Day 2 of our weekend away was beautifully warm and bright. After a delicious breakfast we set off for Abbotsbury swannery. I'd never heard of a swannery before so I was interested to find out more. It all started with the Benedictine Monastery of St Peter being founded at Abbotsbury in the 11 century. Like all monasteries it had to be self sufficient and so the monks grew vegetable and caught fish. In addition from about 1393 they farmed the swans on the Fleet lagoon and this continued until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. A few years later Giles Strangways bought the land , including the swannery and the Strangways family was granted the privilege to claim ownership of all swans hatched at the swannery. Swans are large birds and therefore provide a lot of meat.
Over the centuries swans have been used for many purposes such as food as the meat was seen as a delicacy and luxury food. The female swan's flight feathers were used to make quill pens and for hat decorations whilst the down was used to stuff quilts and pillows.
Apart from Abbotsbury there are three other private owners of mute swans. These are the Worshipful Company of Vintners and the Worshipful Company of Dyers, who have ownership rights on a stretch of the river Thames and the Mayor of Maidstone has ownership on the River Medway. All other mute swans in England are the prerogative of the Crown.
There were mute swans of all ages plus Mallard, Widgeon, Coots, Tufted ducks, Pochard, Teal and Canada geese. The swans were all mute swans (but they do make a noise) My grandson thinks the juvenile swans have got dirty. I have told him their feathers will be white when they are grown up but he insists that they need a good wash.
The day was perfect for a walk around the swannery. The blue sky was so different to the leaden sky of rain earlier in the week.
There was also one lone Whooper swan. Whooper swans are large like the mute swans but have yellow on their beak instead of the red orange of the mute swans. The mute swans live in England all year round but the Whopper swans travel from Iceland and other colder areas in search of food. This could be the first of many Whooper swans to visit or it could be on it's way further south for the winter.
We had lunch in the cafe before heading to Lulworth Cove. Both of us have wanted to visit the cove for some time but it is better to avoid the area during the summer months, due to the number of visitors.
The cove was very calm at the time we visited, with children happily playing on the pebble beach and splashing around in the clear water.
The rock formations were amazing. I found the drops rather scary. I used to like heights when I was younger but now I feel a little queasy.
Two smaller coves and beautiful rock formations.
We enjoyed our walk at Lulworth and ended our visit with a delicious ice cream. The sun was starting to set as we headed back to our hotel. We had booked our dinner at an Italian restaurant and it made the perfect end to a great day. Tasty food and good wine. We walked back to the hotel in the dark, this time avoiding the sea front as the wind had got up a little and the temperature was much cooler.
I'll tell you about day three tomorrow but for now I need to go and cook dinner.
Take care
Lyndsey
