Cows ParsleyIsn’t that a glorious name. For some reason it appears on lists of the rudest places name in England. Now I would agree it is unusual but rude doesn’t occur to me when I say it out loud or perhaps it is the way you pronounce it?! Anyhow this superb name is the name of Essex Wildlife Trust’s first nature reserve which is located on the banks of the River Colne on the outskirts of the village of Fingringhoe, not far from Colchester. The name ‘Fingringhoe’ describes in old English the villagers – people of the finger of land, who live on the heel of river.

We don’t live nor did we even stay there, however we did take a stroll a few weeks ago on some of the many paths that meander across this 125 acre nature reserve. We began at the visitor centre, and after a lovely chat with one of the volunteers we headed towards the East Heath and Kit’s Pond, before sitting for a while at the edge of the North Saltmarsh.

On leaving the Saltmarsh we took the path to the Old Meadow, stopping frequently for flowers and to listen to the birds. Eventually we turned south to the Trout Pool and the visitor centre for a much needed cup of tea. DragonflyGoing south meant we didn’t explore the Heathland to the west, nor did we go inside the many hides here. The latter was a deliberate decision as our visit was at the wrong time of day and year for waders, however we did get to hear something that Fingringhoe is renowned for – nightingales. Apparently it is one of the best places in England to hear nightingales, and we were not disappointed. They sang their hearts out for us, and were even joined by a Cuckoo at one point! Unfortunately I have somehow deleted all my recordings of them though 😦

East HeathWhilst I might have failed with my sound recordings I did safely save my photographs of the wildflowers and views across the North Saltmarshes. Hope these are suitable for your June challenge Jude. Not sure many of my flowers are ‘summer vibrant’ but our walk at Fingringhoe Wick was certainly ‘essence of summer‘. You see we had had a log fire the previous two evenings, and thought this day would turn out the same given how cold it was first thing. However half way round the reserve we found ourselves dressed for winter in the middle of a heat wave. A typical English Summer me thinks!

We had a marvellous time at Fingringhoe Wick, and I’m still not sure if the best bit was the stroll or the tea and cake at the end! You see not only was the cake excellent but the wildlife put on a show for us. I forgot to photograph the rabbits and pheasants, but I did capture some unusual ‘birds’ on the feeders.

Scrumptious cake, great entertainment, nightingales, boats in the distance, sunshine, wildflowers everywhere and the best bit of Fingringhoe Wick  . . . (apart from its name!) I was walking with my lovely mum and my wonderful husband. A perfect combination for one of your Monday walks I thought Jo!River Colne

16 thoughts

  1. Pingback: Monochrome Summer – The life of B

  2. A beautiful walk Becky in spite of the “summer” weather! Our younger daughter, now living in London is getting rather fed up with the grey damp weather but it does look so pretty in your photos!

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      1. She’s been living over in the Uk for nearly 2 years (life has gone full circle as we emigrated from the Uk nearly 26 years ago!). The weather gets her down but she is working in her chosen field in London (music industry) so she’s staying for the foreseeable future but she has just booked a trip back here for Christmas :). We love the winter here even the rain as the cold crisp weather is an anecdote to the hotter summer months but then we know we are guaranteed sunshine – very different when it’s supposed to be summer! Hope it brightens up soon for you all! 🙂

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      2. Ah she should be resigned to our greyness then by now!! I am very envious though of your permanent escape to a different climate, we escape every winter now but am now beginning to wonder if we need to do the same in summer!!

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      3. I think I would have done the same if we’d stayed in the Uk – would have needed to go off to the sunshine in winter! Our daughter was saying the same thing at the weekend – she’s dreaming of the south of France or somewhere warm but she’s too busy with work at present to take a break! Hope the sun returns for you soon 🙂

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  3. How wonderfully English Becky! Love the name, love the flora – such a typically English summer and love the butterflies and birds too. An odd summer though so far. We have had torrential rain and very blowy until this afternoon, I do hope it improves for all of us!

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    1. It’s a great reserve and the pub in the village is meant to be good too! If you do ever go there is another reserve just a couple of miles away and we can recommend a great B&B.

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  6. Hiya Becky! 🙂 I didn’t have time to read this earlier so I’ve just now arrived in pastoral England, and very nice it looks too, in spite of our awful weather. I love the way this page looks, with its little inset photos, and your flora and fauna will surely delight Jude. Many thanks for your loyal support. Happy Monday! 🙂 🙂

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  7. Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk : a Tale of 3 Churches | restlessjo

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