Autumn at Charlecote and Rutting Season

As you know one of my favourite places to pop out to if I have any spare time is Charlecote Park. When my daughter was younger, she could not say 'Charlecote' so it became 'Chocolate Park' and was called this for many years :)

Autumn is a lovely time to visit, trees are changing colour and conkers and acorns are falling from them. Watch your head when walking under some of the acorn trees, those squirrels are busy and I am sure they shake those trees just as I walk under them! It was raining acorns on my head! As for conkers, they are a real sign of Autumn, there are loads of Conkers here and they are all lovely and shiny.
                                             



I really enjoyed my walk today and was joined by a very good friend who I met when my son was three years old and going to a special school in Warwick. It just happened that we also lived across the road from each other in Leamington Spa. She has always been my sanity, especially in those early years. She knows who she is and reads my blog so I thank you so much for being there and for still being there today. She understood where I was coming from as she herself was in the same situation and bring up a child with autism and I understood her too. Having that support from someone who has been there, or is going through the same thing at such an early time in your children's life, makes all the difference. These days we don't get to see each other as much as I would like, but we do manage to escape together sometimes. This day was one of those days :)






We were really lucky today with spotting  the deer and to be honest, If my friend wasn't there, I would have probably missed most of them. She spotted so many I didn't, how I missed them I really don't know, Thanks to her I did get them on camera. We started our walk around the edge of Charlecote, in the Village and over the little bridge, a pretty view with the changing colours of the trees along the roadside.





             One of the squirrels knocking the acorns on my head!

A big part of Autumn

 I managed to get some great shots of the deer from the fence around the park. Watch the road if you walk this way as there is no footpath.

These look like they are telling me off!

The bucks are very active and very alert, you really do not want to get too close at this time of year. They also look their best and so solid looking right now, I wouldn't mess with them and neither should you!

                      A buck on the other side of the river standing very proud.

              Here is another buck which was guarding his area under the trees

The last time I saw the bucks, they were all scattered on their own, now they have groups of does and their young around them. One female and her young started to move away from the rest and the buck really moved, he chased the mother across the field bouncing as he went. If you haven't seen a buck run, it's no different to the young, only the young look like the are jumping, with the bucks, it really is a bounce and they move quick! This buck wanted to keep all his females close and he was across that field in no time at all. I find it really interesting to watch the rutting season as the rest of the year, these deer seem quite mellow and laid back, hormones start flying and so do they!
                                 

          Anyone else noticed the smiley face on the ball on the bridge?

Look at the lovely colour of the Autumn trees on the approach to Charlecote Park.

                                                 

                  A lovely holly bush on the right hand side

We saw a few bucks on our visit, they were all really active and alert so perfectly understandable why West Park is closed for now. They do gather around the edge sometimes so can be seen some days from the fence or from across the river in the main park. After we walked in the village for a little while we went inside Charlecote Park, stopping for a coffee of course :)
                                   

We walked to the river at the back of the house, the garden here is still so full of colour it really is beautiful but today my attention went to another animal who was demanding some attention, One of Charlecote's cats Jasper. I am a cat person and have some myself so had to give him the attention he wanted :)
                             

We were slowly going to make our way around the lake when my friend spotted a buck just the other side of the river, he was a real fine looking animal and stood so proud. We quickly walked around the house towards the waterfall and luckily he had not moved. He stood there so alert , tail swishing from side to side, it wasn't until a few young female deer came near that the noises started. In Rutting season the bucks make a calling sound, you can hear it if you listen, even if you can't see them. This next photo is of that buck calling.
                                                   

The same buck taking a rest.

 We followed the river to the main gate, on our way back and saw some beautiful young deer, they really are lovely animals.
                                             

While on our walk in the village we also popped into the Garden Centre which is across the road from Charlecote next to National rust's reception, it was full of pumpkins, squashes and other autumn vegetables. Seeing them, make this time of year feel even more like Autumn and some of the shapes you get are really funny!
                       

I am not making any comment about the next one, I nearly put a face on it so it would look like a duck :)

Here are some more lovely shapes of Autumn vegetables.

These look ideal for Halloween 

 I really enjoyed the walk yesterday, with changing seasons and changing colours, Charlecote looks different and  there are always new things to see, you just have to look and you will see them.

Too many people miss so much by constantly being in a rush all the time and never take even an hour here and there just to get a little fresh air and have a little walk in the countryside away from the hustle and bustle of town or city life. It really makes a difference and it is amazing how it can clear your head and make you feel refreshed. It does mine and I can tell you it is much needed. My escapes and walks are what keep me going. They clear my head from all the stresses in life, even if it's just for that short time while I am out, it gives me that break which stops it building up. Everyone needs an escape or break from it all, how you do it is your choice, this is mine.

Ok so I lied, I said this blog would be shorter than the last and I don't think it is. Sorry if I got carried away but hope you still enjoyed it x

A BIG thanks to my friend who joined me on my adventure. Much appreciated x

 For more about Charlecote Park you can read a couple of my previous blogs, links here.

   http://janaruzena.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/escapes-to-charlecote-and-deer-hunting.html

        http://janaruzena.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/charlecote-west-park.html

                       http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/charlecote-park/