Day 193 - July 12th

Today was forecast to be wet, but actually turned out to be a lovely sunny day. A little breezy but sunny and warm. This afternoon we decided to go the Marston Vale Millennium Country Park again. The Park is centered on the 'Brickfields', an area of existing and former clay pits stretching ten miles between the M1 motorway and the southern fringe of Bedford and includes Stewartby Lake. Back in the 1930s, Stewartby Lake was a clay pit and it remained so for some 30 years, until it was no longer required. Ten years later it was filled with water and the beginnings of a leisure facility were born. As well as the lake the Millennium Country Park comprises a Wetland Reserve and surfaced cycle, pedestrian and horse trails. Steven and Lara cycled round the lake whilst the rest of us walked.

There were lots of plants and wild flowers to photograph

..... lots of blackberries coming on

and even wildlife to spot..........

I googled this caterpillar when we got home. Apparently its a Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar which although common and widespread, its numbers are rapidly declining.

I think this rabbit was poorly. We were about 8-10ft from it but it didn't move a muscle apart from an occasional twitch of its nose.