WEST MOORS

This page has details of our location, observing site & instruments etc.
[Map of area]

West Moors lies just to the north of the A31 (Ferndown bypass), on the road that runs from Ferndown to Verwood. The county boundary (red-solid line) lies not too far away to the east. Our site is on the south-side of the village, at an altitude of 17 m. Also shown is the location of Bournemouth [Hurn] airport, about 5.5 km (or ~3.5 miles) SE of us, at a slightly lower altitude of ~ 10m.

The area that both West Moors & Hurn lie in is entirely within the 'Poole Basin', bounded (see map) by the coast / Channel to the south, and the various Downs/Hills to the north and west. To the east, the New Forest has a micro-climate specific to itself, and beyond that lies the major area that makes up Southampton water & the Solent.

Local soils are loose clay/sand mix - very poor heathland type, though somewhat richer soils lie adjacent to the various rivers i.e. Stour, Avon - these being the two closest major rivers; the Uddens 'stream' runs to the south and west of the village, draining off the foothills of Cranbourne Chase, which then feeds into the Moors river, which in turn feeds the Stour close to Hurn.

In climate classification terms, we are essentially within a warm/mild temperate region, with humidity perhaps higher than further inland (due proximity of Channel waters). Frosts are certainly a feature (too far from coast to avoid), but except at peculiar places like Hurn, the degree of cooling is not excessive. We are reasonably well sheltered from airstreams coming from the north (long land track) and west/NW (combination of Welsh & West Country hills/mountains/moors & our own 'local' hills), but fully exposed to the south, saving only that air has to pass across what is now a sizeable conurbation of Poole-Bournemouth. Sea breeze effects are of course notable, given the right synoptic patterns.

This view of our garden, taken in 2007, neatly shows why the readings of both temperature and rainfall must be considered highly suspect! Nothing to be done of course: we couldn't afford a bigger garden, and as we grow older, we can't cope with one either. The rainfall, surprisingly, is not too far removed from that recorded at Hurn [see above], but the temperatures are woefully out of line from a 'standard' site.

Standard mercury-in-glass maximum, minimum & ordinary sheathed thermometers, with a 'Sixes' pattern for checking. Also seen are the grass minimum thermometer (kept in the screen until put out in the evening), a hair hygrometer - cheap affair, but surprisingly accurate. Also you can just make out the electronic temperature probe (left/behind bulbs of thermometers) and the transmitter unit (far/right), and the standby rain measure.

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