A wet walk from Cornwood.

Despite how it may appear at times, it is not that often that it rains all day when we go for a walk. But our latest U3A outing was one of those. A 6-miler circular from Cornwood. A wet circular walk from Cornwood. Never a heavy downpour but wet enough to keep my camera well wrapped up most of the time. I did manage a few shots to act as a record for the files but not too many as I didn't want to jeopardise an expensive bit of kit.

Cornwood is just off the southern edge of Dartmoor and our route didn't take us onto the moor 'proper'. It was one of these convoluted treks that would take quite a bit of remembering without a map. A good combination of footpaths, bridleways, back-lanes, wood land and some open countryside as we went across Hanger Down. All that and the bonus of being sufficiently hilly to make us feel as if we'd had a decent bit of exercise.

One of the green lanes we encountered. Lined with granite stone walls (covered in ferns, moss and lichen), these were originally farm tracks giving access to the moor. At this time of year, walking under through the green tunnel they form is something I always enjoy.

Some might say that I've got the exposure of this shot wrong. Sort of but the apparently over-exposed glimpse through the trees fairly accurately reflects the misty conditions at this point. And I wasn't going to ponce around with the camera settings when the rain was dripping from the trees.

Some walks have a sting in the tail at the end. And this was one of them with a very steep final 1/2 mile back to our starting point.

The hardy ten enjoying a rather damp lunch break on a conveniently located fallen tree. Even the most quotidian sandwiches taste so much better when eaten under these conditions.

The hedgerows are full of flowers at this time of year. The foxgloves seem to be particularly profuse at the moment.

Wet foxglove.

Wet sedge.

Wet grass.

Dry Six Spot Burnet Moth.

When we got back home, I was able to unwrap a parcel with my latest toy in it. I've had my old camera body converted so that it takes infra-red images at 720nm and this should enable me to take photographs that look a little different from the norm. I've done this primarily so that I can get more atmospheric shots of buildings and landscapes. The necessary 'fiddling' around in Photoshop and Lightroom appeals to my inner geek.

Stoke Climsland church tower looking very stark. I like the effect but it's something not to be overused.