Sawtry Owls

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Weather Report

Started cool, overcast and with a hint of drizzle. Brightened up in the afternoon.

Decamped just before 9am and drove to Downham Market for a little retail therapy as conditions were not suitable for photography. Journey to Sawtry (just off the A1(M) south of Peterborough was uneventful and took little more than an hour. Found my new base and quickly established camp. The camp site although an authorised site is without facilities - so v cheap. I have an entire field to myself a couple of hundred yards from farmhouse and have already been inspected so feel that I am being watched over - in a positive way. The farm is about a mile out of the village on the top of what passes for a hill in these parts - about 60m (190 feet (ish)). There are excellent views across rolling fields down to the Fenlands that I have left behind. The farmers who are quite elderly do not advertise so hopefully my peace will not be disturbed. I suspect the lack of WC / showers will deter most.

Following a bite to eat I pottered off to the area around Abbots Ripton and Kings Ripton to the east of Sawtry a continuation of the area I visited yesterday. Pretty farm landscape with rolling hills and more trees than in the fens. The church at Church End is interesting because it is set all by itself in fields about a mile from the nearest village. Locked ! Say no more …. Well I did….. A pamphlet outside indicated that there is no written record as to why the church was isolated. Usually it is because the original village was moved at the whim of a landowner or because the population died out.

The Riptons were particularly pretty villages with lovely timber framed and thatched dwellings. However my favourite was Broughton which is almost the quintessential English village with its church, pub and thatched houses. Church locked but kind lady saw me jumping up and down in frustration and brought the key over. Fortunate … because conservation work has recently revealed some glorious wall paintings.

Back to base just before six where I wandered around my field and disturbed a Little Owl and met the farm lady who seems quite delightful and informed me that a couple of deer were living in the rather thick hedge near my tent. Hope they do not go looking for food during the night.

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