The Mist And The Tower

Mossy hummock of Polytrichastrum formosum, Bank Haircap. Toys Hill, 21 January 2014.

Another walk round Toy's Hill, following the one pictured here: Toy's Hill in Autumn. This time it was wetter and mistier. I walked a different route, passing mossy hummocks like this one.  There are many hummocks like this in some woods.  I suspect that they are eroded root balls pushed up when trees fall over.

Myxomycete on wet deadwood.  Toy's Hill, 21 January 2014.

At the bottom of the hill there was even more moss.  This shows a Myxomycete, an odd thing that moves around like a slow slime in one stage of its lifecycle, then stops and makes spores.  In the background, the fallen trees familiar from my previous walk.

Eroded pathway.  Toys Hill, 21 January 2014.

The rain has clearly had an effect.  Some of the paths are like this, with eroded channels down the middle.  It's almost like walking up a stream bed.

The pond at Toys Hill, 21 January 2014.

At the bottom is a pond that was used to provide water for the nearby Emmets estate.  This photo makes it look much bigger than it is. In fact the far bank is just to the left of this view and cuts in a straight line towards this viewpoint.

The Bat Tower at Toys Hill comes into view. 21 January 2014.

The route comes back up the hill, crosses a road, and loops around back to the car park.  Along the way is this Bat Tower, once a water tower but now converted specifically to be a bat roost.  So the name is not just fanciful.

This hill is the highest point in Kent, and you can see that there is no mist up here.