24th February

Has it really been 5 days since my last blog ??? :O

That chest infection really took it out of me, my "Get-up-and-go" got up and went, but hopefully I have now managed to kick it into touch, I take the last anti-biotic tomorrow.

My blip for today (24th February, click the date to see it) is of an area in Torquay called Walls Hill, I have posted this as a Derelict Sunday offering not because the area is "derelict" but this was the site of an Iron Age Fortification.

There are no buildings there and most people are unaware of its historical significance. The area has both SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and SSHI (Site of Special Historical Interest) protection and is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This is another shot taken further round towards nearby Babbacombe.

To the east of Walls Hill is an old limestone quarry known locally as Long Quarry most of the limestone buildings around Torbay were built using stone from here. This photo was taken near the edge of a shear cliff that drops about 300 feet to that "plateau" below, a popular spot for anglers, if you can find the way down. The graffitied shelter below is a safe distance from the edge on the other side of a fence.

West of Walls Hill is the "village" of Babbacombe which is now part of Torquay and is a very popular destination for visiting holiday makers. The photograph to the right is looking down at Oddicombe Beach from Babbacombe Downs. There are three ways to get down to the beach firstly you could use the road that goes down to the beach and back in the 80's was used for the "Oddicombe Hill Climb" (I think it may also have been known as the Babbacombe Cliff Climb), you could also use the road down to Babbacombe Beach and walk across the "rock path" between the two beaches. The third way is to use the Cliff Railway that runs from Babbacombe Downs down to the beach.

My final two extras are of the natural variety, firstly some good looking fungi (don't think they're edible) spotted beside a tree trunk I pass almost everyday as I head into town. The second is of some crocuses spotted on the roadside whilst on the return route from todays expedition.