Castle Vale Gardens with flowers and view of the Royal Border bridge, plus birds by the river and cliffs in Berwick-upon-Tweed - 9th May 2026

I had been to Holy Island in the morning and the bus back to Berwick-upon-Tweed was at 16.00.  It was now good weather after the rain so, on my return, I went for a short stroll in Castle Vale Gardens

There was an amazing display of Rhododendrons in the gardens

plus these lovely mauve flowers, the name of which I don't know

The Royal Border railway bridge from the viewpoint in the gardens

A multitude of Wild Garlic by the steps from Castle Vale Gardens down to the river Tweed

View of the Royal Border bridge from below by the edge of the river

I wandered further along the river and took a photo of the three bridges - two road and one railway

Very tall  brick tower in Spittal - on the opposite side of the river Tweed

and Berwick-upon-Tweed lighthouse

An Oystercatcher was feeding at low tide on the river bed

Male Linnet perching at the top of a shrub on land at the edge of Little Beach

and a male Stonechat perching in front of the wall

Female Linnet perching on a piece of wood

Two dogs running along the edge of the beach with the lighthouse in the distance

Para-glider or kite surfer had landed on the edge of the cliff

Meadow Pipit perching on a post on the cliff

Birds and flowers in Battersea Park - 25th April 2024

Favourite colourful Mandarin drakes seen during another great walk round Battersea Park

Beautiful white Rhododendron near the path at the edge of the lake

Flowering tree - also by the lake

Orange blossom at the edge of the path

Pair of Egyptian geese with their young goslings

Colourful planting in one of the small flowerbeds

Wonderful dark pink and white Rhododendrons near the sub-tropical garden

Young Magpie perching on a railing

Carrion Crow sunning its wings in a small flowerbed

Beautiful Tulips and Pansies in a flowerbed near the riverside part of the park

The Wisteria on the pergola in the Old English Garden was in full flowering mode

I sat down on a bench near the Wisteria and was joined by an inquisitive pair of Mallards

There were lots of pretty flowers in the Old English Garden