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Wells Cathedral, Swan Hotel, Wells Street Market & Vicar's Close

After a day of touring Stourhead and The Newt , it was back to our hotel in Wells - The Swan. This is an older hotel with a bewilderingly complex floor plan. Narrow hallways, multi-level staircases, and endless turns, it was like something out of the Winchester widow's house. I was unable to locate my room after checking in and had to seek assistance.  The previous night, I had dinner in the hotel restaurant, and had fish and chips with traditional mushy peas. It was delicious.  Before leaving for Stourhead that morning, I walked down the street filled with quaint shops. A street market was in the process of setting up - Proceeding down the next few blocks leads you to Wells Cathedral and the surrounding area - Down a side street to Vicar's Close, Europe's oldest street with original buildings intact. Dating back to the mid-fourteenth century, the 27 residences were built for Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury. The houses are mostly occupied by students. I thought it was a bit of ...

Walking the Salmon Creek Trail


A few days ago a friend and I took a walk along the Salmon Creek Trail. This trail is less than a mile from our house and while I've glimpsed part of it along the highway, I'd never been on it and did not realize how extensive it is. My friend says the entire length is about 3.5 miles. We didn't walk the entire distance but got a good workout. We even got a glimpse of Mt. Hood (in the top photo) which is a rare happening. We also got another surprise near the end of the walk which you will see at the end of the post.






 





We were almost back to our entrance when I spotted a large bird flying from limb to limb. It was an owl and I managed to get a shot with my telephoto lens.

 


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. How fortunate are you: such fantastic trail, and only a mile from home. I'm surprised the mushrooms are still in such good condition. They often are a heap of mush at this point. Love the owl!

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  2. How fortunate are you: such fantastic trail, and only a mile from home. I'm surprised the mushrooms are still in such good condition. They often are a heap of mush at this point. Love the owl!

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  3. You have incredibly beautiful scenery in the PNW.

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  4. What a beautiful place to walk, and so close to your house.

    Great picture of the owl. That's a barred owl isn't it? The streaks on the breast are making me think barred. Those live on our farm and it's always exciting to see one. We hear them far more often than we see them.

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  5. Start with a volcano, end with an owl, beauty all the way. Thanks!

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  6. Wonderful pics, Philip! Thank you.

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  7. Fabulous shots of you little corner of.the world.

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