A Heartbreaking Walk at Primrose Nature Reserve

Ah, this post isn't the most fun to write but I still want to share these photos.

In January we popped along to a so-called 'Nature reserve' just about a mile from our house that we hadn't visited for three years. And to be honest, I wish we hadn't gone.

You won't see it in these photos, but I have never seen such complete and utter disregard for a 'nature reserve' in my life. The state of this place is a heartbreaking disgrace. There is so much rubbish piled up and strewn around all over the place, especially in the water. 

Animals live here. This is an area off of the River Don with many species of bird who call it home.

It is always unnecessary to litter, but it is atrocious to allow a place that should be protected to get to this point.

It has definitely had an effect too because, between our previous visit and now, the amount of wildlife spotted has decreased significantly. I struggled to find many things to photograph. Usually, a post like this would be split between two as I'd have so many photos but other than one Chaffinch and two Moor Hens, there were only a few Mallards. 

As if that wasn't bad enough, toward the end of our walk we were passed by a man with four dogs. 

A few minutes later we heard a noise a turned to see that he had sent them all into the fenced-off area where all the water birds were relaxing. I left the walk sobbing and distraught at the thought of what happened.

So yeah, an awful walk. A terrible time. I am sharing these photos and this story to show that these beautiful natural places need extra protection and the general public need to be held accountable for the way they are abusing, neglecting and downright killing our precious nature and wildlife.

The photos above are a mixture of strategically taken angles and photoshop to remove the rubbish.
This place is a magical, beautiful wildlife haven - or it could and should be.

I actually managed to find one photo that I had taken to report this disgrace to someone which I will post below. This doesn't even capture a small fraction of the problem.
Do better humans!

A Walk Along the River Don

 

Following on from my Exploring St Paul's Monastery and St Paul's Church post on Friday, I thought I'd take the opportunity to get this post up sharpish too. These photos were taken on the same day as our first visit to St Paul's, the 29th of June, where we took a little wander along the very dry-looking River Don after exploring the ruins. 

It was lightly raining and we ended up with soaking trousers to our knees and wet feet due to wearing canvas shoes...I didn't expect to be walking along overgrown grass paths but that is where the birds took me! 

The bridge featured in these photos is apt, though unimaginatively, named Jarrow Bridge. You can walk onto the bridge and enjoy the view from it, but now there is no through-way. It is thought to date back to the early 18th century and it originally provided access to St Paul's Monastery. 
There was a lovely array of flora and fauna, not all photographed and the birds we were lucky to observe were: Black-headed Gull, Mallard, Curlew, Moorhen, Rock Dove (Pigeon), Juvenile Goldfinch, Oystercatcher, among others. 

I look forward to visiting again in the Autumn/Winter months and hope to see a higher water level!
Until next time...

Exploring St Paul's Monastery and St Paul's Church

I'd like to say this is me sharing the last of my sets of photos from our 30 Days Wild in June, but it's not. However, it is yet another that has been put off far too long and I needed to get these photos up or they would be doomed to future in the abyss that is one of my too many folders labelled 'to edit'. 

These photos, as the title suggests, were taken at St Paul's Monastery and St Paul's Church in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear only a 5-minute drive from my house. Alongside St. Peter’s, Wearmouth in Sunderland, St Paul's Monastery was one of Europe's most influential centres of learning and culture in the 7th and 8th centuries. 
In the year 681, 7 years after having received land for the would-be home of St Peter's, Northumbrian nobleman Benedict Biscop received the land in Jarrow from King Ecgfrith of Northumbria to become the home of the twin monastery. 

The remains that are seen today are from this medieval monastery, alongside the still functioning St Paul’s Church.

When we went down to visit, on both the 29th and 30th of June, we didn't know anything about the site's history but of course, it turned out to be an incredibly important and significant site in our area. 
So as not to waffle on too much (something that is inevitable if I start) I want to leave this primarily photos as it is such a gorgeous place. I have also included photos of all the information boards that are dotted around the area so make sure to give them a scan if you can.

As someone who attended a Catholic First School, St Cuthberts, I have a small knowledge of Saints, Monks and the like. So I was very interested upon reading that St Peter's and St Paul's Monasteries were home to the Venerable Bede from the age of 7.
Another fact that is of even more personal interest is that Jarrow was one of the first places to be invaded by the Vikings! We are big Viking fans in this house, FYI. The River Don lies to the right of the Monastery which leads on into the River Tyne and of course from there into the North Sea. In 794 AD the Vikings arrived at the mouth of the Don ready to pillage the treasures in Jarrow. They burned the Monastery, but the leader was later captured and executed and his men washed ashore in a storm while retreating where they were then also killed. Geordies have apparently always been hard haha.
They returned in 875 AD under the leadership of Halfdan, King of Northumbria. This time they ruined the area, though thankfully the late Bede's remains were not disturbed. 

Can we lastly just admire the lovely squirrel and really cool trees?
Until next time...

To read more about St Paul's and other histories of the area, see the websites linked below:

History of St Paul's Monastery - English Heritage
St Paul's Church
The Vikings of Jarrow - Shields Gazette
Jarrow and Bede History
St Peter's Wearmouth