18th September 2026 and my back is nicely recovered. Besides, walking is the best exercise for the back. And since the weather favours us, it’s a bus across town to join my daughter, then a bus to the outskirts. We’re headed to Lound Lakes, a nature reserve. What will we find? Join us. Bring your camera…

18th September 2026

Our walk starts with a woodland. Not extensive but 🔼 trees are always interesting. Soon those leaves will be changing colour 🔽 As said, soon those leaves will be changing colour

18th September 2026

18th September 2026

🔼 I don’t know why so many nature reserves include adjacent grazing land. I can only assume it’s so they can control the environment (no nasty chemicals to pollute the water… part of which here happens to be a reservoir) 🔽 One of my favourite shots: Downhill, then back up. You can see the newly ploughed field beyond

18th September 2026

18th September 2026

As the plural ‘Lakes’ implies, there’s more than one. 🔼The first we encounter has steep wooded sides, host to birch and pines 🔽 Looking down to the water, on zoom

18th September 2026

18th September 2026

🔼 Having walked downhill, then uphill, the route again takes us downhill… and onto a not-very-busy rural lane 🔽 Here we glimpse the second lake

18th September 2026

18th September 2026

Soon we’re off that lane and onto a track, trees and private wooded land each side  🔼 Is this two trees bonded? Or is it one, split? 🔽

18th September 2026

18th September 2026

It’s a nature reserve, and although open to dogwalkers there are areas where they must be kept on leads (the dogs, not their walkers🤪). Hence the gates 🔼🔽

18th September 2026

18th September 2026

🔼 Crossing an open meadow, the first touches of autumn amongst the edging bushes

I’ve skipped the photos of the next sheet of the water, the sun deleting all detail

18th September 2026

We’re almost at the end 🔼 Here is usually a swamp but the drought has totally dried it 🔽 The final stretch of the path, before returning to a lane, takes us beneath more pine trees. Their needles and cones lie thick beneath our feet

18th September 2026

I hope you’ve enjoyed this. We’re now off to the local pub for lunch before catching the bus back home