A blackberrying rival

I had the opportunity to go for a wander in the car after I'd been to the farmshop this morning. The bright weather disappeared as I reached the top of the escarpment and a few drops of rain began to fall.

I wanted to go to Gloucester to get some fresh tofu so took small lanes criss crossing the vasrious valleys between Bisley and Gloucester city down in the Severn Vale. I used to explore like this far more often than in recent times, and I realised how much I've missed. I stop often, look over fences peer into old farm buildings and try to find a high point to see the lie of the land.

I turned off the old droving road running north to Birdlip and headed gently downhill towards Cranham village and its common. Just before the slope became steep I saw this horse in a field separated behind a stone wall and wooden fence. I pulled over into another field's entrance, parked and scrambled over the wild plants on the verge to get close to the wall.

The horse looked up but didn't run away. I saw four other horses on the far side of the field, but realised they were separated by portable electric fencing, so perhaps this horse was actually alone. After a couple of minutes he walked straight towards me but I don't think I was very interesting. Instead he made a beeline for the scrubby hedgerow bushes just to my right. When I moved a few yards nearer I could see he was very gingerly eating blackberries. In the picture you can see its teeth clenched together, carefully enclosing a couple of berries in its mouth, and avoiding the brambles.

When I went back to the car I looked in the gateway of the field on the other side of the road and was surprised to see hundreds of sheep. They used to be ever present on these uplands as they formed the basis of the woollen industry until the 19th century. Now they are are a much rarer sight.