It's November and the evenings are starting to draw in. We squeezed in a late afternoon walk and were treated to this rather fine sunset. With the winter solstice not too far away the sun is now setting behind the Isle of Frogs. The mix of cloud types somehow adds to the sense of 'fin du jour' quietude.

Wall and ferns

A hazy Nyland Hill forms the backdrop to this relaxed group making the most of the late afternoon sunlight slanting across the fields behind Compton House at the western edge of the town.

The Spindle is occasionally a small tree up to 5m high but is more often a shrub. There are three individuals along the railway walk between Axbridge and Shute Shelve tunnel. For most of the year they are unremarkable shrubbery but in autumn they produce these ravishing rose-red lobed fruits with orange seeds.

In the small picnic area at the edge of the car park the field maples have shed their leaves, giving us a quintessential autumn experience of shuffling and rustling through the leaves.

The late afternoon sun (our welcome friend) has managed to penetrate the cloud cover and is picking out the autumn colours in the trees at the edge of Kings Wood.

It's not always photogenic, this is what it looks like most of the time.

It's very dim in the cutting that leads up to Shute Shelve Tunnel. The lighting really demanded flash but I didn't want to startle this innocuous little bank vole who was scurrying about in the leaf litter right in front of us.

The valley slopes either side of the railway walk are rise into old woodland, Rose Wood to the east and Kings Wood to the west. This is English Nature's description:

"Rose Wood and King's Wood are ancient woodland sites. Two main woodland types can be distinguished: i) Field Maple-Ash --- Small-leaved Lime and ii) Hazel-Ash. Canopy species include Ash (Fraxinus excelsior), Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur), Small-leaved Lime (Tilia cordata) and Whitebeam (Sorbus aria). Wild Service-tree (Sorbus torminalis) is restricted to Rose Wood. The understorey is dominated by Hazel (Corylus avellana) with some Field Maple (Acer campestre) and Gueder-rose (Viburnum opulus). Ground flora species include Dog's Mercury (Mercurialis perennis). Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) and Meadow Saffron (Colchicum autumnale). The nationally rare Purple Gromwell (Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum) occurs at Rose Wood."

We're do appreciate a colourful sunset and the position of the setting sun in November results in some gorgeous palettes. These images were taken around half past five in the afternoon / evening.

Fabulous light.