By: Blonde One
Our campsite in Edale had many things to recommend it but what as not really advertised was the wildlife there. There were sheep (lots of them) within earshot, there were cows just through the hedge that provided the foreground to a stunning view up to Mam Tor and Hollins Cross, there were some lovely moths, and there were toads!
Blonde Two is not too keen on toads and so didn’t really enjoy this aspect of our stay but I don’t mind them and tried several times to get them to pose for a photo. They were a little camera shy though!
The route from our tent to the campsite office and ablution block had two options: the longer option went through the car park and past the Visitor Centre, but the shorter route went along what we affectionately called the ‘toad road’. It was a short cut along a darker more secluded path that usually was popular amongst the toad population. I would always go along the toad road but Blonde Two preferred the longer route for obvious reasons. The toads were harmlessly sat on the path trying their best to camouflage themselves by looking like leaves or stones. You had to take care after dark on the toad road to make sure you didn’t step on them by accident: I didn’t fortunately.
Cor, that’s more than a tent in your first pic. Reminiscent of the way the French accommodated themselves before Agincourt. Not the slightest hint of dirt in the Olivier movie but Branagh was to compensate fifty or sixty years later.
I know, possibly our poshest camp yet! A long cry from a bivvy bag in February, some might say that we have got the two states mixed up. We positioned the tent perfectly in order to frame the lovely view.
I’m with B2 here. Large toads and frogs frighten the hell out of me. I’m not sure why – it’s only partly due to the unpredictability of the speed, distance and direction of their jumping.
What about the big black slugs that crawl up the outside of my inner tent? Have you had them? Thankfully none have yet managed to intrude inside. It seems to happen more on a wild camp where the grass is longer. I lie there and bat them off back into the grass between outer and inner tent then pretend they are not there.
Big slugs are also horrid. Did you know that Dartmoor lays claim to the world’s largest slug? The Ash-Black Slug can reach lengths of up to 30 centimetres!
Dear B1! ‘The toads were sitting harmlessly’ or ‘the toads were seated harmlessly’! Sorry – this annoying habit of correcting split infinitives and or past participles has been with me ever since childhood; I had a very pedantic Mother who corrected me at every opportunity! (As a maths teacher/ form mistress I had the compulsion to return English teachers’ reports for correction!) Mind you – the habit could come in useful if i were ever asked to proof read a Blonde Book! Love, & best wishes for next year, from B2’s GM
D’accord!
Whether they were seated, sat or sitting, they were definitely waiting to pounce on my feet as I walked past!
Hee – I wander around the world with a mental red pen too, especially when shopping. B1 and B2, what is it like camping in the Royal Albert Hall? Such style! My big blue tent is quite dwarfed. I love toads and frogs, but rarely see a toad. I have baby frogs in the long grass where my lawn used to be and a full-sized green frog was lurking behind my wheelie bin when I pulled it out yesterday. Conrad, you should love froggies too. They would love to eat all those big back slugs for you. These phobias are funny things – I really hate having to deal with spiders. They make my skin crawl. I wonder why there were so many toads on your campsite, B1; something must be attracting them. I think they prefer bigger ponds than frogs and they can survive tadpole predators better because their tadpoles are poisonous, whereas frog tadpoles are often eaten by other wildlife.
Our palace was fabulous wasn’t it! We had chairs and everything (such luxury). The porch is an optional extra to B1’s family tent (although we Blondes have spent more time in it than her family). It worked really well at rainy times as we could do useful Blonde things outside without getting wet. It also provided shade when needed.
P.S. Love your moth – is it a Large Emerald? I’m not very good at moths, but it has no chequered edging so it isn’t a Common Emerald and the white lines are not clear curves like the Small Emerald. Was it quite a big moth, around 2.5 cms.? The larvae of Large Emerald use birch, hazel and alder according to my field guide.
Yes it was big and there were some hazel trees around, so maybe it was a Large Emerald. It was very beautiful, far too beautiful to be living in the washing up room!