Small and perfectly formed

Award-winning photographer David Chapman turns his lens on the Rame Head and its surrounding area

- David Chapman

This small AONB takes in Rame Head, Penlee Point, Kingsand and Cawsand, Mount Edgcumbe Country Park and the southern edge of Millbrook Lake.

Last year in Cornwall Life I recounted the details of a weeklong trip I took to Rame Head in July two years ago. I spent a week at Penmillard Farm, a small Caravan and Motorhome Club site, exploring the area on foot, bike, bus and ferry.

One of the things I like about a holiday in Cornwall is being able to park the van and rely only on foot and public transport to get around. The Rame Head AONB, being quite small, is an ideal one for this type of trip. On Rame Head I explored Kingsand and Cawsand; wandered the extensive Country Park at Mount Edgcumbe, complete with house and formal gardens; walked the coast path and spent some quality time at a Cornwall Wildlife Trust nature reserve at Penlee Battery. Beyond the boundary of the AONB, but still within easy reach, I visited Antony House and the Woodland Garden and took the ferry to Plymouth so I could get a view of Cornwall from the other side of the Tamar!

In fact it was the chance to go to Penlee Battery (Cornwall Wildlife Trust Reserve) which influenced my decision to visit Rame Head in July. I had heard it is a great place to see marbled white butterflies and I wanted to go and take some photos of them. While I was there I also found plenty of other butterflies including gatekeeper, comma, common blue, small tortoiseshell, and moths such as the six-spot burnet, silver-Y and cream spotted tiger. So I am going to break with tradition in this article by featuring some tips on photographing butterflies rather than views.