Charlecote

Despite my good intentions of catching up today, I’m afraid the trials and tribulations of travelling have got the better of me and it’s had to be an early night ….

I must admit I was already weary before we even started off, but navigating routes to avoid static traffic on both the M6 and M25 has taken its toll - and I wasn’t even driving! 

Simon and Lloyd leave for their camping adventure at their friends’ Snowdonia wedding by 8am, and we eventually set off - an hour late - three hours later, finally arriving in Guildford just after 6.30. Definitely not the ideal day for travel! 

We break our journey at the lovely Charlecote and enjoy both walking in the blissfully warm sunshine and the inevitable NT tea and scones! I’m hoping for some deer sightings - particularly fawns, but it’s probably still a little early. I’ve almost given up all hope - and have already gathered up some garden shots I think are blippable - when G spots some tell-tale white tails across the long grass through the trees. No fawns, but a small group of young bucks - the usual colour assortment so typical of fallow herds. Of course I can’t resist, so wander closer and sit down in the shorter grass to watch and photograph. At first, it’s just a case of focusing on individuals grazing, but then one decides to leap an electric fence, followed eventually by all the group but one - a tiny melanistic deer who nervously prefers to linger grazing in the long grass. 

Of course, I can’t just stick with one image, but in the end decide to go with the tangled group of common spotted as my main, with others in extras.