Journal

Thrilled with the just-launched website for our Carbon Productivity campaign. A lot more to come.

A few images, including a couple looking west from Gavin Starks’ converted Norwegian coaster near Tower Bridge, on 27 July; a poster now housed in the Museum of London which we would often see borne through Oxford Street by Stanley Green in the last century; and, while allowing the random generator to operate freely, a somewhat disconcerting image of me with an instabeard.

Continuing the theme of trips to different parts of southern England, we headed off to Dover and then Deal on Thursday, to see our Canadian friends Doug and Margot Miller. Doug founded GlobeScan in 1987, the same year we founded SustainAbility. Thirty years ago this year – and we have been fellow travellers pretty much ever since.

We walked along the beach from Deal to Walmer, visiting Walmer Castle, where I had to exit the castle to take an urgent call with Geoff (Lye). A high wind, with dust devils swirling across the gravelled drive alongside. Semi-apocalyptic feel.

Then the four of us walked back for dinner at Whits of Walmer, whose proprietors we knew from the days when they ran Whits in Kensington. Wonderful atmosphere and food in an old smugglers’ inn.

The next day, yesterday, Elaine and I went for the first time to see Dover Castle, expecting to stay a couple of hours – and staying five. Wonderful reconstruction of a royal court in the late 12th century in the Great Tower. Got there at opening time, so visitor numbers allowed a reflective exploration.

Later, we went down in the once-secret tunnels in which Operation Dynamo was planned, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk. As we were waiting to go down into the tunnels, a lone Spitfire growled past. Talking to the guide afterwards, he mentioned meeting one man who had been 17 when he was part of the crew of one of the Little Ships. He came back an old man.

Hope to see Christopher Nolan’s new Dunkirk film, launched this week. That said, it apparently pretty much ignores Ramsay’s role, and many other things. But at least it does help counter the misconception that the RAF went AWOL during the evacuation.

A delightful last supper at Babington House with the Mills family, where Simon is a founder member, and where Gaia used to work in the gardens aeons ago, before we set off back to London. Via Hill House, to see the Elkingtons of Little Rissington. Thrumming, as ever. Eleven – or was it thirteen? – to lunch.

Had read about the Sweet Track, but in the event more or less stumbled upon it went we visited Shapwick National Nature Reserve. Details of such trackways, created thousands of years ago, can be found here. The Sweet Track has been dated back to the spring of 3806 BC, so almost six thousand years ago.

The Avalon Marshes, of which Shapwick is part, are a wonderful example of how degraded environments can be restored to nature. odd to feel the sponginess of the earth underfoot – and roads hereabouts seem to undulate, which may be because of subsidence, or maybe cider drinking by the road-makers?