northamptonshire

Irchester country park is a really nice place to take dogs for a walk although you now have to pay a couple of quid to park your car if you don't live near enough to walk there.   There is a railway museum open on sundays, and a cafe open 7 days a week in the summer months.  This area used to be a quarry, some of the tree lines you can see where they dug out the quarry and tipped the slag - its history goes back to the Roman times apparently.   The wooded areas are inhabited by Muntjac deer but you rarely see them as they are such secretive little things.

Wivenhoe Woodland and Ferry Marsh

Wivenhoe is a village in Essex near Colchester.   Very pretty, nice pub lunches, worth exploring the town.  In this first photo you can just see the masts of the boats on the river in the background.

Mar Lodge, near Braemar

I myself did not go, my son went deer stalking. These are his photos.

Mar Lodge is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and is situated near Braemar (where Highland Games take place), in the Caerngorms National Park.  Amongst this Highland landscape there are remnants of the ancient caledonian pine forest, heather moorland, juniper scrub and part of the highland cairngorm plateau. 

The Estate offers accommodation to those wishing to take part in shooting, stalking, fishing, walking - really is a beautiful place. 

To quote the marlodge website - "Long term conservation is a priority - in particular the regeneration of Caledonian pinewood by reducing the damage caused by grazing red deer.  Elsewhere you will see evidence of the Trust's pioneering work in mountain footpath repair, and the restoration of bulldozed hill tracks."

Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire

Kenilworth Castle is managed by English Heritage so you have to pay to go in, sadly I arrived rather late so will go back another day and actually go inside, I'd love to walk round the Elizabethan Gardens as well.

It has a very interesting history, you can read all about it here:-

http://www.kenilworthweb.co.uk/menu/places-of-interest/kenilworth-castle

Dunstable Downs, Bedfordshire

Dunstable Downs offer the most amazing views of the Vale of Aylesbury and the Chiltern Ridge.   It is very popular for kite-flying and gliders.

The Chilterns Gateway Center is owned by the Central Bedfordshire Council but managed by the National Trust.  The food and drinks are good, and reasonably priced.  You only have to pay £1.50 for the car park if you are not an NT member (or disabled).  There is a well-stocked shop selling various knick-knacks, jams, books etc.  I saw a noticeboard with a list of various birds that had recently been spotted in the area, a very long list indeed.  So next time will take my binos.

The kites are lovely to watch, not many gliders the day I went, perhaps it wasn't windy enough - lots of dog walkers, hikers and families enjoying the space.  Smashing day out!

Ashridge Park Estate, Hertfordshire

There are lots of deer in the woods, but they are very shy.  Unfortunately in my rush to snap this trio my camera focussed on the leaves in front.  Next time I will spend more time there and hopefully get better pics.

Ashridge is managed by the National Trust, a lovely place with a very odd folly the Bridgewater Monument which you can climb up to the top and view the Chilterns.

Nearby is the Pitstone Hill and Windmill and Ivinghoe Beacon and Hills, which offers views of both Buckinghamshire and Herfordshire, also an important area for butterfllies and orchids in the summer.  So I shall go back later in the year with my camera.

Dawlish and Teignmouth

Both lovely places to visit.  I went in November so not many people around, I prefer that to hordes of tourists.   Just love the red in the cliffsides, tried to show it in these pics at both Teignmouth and Dawlish.  Dawlish is famous for its black swans which sit all day on the river on the seafront, and great too to see the pigeons and ducks, and of course seagulls.