A Visit to Willington Nature Reserve.

The views and opinions in this blog are mine and mine alone. Detiails are recalled to the best of my ability 

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As an avid amateur wildlife photographer I really enjoy grabbing my camera, attaching a long lens (500mm) and heading off to one of our local nature reserves.

As I write this blog the UK is coming out of its second lock down and into a tier system due to the Corona Virus global pandemic. In Derbyshire we've been very lucky in that the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust have done their best to ensure that our local nature reserves have remained open so that we can all get out and enjoy them.

One of my favourite nature reserves is Willington Gravel Pits in the village of Willington near Derby.  Operated and maintained by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Willington has pretty much everything for the wildlife photographer and nature lover alike.

Map of the Reserve

As the name suggests, the reserve used to be a working sand and gravel quarry. The huge depressions made in the land due to excavation have since filled with water and after the working company abandoned the site it became a nature reserve.  The reserve consists trails and paths, wetlands, lagoons and lakes, Viewing areas and stages, and a wonderful bird hide. Sadly at the time of writing the bird hide, like many others across the country, is locked until the pandemic is under control.

The reserve is situated south east of the village of Willington on the main Repton road. The main entrance and car park is on the right as you leave Willington just before the bridge over the River Trent. (Indicated by the green circle on the map). The car park is accessed by entering a small triangular shaped junction and through an entrance with a barrier over the top. The car park isn’t very big and can get quite crowded especially at the weekends and during the summer months. Alternative parking can be found on Kingfisher Lane (indicated by the red line) which is a few hundred yards before the main entrance. This is a residential area so please park with care in this area.

The purpose of this blog entry is to take you on a visit to the reserve and let you see what's there and what you can see there. It is worth noting that the reserve can get very muddy and some of the paths are quite narrow and rough so Wellington boots or sturdy walking boots are recommended. Also recommended is a good pair of binocular because even on quiet days there are a lot of things to see.    

In my opinion the reserve naturally splits into two distinct areas. First there is the flat land area. Here you can explore the many footpaths, lagoons and pools and also take in the views towards Repton and Burton on Trent. Then there is main pathway (indicated by the amber line on the map)  taking you from the main car park past the various viewing platforms and up to the bird hide and the last platform beyond. There is no circular walk via the main path. Once you’re at the end the only way is back from whence you came. There are plans to possibly introduce a circular pathway in the future but at the time of writing this hasn’t happened.

Access from Kingfisher Lane

Personally I like to visit the reserve by parking in Kingfisher Lane, making my way across the flat land to join the main path. From there I walk up to the last viewing platform on the lane taking in all of the other viewing platforms as I go. I tend to spend a good 30 to 40 minutes at each platform because you just never know what’s going to turn up. So a visit normally takes a good 2 to 3 hours.

Starting in Kingfisher Lane proceed west following the yellow line on the map. The path passes to the left of the lamp post between the wooden fences. At the end of the lane there is a gate. Pass to the left of the gate and take note of the Kingfisher pool to the left. There is usually plenty of activity on the pool. Moorhens, Coots, swans and the occasional Kingfisher can be seen here.

Kingfisher Pool

Having passed through the gate continue on the path in front of you for a few hundred yards. At this point you can glance left and see the steeple of St Wystans Church in Repton rising up. This makes a very atmospheric photo if there’s a bit of mist about. Continue along the lane surrounded by tall trees and bushes on both sides. Here you’ll find many species of butterfly in the summer.

St. Wystans Church in Repton

Just before a metal farm gate take the path to the left heading South-East. The path descends very slightly and to the left there is a lagoon. The water levels vary in this lagoon and can, if there’s been heavy rain, rise above the path at times.  The lagoons in this parts of the reserve are noted for the myriad of damsel flies and dragonflies during the summer months. Whilst walking the path remember  to look up from time to time and  note the bird activity in the trees around you.

Turn left at this gate 

Path

Lagoon

Dragonfly on the Lagoon

Dragonfly on the Lagoon

As you walk this part of the path you will see one of the larger lagoons on the right behind some gates. This is part of the many conservation areas in the reserve but swans and other water birds are easily visible if in residence.  The path continues into an open area with a steel farm gate on the right. In the distance, with a good pair of binoculars, you can see Bladon Castle nestling in the trees in Newton Solney. 

View towards Newton Solney

Bladon Castle

At this point there are paths leading off in many directions all of which can be explored. On this journey you’ll continue South East following the yellow line on the map. Now pass through more tall trees and bushes that are full of butterflies in the summer.

Butterfly

Butterfly

At this point you will reach several large stone blocks placed here to prevent vehicular access to flat lands from the main path.

Concrete blocks heading to the main path

Before passing through the blocks take time to look right at the small pond through the metal gate. Heron and Egret often use this pond and it can provide excellent photo opportunities. 

Pond over the gate 

Now pass though the concrete blocks on to the main path that comes up from the car park to the left. This path can be exceptionally muddy so care needs to be taken here.  In front of you there are metal gates. This is the entrance to the Willington Trout Fishery.

Turn right at this point and begin walking up the main path. In a few yards you’ll come to a Derbyshire Wildlife Trust sign welcoming you to the reserve. 

Sign to the left of the main path

Continue past the sign and follow the path to the first viewing platform. From the top of this platform you look North West over the main wetlands. It’s impossible to count all of the different species of bird that can be seen from the viewing platforms within the reserve. The first platform quite often has Heron, Mallards, Lapwings and Gulls.

First Platform

View from the first platform

Heron at the First Platform

Once you’ve spent some time at this platform drop back on to the lane and head in the same direction to the second and third platforms. All the time keeping a sharp eye in the trees and bushes on both sides of the path for smaller birds such as sparrows, tits, black caps, bramblings, etc. 

Crested Grebe

Chiff Chaff

Once again spend some time at each of the platforms as each one offers a different view over the wetlands. Take special note of the reed beds in front of you. Many reed based birds live here including warblers and buntings. At all times respect the other visitors to the reserve especially those set up on the viewing platforms looking for specific birds. 

Second Platform

View from the second Platform

Reed Bunting

Hobby

Third Platform

View from the Third Platform

Water Rail

As you approach the top of the main path you’ll note the bird hide on the right. As I said earlier, at this point in time the hide is locked because of the global pandemic but hopefully it will be open again as the virus is brought under control.

Bird Hide (Closed at the time of writing)

Passing the hide on the right it’s only a short walk to the last viewing platform (Platform 4) on the path. From this platform there is a fantastic view North West across the main lagoon. This is a haven for any bird enthusiast. All types of water bird can be seen here including Lapwings, Heron, Egrets, Black headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Bitten, Shag, etc. 

Fourth Platform

View from the Fourth Platform

Lapwing

Cormorant

There are quite often ornithologists set up with spotting scopes trained on the islands looking for the latest elusive sighting. Spend some time on this platform and try to count the number of different species you can see.

For now Platform four is as far as you can go along the main path. Beyond this platform is conservation area and is only accessible to Wildlife Trust staff. 

Conservation Area beyond platform four. 

So from here it’s a case of turning around and making you way back along the path retracing your steps back to where you started. As you walk back remember to call in at each of the viewing platforms again as, quite often, different birds will have arrived since you were last there.  

After you’ve finished your visit to the reserve you can drop into Willington to one of the pubs, shops or restaurants. You’re also only a stones throw away from the Trent and Mersey Canal which can be accessed from behind The Dragon pub and the River Trent so there’s plenty more to see if you have the time.

 

 

  Visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mine in January 2020

Continuing my 60th birthday celebrations in Poland my son and daughter had arranged for us to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine on Sunday the 19th January 2020.

The Main Building

This was another item on my bucket list. Both of the kids had visited the mine before and had tried to describe it to me. Trying to imagine the inside of the mine was extremely difficult so I was thrilled when they told me that this was going to be part of out visit to Poland.

We were due to be picked up by the Escape2poland minibus at 15:20 in the afternoon. I was a little surprised that we were going that late in the afternoon but I hadn't considered that we would be spending the visit underground so it really didn't matter what time we got there.

As our pick up wasn't until mid-afternoon it gave us the morning to explore some of Krakow. What a truly beautiful city it is. We only saw a very small part of it but we all decided that it would be great to return at a later date to visit the city and attempt to do it justice. We thought we might return mid 2021. Who knew what the impact of the Corona Virus was going to be?

We walked back from the Main Square and met our minibus at the collection point. As with the Auschwitz tour, the minibus from Escape2Poland was bang on time. We boarded the bus with a group of other UK tourists.

The journey to the mine took about 45 minutes and took us through some of the interesting parts of the city that the pedestrian tourists wouldn't normally see.

Arriving at the car park we followed our driver up a steep street lined with market stalls selling the usual tourist souvenirs and interesting things to eat. Crossing the road at the top hill we came face to face with the gates to the mine complex. The main mine building was in front of us illuminated in the darkness of the late afternoon light. We had arrived slightly earlier than expected so we had to wait for our English speaking guide to become available.

Mine Building

We had about 15 minutes to wait which gave us a chance to have a quick look around and for me to grab a few photos of the buildings. I was a little apprehensive about the visit. My kids had told me of the long decent down a flight of wooden stairs to the first landing. This had got me worried especially as I have a particularly dodgy left knee which doesn't appreciate stairs. From a photography point of view it was also going to be difficult. The mine, as you would expect, was going to be dark; VERY DARK. Certain areas were dimly lit but otherwise not much illumination. It was going to be long shutter speeds and high ISO plus it was all going to be hand-held. Quite a challenge.

As we passed through the mine I attempted to photograph some of these exhibits, caverns and rooms. I have included my images in the blog, I'm quite pleased how the images turned out in such challenging circumstances. This not so much testament to the photographer but more to the performance of the remarkable Nikon D850 DSLR camera.

Our group was called forward and we met up with our guide. Another lovely Polish lady. We were given a radio receiver and a set of ear pieces each, After ensuring that we could all hear her we entered the main mine reception area. It was nice to be out of the cold and into the warm. However, as we were about to find out, cold really wasn't going to be an issue.

We were told that we would enter the mine complex by descending vis the Mikołaj Daniłowicz Shaft. This meant that we would descend using approximately 380 steps to level I which is about 64 metres. Passing through a surprisingly small door we started down the wooden steps. The staircase was separated into flights of 10-15 steps with a small landing at the end before turning 180 degrees to the next set of steps. Down and down we went. The temperature got warmer the further down we went.

Looking down the wooden staircase

When we finally arrived at Level 1 our guide began to give us some statistics about our visit and about the mine. She explained that the length of the tour route would be about 3.5 kilometres, that the average temperature inside the mine was between 17 and 18ºC, that we would eventually drop down another 2 levels to a final depth of 135 metres. The next thing she said was music to my ears, The return to the surface is by lift from Level III (135 m). This was good as I really wasn't sure if my dodgy knee would make the climb back by stairs.

It's not really the purpose of this blog post to go into the history and the full detail of the mine suffice it to say that it has been in existence since the 11th century and that the salt produced by the mine has been important to the economy of the area and of Poland for some considerable time. Full details of the of the history of the mine can be found on the mines website The “Wieliczka” Salt Mine

There are many caverns and rooms carved into the salt walls and these are a feature of the mine. The mine workers carved various chapels into the walls for the purpose of worship the biggest of which is St. Kinga's Chapel, a cavernous cathedral is the depths of the mine. There are also various other carvings and monuments carved into the mine walls including a monument to Nicolaus Copernicus an astronomer, doctor, translator, economist, military commander. He was one of the first guests who visited the Wieliczka Mine. The salt sculpture depicting Nicolaus Copernicus was unveiled on the 500th anniversary of the birth.

Monument to Nicolaus Copernicus

We continued to descend down towards Level three, passing through caverns and tunnels lined with salt rock walls. We were encouraged to touch the walls and taste the salt on our fingers. In each exhibition area we stopped and our guide explained where we were and what took place there.  

Mine Exhibit

At Level 2 the temperature had risen to a point where people had begun to remove their outside coats, hats and scarves. It was incredible. At the surface it was a wintry 2ºC but down here it was like a warm spring day.

One of the smaller chapels in the mine

At every turn there was something that was more remarkable than the last thing you saw. It was hard to believe that people of all ages worked in this place, mining salt, by nothing more than candlelight, We don't know we're born !!

Mineworker Exhibit

Just when I though I couldn't be any more amazed we arrived at Level 3. Our attention was drawn to a gap in the salt wall that, at first sight, appeared to be a balcony overlooking a cavern. When we approached the gap we realised we were looking over the top of the balcony into a vast carved church. Lit by salt rock chandeliers hanging from the high roof the chapel is enormous. My images really don't convey the sheer size and the magnitude of this place. What we were looking at was St Kinga’s Chapel. I'd heard so much about this place but all that I heard paled into insignificance against actually standing here overlooking the chapel.

Looking into St.Kinga's Chapel from the balcony.

According to the Wieliczka  website "It is said that the temple was created by three sculptor miners: Józef Markowski, Tomasz Markowski and Antoni Wyrodek, but in reality, there were more artists, because the new generations of miners are constantly adding something to each other. Visiting the Tourist Route, you will learn about the history of the chapel and the unusual works of art made of rock salt".

We descended into the chapel by a staircase carved into the rock. Standing at floor level in the chapel you really get a sense of the size of it. There are statues and carvings throughout the chapel and our guide allowed us some extra time here to give us chance to explore more thoroughly. We made a point of trying to see as much as we can. Because of the huge chandeliers there was a little more light than in other places in the mine so I did manage to grab some interesting shots here.

Chandelier

St. Kingas Chapel

The Last Supper Carving

Salt Statue of the Pope

St Kinga’s Chapel was the last destination on the actual tour and from here we made our way through a beautiful lagoon with greenish blue water coloured by the salt in the water.

Lagoon

From the lagoon we moved on to the gift shop. A gift shop !! 135 metres below the ground in a salt mine was a gift shop. We spent about 10 minutes here buying some souvenirs before we were called to start making our way back to the surface. We knew we'd be taking a lift back to the surface but as we made our way there we stopped by another area. Through a door we were shown a concert hall which was carved out of the rock down here at 135 metres. Here all sorts of events take place including Christmas Carol concerts, Operas and various other events.

Finally we moved up another set of stairs to the entrance to the same lifts as the miners used. The lifts take about 10 people at a time and can be quite claustrophobic. We crammed in and the cage door was closed. The lift ascended at considerable speed. At the top we handed in our radio receivers and threw our ear pieces into a bucket. What an experience!! The tour lasted over two hours but it passed so quickly.

If you decide to visit Krakow then I can highly recommend that you allow some time to visit Wieliczka Salt Mine. It's totally awe inspiring and well worth the time. I can also recommend Escap2Poland as an internal tour company. They were punctual, courteous and reasonably priced.  

Once again my thanks to my Daughter Becki and my Son Ben for this unforgeable experience.

 

 

 

 

 Auschwitz - Birkenau visit - January 2020 - Part 2

The thoughts and opinions in this blog are mine and mine alone. The details of the visit are recalled to the best of my ability.

Still reeling from all that we had seen and heard during our visit to Auschwitz I we boarded the mini bus for the short journey to Auschwitz II Birkenau.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

The journey took about 20 minutes and we arrived at the Visitor Centre which is about a 10 minute walk from the camp.

One of the shots on my shot list was the archetypal image looking through the arch of the main gate and along the railway line towards the selection platform. What we hadn't realised was the the month of my 60th birthday coincided with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz (27th January). As part of the celebrations the main entrance archway and buildings had been enclosed in a huge white tent-like structure to allow dignitaries and survivors to attend the celebrations irrespective of the Polish winter weather. Therefore the image above is a composite of the camp barbed wire and a stock shot of the entrance arch.  

This tent-like structure put and end to my plans for that particular shot but it also made me reconsider what shot I could get. We met up with our lovely Polish guide again and we followed her as she made her way towards the main camp. This time we didn't have the radio receiver and ear piece which meant keeping quite close to the main group if we wanted to hear the commentary. Before setting out she reminded us that whereas Auschwitz I was a re-purposing of an existing army barracks, Auschwitz II was a purpose built camp with one purpose in mind. The execution of those deemed not required and the holding of those who were considered fit for work and could be made to serve the Nazi regime in some way.

Walking along a small road and crossing a railway line we got out first glimpse of the camp. The barbed wire fences lined the road and watch towers placed every few hundred yards. It seemed to me, at first, that the wire fences simply lined the approach roads until I realised that the fences were actually lining the perimeter of the camp itself.

Perimeter Fence

Passing through a gate in the fence, we were now in the camp. It was massive. I couldn't take it in. As far as the eye could see were either prison buildings or the remains of prison buildings. The main gate, to our right,  was closed in preparation for the celebrations so we had entered the camp slight further down the road. We were walking down a concourse with the Women's Camp huts to our left and the selection ramp and remaining transport carriage to our right.

Women's Camp

Hut Remains

During our visit to Auschwitz I we had seen images of the selection process on the ramp. We had seen how the prisoners we separated into groups. Men in one group and women and children in the other. Separating families meant nothing to the Nazis. All that mattered was whether someone was of use or not. Those that were of no use, the old, the young, the disabled, etc. were sent immediately from the selection ramp to the concourse and to the gas chambers. This was the 'Walk of Death'. Our guide explained that were were going to follow their path along the 'Walk of Death' to the gas chambers.

Hut Remains with Transport Carriage and platform in the background

From a photography point of view there was so much to point the camera at. It was a balancing act trying to take photographs and also be at the right place to listen to what our guide had to tell us.

We stood at the junction of the path from the selection ramp and the path to the gas chambers. Our guide explained that the huts at the camp were built from stone and brickwork taken from surrounding villages that were demolished by the Nazi's.  As that fact sunk in I looked to my right at the selection ramp and the looked to my front towards the gas chambers. So many people had turned right and walked to their fate along these paths. It was a chilling thought and caused me to lose track of our tour group.

Railway Line looking towards the Gas Chambers/ The Walk of Death is to the left.

A few minutes passed before I realised that our tour group had moved on and was quite a long way in front standing by an information board. My mind was racing. I wanted to catch up and listen to then next lot of information but at the same time I wanted to capture as many images of the camp as I could because I knew we were on a circular walk and that we wouldn't be passing this way again

I started walking towards our group and paused to take in the sheer size of this place. To the left of me were the women's huts that have been left in place as part of the museum but also as a reminder of the horrors that took place here. To the right of me were the remains of huts that had been demolished. Hundreds of huts as far as the eye could see. Huts that, at the camps peak operation, contained over 90,000 prisoners.

The path to the gas chambers was lined with barbed wire and, of course, the obligatory guard towers just to ensure that no one attempted to escape. I finally caught up with our group at the dividing fence between two sets of blocks. Looking up I saw the lights that ran along the fences making sure that everyone could be seen.

Fences and Lights

Our guide explained that prisoners were made to walk from the camp to local factories to perform forced labour. They walked in all weathers and if any prisoner died during the walk in either direction then their comrades were made to carry them until they returned to the camp at the end of the day. If the count of the prisoners that left in the morning did not match the count of the prisoners returning in the evening then the block would be punished.

Watchtower

It was at this point of the visit that we heard the story of Lilly Jacob. On the day of her liberation, in the Dora concentration camp hundreds of miles from Auschwitz, Lilly came across a photo album in a deserted SS barracks.  The album contained not only pictures of her family as they arrived on the ramp and unknowingly awaited their death but it also contained a complete record of the extermination process from start to finish.  It was also the only photographic record of Jews arriving at Auschwitz II. To ensure its safe keeping Lilly passed the album to be  safeguarded at Yad Vashem. The 'Auschwitz Album' can be viewed on their website.

Having heard this amazing story we continued along to the end of the path until we came to the 'Monument To The Victims' commemorating the victims of Auschwitz erected in 1967. We took some time to look at the different memorial stones and their inscriptions. As with most of the things at Auschwitz, it's enormous. It was at this point that my son drew my attention to the fact that we were actually standing at the end of the infamous Railway Line. I turned around to find myself looking up the railway line towards the main gate. This was one of the main shots that I wanted but had somehow lost track of that desire because of all of the other thoughts swimming around my mind as we toured the camp.

Railway Line and Selection Ramp

For a while I simply stared along the track and tried to imagine what was happening here over 75 years previous. Other visitors were trying to take the same image so I quickly dropped to my knees and took a couple of shots. At the end of the Railway line in the shot above you can just make out the tent-like construction that enclosed the main gate and arch. Yes, it would have been nice to see the main gate but I'm more than satisfied with this image. The lack of the gate doesn't really detract from the subject here.

My son and I caught up with our guide as she moved us away from the Monument to the remains of the gas chambers IV and V and the crematoria. The Nazis demolished the chambers in an attempt to disguise their crimes at the end of the war. As you stand a look at the remains you begin to realise that this camp was designed for death at an industrial scale. Totally mechanised. Prisoners entered at one end, got undressed, were gassed and then passed straight to the crematorium to be cremated. Not far from the chambers is a pond into which the ashes of those cremated were disposed of.

Demolished Gas Chambers

Demolished Gas Chambers

We continued our tour by entering one of the only blocks that were accessible. This was in the Women and Children's section. This was yet another reminder that children were held here and were treated no differently to any other inmate. 

Children's Block

As we entered the block we walked to an area that appeared to be a large shelf. Our guide explained that what we were looking at was the 'accommodation' for the inmates and that they slept 3 or 4 to a 'shelf'. Each 'shelf' had one below at ground level and one above. The prisoners were given straw to sleep on. She also explained that as most of the prisoners were on the brink of starvation and that one of the effects of starvation is diarrhoea. Because of the way they were stacked the diarrhoea from those above ran onto those below. Women and children alike.

Sleeping Accommodation

Inside the block the paintings and drawings created by the children of the block still adorned the walls. Although photography was permitted all over the camp I didn't feel I could photograph the art. It felt too personal. We completed our tour of Auschwitz - Birkenau by leaving this block and walking slowly back towards the visitors centre. As we walked we tried to take in the magnitude of the camp and of the atrocities that took place here.

More Camps Huts

Once again it's hard to believe that any regime is capable of designing, building and operating such a place. Man’s inhumanity to man is very much demonstrated that this awful yet fascinating place. It remains here as a reminder from history that nothing like this should ever be allowed to happen again. When you consider that Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II Birkenau was the biggest camp in the system but it was only one of a network of camps the reality really hits home.

As we left I took the image below. It is of the main railway line that fed the camps from the outside. The line is now disused.

The Feeder Line to the Camp.

If you've ever considered visiting the Auschwitz Memorial Museum then you really must. Nothing you've read or seen on TV or in the movies can replace the experience of actually being here. Standing where all of this took place. Although you can tour the camps without a guide I strongly recommend that you take the guided tour. By taking the guided tour you really get to experience the camps at a human level as stories and experiences are passed on by people who know everything there is to know about it.

My thanks to my daughter, Becki and son Ben for this mind-blowing experience that I will never ever forget.