There’s a tranquil feeling to mornings at Durlston, this time of year. It’s hot, with the Sun already having climbed high in the sky. Yet quiet, with the faintest sounds audible to the ears: The distant cackle from a Magpie, and the rustling leaves which shimmer across the path which each gust of wind.
Curiously, a second leaf-fall now begins at Durlston, with the Holm Oaks shedding their faded evergreen leaves. It gives an Autumnal feel to the walk, contrasting to the warm air, and continuous chirping from Chiffchaffs.
A serene blue seascape opens before me as I enter the woodland with views across Durlston Bay. Gulls in flight, following the direction of the water which flows at speed ebbing around the head.
A Speckled Wood butterfly dances past the clearing now filled with towering Bracken and Garlic Mustard. Fleabane fills the shorter turf intermixed with the purple Stinking Iris flowers, and the Cuckoo Spit which amass around the emergent Wood Dock stems. I catch a fleeting glimpse of a Blackcap amongst the scrub.
Behind the dry stone walls, an understorey of Privet and Bramble grows heavier each year. It’s thickened by the intertwining Madder, Honeysuckle and Bindweed. Beautiful pink Dog Rose in flower. Meadow Buttercup and Herb Robert decorate the carpet of Enchanters Nightshade with their charming little flowers; yellow and pink.
A couple Wall Lizards bask upon the side of the Castle, their sides splayed out flat to collect the Sun’s heat, but then scurrying behind the stone tablets as I walk past.
The slopes leading down to the Globe have grown thick with various Bromes and Fescues, outcompeted only by the lofty elephant-ear Burdock leaves. Ox-eye Daisies have bloomed alongside the cheery Yellow Mustard. Elderflower clusters bordering the woods.