The West Country

The Old Granary Gift Shop, Cockington, Torbay

Taken at Weston Super Mare

Watchet Marina on a cold winter afternoon. No water but plenty of mud, mud, glorious mud! Watchet is a very old coastal town which took its name from 'wacet', the blue dye found in the local cliffs. It has an attractive esplanade alongside the marina, and features an excellent statue of Coleridge's Ancient Mariner,from the 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner, part of which was said to have been written here. Watchet forms part of the Coleridge Way, a 51 mile footpath linking sites associated with the poet who lived for a while in nearby Nether Stowey. Best enlarged

Statue of the Ancient Mariner which stands on Watchet Marina Somerset. (From the poem 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. "Ah ! well a-day ! what evil looks Had I from old and young! Instead of the cross, the Albatross About my neck was hung." Best enlarged

Bridgwater Bay (Low Tide) with the low lying Steart Island on the left of the image, this is part of Bridgwater Bay National Nature Reserve (NNR) Best viewed in lightbox © copyright , All rights reserved, Image may not be used without my explicit written permission

As Free As A Bird Taken at Steart Marshes, Somerset. Link is 'Free Bird' by Lynyrd Skynyrd. www.youtube.com/watch?v=np0solnL1XY Please press z to view large

Please view Large. Porlock Weir and the boats are left high and dry. Link is 'Stranded' by Van Morrison www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsy4P9Cw90Q

Steaming the Coast - Odney Manor steams towards Blue Anchor Station (West Somerset Railway) The link is 'Mystery Train' by The Band www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uto9t8k-Flg Please view large

Steep Holm Island from Brean Beach at low tide. The link is 'On The Beach' by Chris Rea www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X0FjlybCqs Please view full screen

Dunster Castle taken from the A39. The link is 'Castle in The Air' by Don McLean www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTqi7iEZEWA Please view large

It's a hard life. Trees bent by the wind on Exmoor. The musical link is 'Blown Away' by Carrie Underwood www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJgoHgpsb9I Please view large

Wells Cathedral Musical link is Hallelujah performed by Rufus and Martha Wainwright with Joan Wasser www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEIGuRZFDzY or Rufus and Martha Wainwright at Glastonbury in 2007, added as Glastonbury is jsut up the road from Wells www.youtube.com/watch?v=12m3CRZQkHc

Vicars Close, Wells. Dating from the mid 14th Century and believed to be the oldest purely residential street with original buildings surviving intact in Europe, this beautiful street tapers by 10 feet at the far end, giving the illusion of greater length. The buildings were originally used to house chantry priests, - hence the link I have chosen - - Bon Jovi and 'Livin' on A Prayer www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDK9QqIzhwk . Couldn't resist this one either. The street gives the illusion of being longer than it is and this track comes from the 'Use Your Illusion II' album. - Guns n Roses and 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' www.youtube.com/watch?v=86A9DW1bQOk Hope I can be forgiven for these links! Please press 'z' to enlarge.

An Exmoor view. The signpost made me think of Peter Frampton's 'Show Me The Way' www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al9WmowJ3bQ Please view large

Watchdog A dog watches his master intently at Porlock Weir. Not sure if it was loving devotion, hence the link 'You're My Best Friend' by Queen www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaZpZQG2z10 or if he was willing him to hurry up! I added a second link to cover both bases! Tired of Waiting by the Kinks www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz64hWng2vM

Minehead Shed and North Hill. 'Water Tower Town' by Scott McCreery was the obvious link for this shot www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhI6Mwj1Lxk

Kilve,, Somerset on a breezy Summer's day The coastline of South Wales can be glimpsed across the water. Please view large. The link is 'Summer Breeze' by George Benson & Al Jarreau www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3qYZv9J9dM

Kilve, Somerset Kilve beach is part of the Blue Anchor to Lilstock site of Special Scientific Interest, and is a good place to find fossils or to go rock-pooling. On the shore a Saint Keyne serpent can be seen, which a local legend says is a snake turned to stone, but is in reality an ammonite. Along this coast the cliffs are layered with compressed strata of oil-bearing shale and blue, yellow and brown lias embedded with fossils. (Wikipedia) I loved all the patterns and have linked this with a song by The Last Shadow Puppets called 'Pattern' www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh3T9caG6G4 Sight and Sound