Path - Swan Farm to Grands Vaux

For years I've always wondered, coming down Langley Ave., is there a way up into those fields, any footpaths?

The answer is Yes, I recently discovered. There's a No Through Road called Swan Farm Lane, heading down from the exit of Grainville School's road...

At the end, Swan Farm. And to the left, an official Public Footpath to Grands Vaux...

.. so I got to stand behind that phone box at last :)

 A Bing map to illustrate what's what.

On the footpath. looking back at Langley Avenue...

.. to the right from that shot, a view over a field lets us see a distant Elizabeth Castle, amongst St.Helier's taller buildings.

Heading away from the official path, on what seems to be Permitted Access along a track between the fields.. the view back to the road where I had always wondered...

.. and there's an entrance, of sorts, to the grounds of Grainville School.

A bit farther along the track, and it emerges on the corner of Deloraine Road, at the top of the one-way hill.

Down said hill to Grands Vaux school, an old Cross...

.. and I took a detour to admire the streams below the reservoir...

.. a charming old house...

.. and a footpath opposite the GV primary school takes us behind Willow Grove to the depths of Pillar Gardens.. and another path goes right behind the houses and the woodland to emerge near the steep driveway to the Youth Center as seen here from just off the main road. The pathway back to Swan Farm is easily spotted off the car park around the corner up this road. All in all a rather pleasant bit of exploration for Team Crapaudmatic, and just goes to show that even after all these years there's still more to see! :)

Les Folies d'Olivet

Le Jardin d'Olivet is a nice piece of common land in Trinity, above the east side of Bouley Bay. A reasonably sized carpark leads off the corner of a lane.

The area mostly seems to be used by dog-walkers, and sadly not all of them pick up their mess. But anyway...

 .. it's been about 20 years since I last visited, so I thought I'd reacquaint myself with the place. The woodland on the left here leads nowhere (you have to go downwards for a fair climb before you can head west to Bouley Bay through another patch of woodland)...

.. but it's still worth a look around if you like an old (Victorian?) folly or two. This one can just be seen through the trees from the carpark. The last time I was here this was cracked, overgrown and at risk of collapse (as seen in 2007). Someone has got things back in order.

 The other side.

 Inside, from the doorway.

 Looking out of the 'window' from the first shot.

 Some colourful addition someone saw fit to bless us with.

 A little farther into the trees to the west (among a surprising number of blown-over trees), and there's another folly - round this time.

 Open at the top, and a floor of leaves at this time of year.

 Very heraldic.

Also lurking in the area is this, I wonder what it was?

 And in the private garden nearby, one of their own.

It was a pleasant walk and bit of exploration, one for parents with kids likely to be wow-ed by such things. Just be careful if there's a brisk north wind, it's only a couple of degrees C above ice making, and you're likely to catch a repulsive headcold.

*sniff*