A little gem

I've discovered a little gem of a place near us. Ardingly Reservoir is a brilliant place to go for an easy stroll in the countryside and spot a bit of wildlife. I took the kids there today while Anthony slept (last of the nightshifts for a while I hope) and we had a great time. The weather was just perfect for a walk, warm enough for no jackets, but not too hot for the kids to do lots of running.

Lots and lots of bird life, which the kids loved, much to my surprise and amusement. We walked the kingfisher trail and they were desperate to spot a kingfisher, but sadly none were in sight. We saw some moorhens, ducks, swans, robins, chaffinches, wagtails, blue tits and one lone noisy robin. We also spotted a beautiful peacock butterfly resting on some dung. It stayed so still so I managed to get a great shot of it.

There were some kids having sailing lessons, which intrigued Tyran and Hayley no end and they watched for ages. Something to bear in mind for when they get older I think - it looked like enormous fun.

There are two wooden sculptures near the car park, which the kids adored. They spent ages playing on the "scary beetle". As ever, Tyran's imagination never ceases to amaze me. Hayley is starting to join in with his imaginative games really well, though she never fails to bring her fairy friends into the game!


The best bit of all for Tyran in particular, was the hill near the car park that leads up to the reservoir. He ran up and down countless times, ran up and rolled down, ran and ran and ran. How he stayed awake until bedtime is beyond me; I was exhausted just watching him.


We all had a lovely time and will definitely be going back there.