
Wiltshire in Pictures: Sunny days, waterside walks and Longleat
Sunshine and greenery have been in the spotlight in Wiltshire - but there has also been a local election and trips to the polling stations.The National Trust's Mompesson House, in Salisbury's Cathedral Close, is hosting its Festival of Blossom until 1 June.And although things have cooled down now, spots across the county were basking in very warm sunshine for much of the week.
Tractors for charity: 300 tractors and 4x4s have been out for a special road run on Salisbury Plain in aid of the Stars Appeal, the Salisbury Hospital charity. It is part of Berwick St John Country Fayre.
Water wings: Coate Water Park in Swindon attracted plenty of bird life during the hot weather this week, as this picture taken by Jeremy Stern shows.
Moving it: The lemurs at Longleat had a chance to warm up in the sun this week - this one appeared to be either inspecting its foot or doing some exercises.
School success: Two Swindon primary schools - East Wichel and Rodbourne Cheney - have been shortlisted for the title of the Primary School of the Year at the Tes school awards. Year Four pupils at East Wichel got out into the sun to celebrate.
Clear skies: Weather watcher Stormchaser Al took this lovely photograph in Horningsham, a parish which is part of the Longleat estate.
Sea of yellow: Many fields in Wiltshire are now filled with rapeseed, which covers landscapes in bright yellow. Weather Watcher Naddervalley captured this scene in Chilmark in the south of the county.
Polling day: one of the many polling stations open for the local elections this week at Malmesbury library, where the sign was more welcoming with flowers.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
23-05-2025
- BBC News
Lost mansion revealed as spring sunshine bakes Clumber Park
The remains of a lost mansion in the Nottinghamshire countryside has had its outline revealed by the baking spring the UK experiencing the driest spring in over a century, water usually in the soil has evaporated away to reveal the outline of the stately home which once stood at the heart of Clumber Park, near of the walls of Clumber House, which was taken down in 1938, and its formal garden terrace have started to show at the National Trust trust said the "parch marks" are "giving visitors a window into the rich history of the park". A spokesperson for Clumber Park said: "Clumber House was considered one of the finest non-Royal houses in the country."Built in the late 1760s, the house had over 100 rooms filled with paintings and treasures, as well as particularly impressive gardens." Countryside manager Gareth Jones, who took the aerial images, said last year up to 22 May, 280mm of rain fell on the year, he has recorded just shadows of the past structures were previously revealed during the dry summer of 2018, when a previously unknown sundial was revealed by the imprints in the earth.


BBC News
15-05-2025
- BBC News
Shropshire dry weather sees 24 fires in the open in a week
Dry and sunny weather has seen 24 fires in open spaces over the past seven days in Fire and Rescue Service station manager Craig Jackson said there had been a long spell of dry weather, and also prolonged winds coming from the east."When the winds come from the east, or south, it's quite a dry wind, because it's coming across a large land mass," he said, adding that easterly winds dried out fuel for fires such as grass, gorse and Jackson said the fire service was asking the public to stay vigilant, adding that the majority of fires in the open were caused by people. "They're normally through barbecues, outdoor fires, cigarettes, bonfires in gardens where the hot embers can travel in the wind and start fires elsewhere," he urged people having barbecues at home to keep them away from fences and sheds, to put them out properly afterwards, and to keep hosepipes or buckets of water to in the open and wildfires had an impact on the fire service, he said, explaining a fire in the open was only classed as a wildfire when it reached a certain criteria."Wildfires take a lot of resources and also a lot of water," he said the fire service worked with other partners such as the councils, Met Office and National Trust to identify where the fire risks were. "We make sure we have plans in place so if we do have a large fire in those areas, we can move resources and act quickly," he said. Trees and grass alight Incidents recorded as "fire in open" in recent weeks in Shropshire included a fire in a hedgerow caused by discarded smoking were fires at recreation grounds, others involved fences and decking, and some fires involved bonfires and braziers and an unattended campfire. A fire in Albrighton followed hot ashes added to garden of grass and undergrowth trees on fire came from several incidents involved hot ashes in undergrowth, two involving barbecues, and one involving a discarded tyre. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.


Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Telegraph
Farne Island puffins ‘may not survive the next century'
Seabirds on the Farne Islands, including puffins, may not survive the next century. Sophia Jackson, an area ranger, warned that climate change and extreme weather 'are the biggest threats facing both our seabirds and seal populations'. It comes as the National Trust sets up two webcams so visitors can watch the seabird breeding season to mark the centenary of the charity taking over the islands off the Northumberland coast. One will be trained on the puffin burrows and one on the cliffs where some of the 200,000 seabirds gather every year to breed. National Trust rangers will carry out the annual puffin count to monitor the number of breeding pairs. The wildlife haven, accessible to visitors by boat from Seahouses, is made up of as many as 28 islands depending on the tide and is home to 23 species of seabirds. Visitor numbers have been restricted in recent years, firstly by the Covid lockdown and then by avian flu which badly affected some species. The webcams will allow even more people to experience the birds' bustling lives on the islands. Regarding the next 100 years, Ms Jackson said: 'We are doing the best we can to ensure all our seabirds have a bright future. 'But climate change, especially its impact on the severity of winter storms, and extreme weather events are the biggest threats facing both our seabirds and seal populations. 'Summer storms resulting in heavy rain at the wrong time of year can flood puffin burrows on the islands, as well as impacting how the birds fare when on their migrating routes. 'Winter storms can also wash seal pups off the rocks and several pups perished when Storm Arwen hit the islands in 2021. ' Warming sea temperatures and the availability of the seabirds' food sources, as in different sorts of fish moving further northwards to find cooler temperatures, also means that the birds are expending more energy to seek out the food, and also spending more time away from the nest resulting in starvation or abandonment of young chicks.' She added: 'In this significant year we want more people to become 'watchers' of this annual spectacle to have a window into this unique world. 'We hope by seeing the birds, people will be inspired to visit in person one day, but also to realise just how special these wild isles are, and how we must do all we can to ensure these islands and bird species have a long and healthy future ahead.' The National Trust took over ownership in 1925 from the Farne Islands Association and it has been monitoring seabird numbers since the 1950s with the data used to direct conservation work Ms Jackson said: 'Looking back on the records for the different populations, it is very clear how important regular monitoring of the different seabird populations has been – despite different methodologies – for informing our conservation work on the islands, but also for keeping track of the impacts of climate change through warming seas and more frequent storms.'