Test Way

On a blazing hot afternoon, I took a walk down by the river hoping that the air by the water might be cooler.
The river along with a patchwork of floodplain meadows, marshes and reed beds is part of the Lower Test nature reserve and home to a variety of bird life.
This spot is only a stone’s throw from the waterways of Southampton Docks and the tidal stream of Southampton Water, yet according to the Hampshire Wildlife Trust which manages the area, it seems another world. It is also part of the celebrated Test Way, a 44-mile footpath from the sea at nearby Eling meandering through Hampshire to the downs in the north of the county.
Today was no exception for discovering wildlife with my relatively short walk accompanied by a cacophony of bird song.