Garden Wildlife – Part 7 View from the windows

I realise that I’m very lucky to have such amazing views from our windows.

We live in a bungalow but we do have Velux windows that show the landscape for miles around.

We live at the end of a village surrounded by woodland and farmland.

I’ve often wondered how far I could actually see, so I’ve taken some photos and using an Ordnance Survey map worked out landmarks, then an online distance calculator to work out the distance ‘as the crow flies’.

In the photo below, through the gap where the two telegraph poles are, I can see 10 miles to the South West

This is the view West, again the horizon is roughly 10 miles.

To the North, North West took a little more time to work out as there are no real distinctive landmarks. The pylon in the photo is 1 km away and the first ridge of tree is Tar wood which is 4.5 miles away then beyond that on the horizon is the town of Witney, 7 miles away. I know that because in September we can just about work out the lights from the annual Witney Feast Fair.

Lastly the view to the North East is of a wood on a hill 2.5 miles away.

From the front of our house, I can watch the sun set. In the winter it sets to the left but as the spring moves through to summer the sun sets further and further to the right.

One thing I love watching out of the window is the rooks as they come in to roost for the evening as well as the geese and gulls heading in and out of Farmoor reservoir (2 miles away).