Blog :: Geograph Britain and Ireland

Blog Entries by Geograph Users

A visit to the derelict former RAF Yatesbury air base

26 days ago

It was one of those spur-or-the-moment decisions that have consequences. That Saturday morning, 6th December 2014, I was off to the annual Christmas Fayre in Devizes, and because the weather was bright and frosty, I decided to make the most of the petrol and go for a walk on my way back. I decided on Yatesbury because it was more or less on my route, and because, when I looked at my worn-out OS map covered in pink highlighter, I realised to my surprise that there were grid squares there...

raf yatesbury ww1 ww2 airfield

December, the darkest month

1 months ago

A possible inspiration to others, I hadn't planned or expected to continue my trips to new places on the map over the winter months, as described in my previous entry, but each week I checked the map and timed the routes to see if I could get around it in time which I did each trip. Sundays were the usual method as there's far less traffic, although I have managed others as well. They have been to Datchet Photo, Croxley Photo, including a square which only had one photo in it...

The end of the season

1 months ago

After the clocks went back I thought I didn't have much chance of getting anywhere new till the spring. I'd been Geographing a few years now for squares rather than just submitting random photos, and was running out of anywhere I could get to and wander around in time before it got dark. Photo However, referring to the previous blog entry then the extension I had was a whole month, with a plan being made for Sundays when I knew there'd be hardly any traffic so could add another hour's...

hertfordshire surrey night photography

A walk around Edgeley

3 months ago

A walk around Edgeley past Stockport County football ground, into Edgeley Park and along Castle Street with its pubs and lamppost artwork. You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link

. One day I decided to have a little look around Edgeley as the place isn't especially well Geographed and I was interested in looking at the lampposts on Castle Street. I got off the bus half way along Mercian Way and made my way down to Hardcastle...

geo-trip walk pubs lamppost artwork

Circumnavigation of Islay

4 months ago

For how long have I wanted to entitle a blog 'Circumnavigation of Islay' or submit a photo for NR2976, one of the four gridsquares which cover Nave Island, Islay's most northerly offshore island. Thanks to Sandy's late mother, this trip was to cost me no more than an unexpected day's holiday and was to be one of the most memorable trips of my life (thus far!) A party of 12 intrepid passengers set off from Port Ellen under the supervision of Gus Newman of Islay Sea-Adventures and his...

Flowerdale Forest from Shieldaig croft

4 months ago

This year, most of my Geographing has been done by kayak, with only a handful of contributions from walking trips. Mindful of this, and of the approaching stag stalking season, I decided it was time to photograph on foot. I began at Shieldaig (not to be confused with its larger namesake to the south) and set off on a very good stalkers' path. The first hour or so was quite easy, but not good preparation for what was to follow. I experienced quite a change when I left the path,...

geo-trip walk completing a hectad

The 2014 season draws to a close

4 months ago

After my big start to the season (ie when the clocks go forward) in April the elastic which had been being pulled back throughout the winter months was allowed to shoot forward to Dungeness, and then relaxed back into stasis partly as I discovered it was no longer necessary to make a few of my next planned journeys, as plan A (getting as far as possible between my furthest two points) was no longer necessary as none would any longer increase it as they were in different directions and the...

square bagging hectads map reading

Climbing the tower of Worcester Cathedral

4 months ago

Climbing the tower of Worcester Cathedral Photo Having visited Hereford and last week and climbed the cathedral’s tower I thought it about time I climbed the tower of Worcester Cathedral. I have been up the tower before but many years ago, it must be at least thirty years ago. I work in the city of Worcester and the sound of the cathedral’s bells are every present. With the exception of Durham, few of England’s cathedrals are in a more attractive setting, with Worcester Cathedral...

Climbing the tower of Hereford Cathedral

5 months ago

Last month I visit Salisbury and whilst there I climbed the tower of the cathedral, this inspired me to see if it was possible to climb the tower of one of my local cathedrals. Within a radius of 25 miles of my home there are three cathedrals, Gloucester, the tower of which a climbed a couple of years ago, Worcester and Hereford. Checking the website of Hereford Cathedral I noted that the tower is currently open on Wednesdays and Thursdays and being on leave took to opportunity to visit....

Southampton's old town and cruise docks

5 months ago

The day after the Geograph conference 2014, fellow Geograph-er Basher Eyre took us on a guided tour Photo of Southampton's old town. Starting at the station, we walked past the Civic Centre Photo towards the town walls Photo. After seeing an interesting mural Photo summarising Southampton's history in Hamtun Street and hearing about Southampton's oldest church, St Michael's Photo, we saw a number of preserved buildings such as a mediaeval wine...

geo-trip walk geograph conference 2014 southampton england

The wrong side of the Nant-y-Factory from Glaspwll

5 months ago

I had great plans for this Easter holiday walk: A farm track would take me up to the intake of the curiously named Nant-y-Factory (if one can trust the map in this respect), then find my way up to the top end of the Moel-y-Llyn forestry, round the four lakes around Angler's Retreat and finally back down the upper Cwm Llyfnant, with a waterfall thrown in for interest. It didn't quite work out. I didn't manage to set off until afternoon, then couldn't find anywhere to park without...

geo-trip walk geographing trip report wales elenydd

End of the Cooling Towers

5 months ago

I have been sadly lacking in blogs of late mainly because I have been concentrating on my own personal blogs but I thought my recent exploits should be shared here. Didcot Powerstation as we all have heard is now coming down. The first of the three cooling towers were blown up early one Sunday Morning witnessed by many thousand people. In the weeks leading up to the event the contractors announced they would be coming down on the 27th July between 3 & 5 am much to the annoyance of all the...

didcot power station demolition power stations didcot south oxfordshire

Back roads from Okehampton to North Tawton

7 months ago

A walk along the Devonshire Heartland Way (DHW), and then the Tarka Trail from just outside Okehampton to North Tawton. It was a chance to collect some new squares and use these two long distance paths. The DHW was little used, and very muddy in places. The Tarka Trail was mainly on roads with a final stretch beside the River Taw. It took four hours You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link

geo-trip walk undefined

Not quite Ten Tors on Dartmoor

8 months ago

A seven mile walk which visited ten named tops on Dartmoor, but not all were named as tors. The walk was timed for the Tuesday after the Ten Tors expedition - why should young people have all the fun? - but there was no need for overnight camping, and the walk was rather shorter than the 35 or 45 or 55 miles of the weekend expedition You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link

geo-trip walk

Snowdon via Miners' and Llanberis Paths

8 months ago

Snowdon from Llanberis. First caught the Snowdon Sherpa bus to Pen-y-pass then walked up via the Miners' Track and down the Llanberis Path. You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link

geo-trip walk

Remember the Battle of Tewkesbury

8 months ago

Today, 4th May 2014, is the 543rd anniversary of the Battle of Tewkesbury, a significant battle in the Wars of the Roses. Margaret of Anjou, Queen of the Lancastrian King Henry VI and their son Edward, Prince of Wales were marching north aiming to cross the River Severn at Tewkesbury to meet up with supporters in Wales. As the Lancastrian Army headed north it was being pursued by the Yorkist Army under King Edward IV. This pursuit culminated in the bloody battle at Tewkesbury which...

battle of tewkesbury

The 2014 season begins

8 months ago

After summarising my winter activities and spring plans, I can now update with the good news (for me anyway) after a couple of weeks of long days I took my first long trip, extending my gap between points by almost ten miles. I used a ruler on the map to measure where I could go, and at the time the shortest journey was to Kent as opposite Cheltenham, either Dover (the longest) or Dungeness, which was a lot easier. Photo I plumped for the compromise, still adding more than the...

seaside kent sussex dungeness lighthouse

The source grounds of the Afon Irfon

9 months ago

14 Apr 2014 A walk to start the season, with relatively little ascent but some tough terrain. Starting from the Tregaron-Abergwesyn mountain road near the turn-off to Dolgoch hostel Photo, I took the forestry track onto Bryn Crwn Photo, gaining height over Nant-ystalwyn farmhouse at the bottom of Dyffryn Tywi Photo fairly quickly. The landmark waterfall Photo visible from the road is mostly above this track, with a few further cascades after passing the...

geo-trip walk elenydd wales geographing trip report

Tighnaspeur - a circular walk

10 months ago

This was to be quite a significant walk for me as it involved completing my final grid square in the eastern block of the island. Furthermore, it was a 'green' gridsquare - and little wonder! Not only is it situated in one of the remotest parts of the island, but it has nothing within its 1 km square to entice the everyday walker. The Abhainn Staoin (bending/crooked river) flows diagonally NW to SE, almost dividing NR 4252 in half, but otherwise there is nothing but contours and a small...

Looking ahead

11 months ago

I was delighted this week when it was as light at 5pm as it was at midday (OK, we all know it's really 1pm and 6pm, but this country has to be out of step with the rest of Europe), as after a couple of months hibernating and only able to do the odd trip south at weekends when there was little or no traffic slowing me down I could now start the first ventures beyond the main red blob on my map again. My Fuji compact, bought after the Olympus had finally stopped producing uncorrupted photos,...

planning driving maps

Keeping the momentum

15 months ago

Following my last entry I had about six weeks before the clocks go back (less time now) and wasn't going to make a fool of myself trying to get anywhere really ambitious to get held up and it get dark before I made it there. As it happened I found a few old road signs in Henley on Thames after checking because there was one known there, none were new to me but better condition, plus one which may or may not be council issued which certainly was new to me, no way to river. In the end the one I...

willesden cricklewood henley-on-thames geotrips norwood sutton southall

Little Minch circuit by kayak

15 months ago

For four years or more I've nurtured an ambition to paddle across the Little Minch. The chart has sat open in my front room for uncounted hours as I fantasised about seeing for myself the islands, skerries and buoys that make this bit of sea amongst the most interesting. So when I got a week of holiday at the beginning of September, I packed a sleeping bag and tent into my kayak, along with 4 days' worth of food and a camera, and headed out from Bornesketaig. It only took half an hour...

geo-trip boat trip completing a hectad

Mission complete

17 months ago

July 29th actually saw the completion of a two year mission here, after uploading about 4,000 archives over winter 2010 I began making specific Geographing trips, with ambitions to get into all the compass points and adjacent myriads. I was very busy last year doing a trip a week on average during the long days, sharing the driving, and knocked off myriads SZ, TV, TR and finally TM after having driven into a field the first time and having to return to actually cross the line on the following...

myriads breaking records long distances

Hyskeir and Rum kayak trip

18 months ago

I'm normally wary of using the word "remote", as it's such a subjective thing. To a Londoner, the Scottish Highlands probably seems very remote, but for those of us who live there, it's England and the south that seems remote. However, even in my book, Hyskeir qualifies as "remote", with the nearest habitation more than 10km away across often rough seas. I'd had my eye on Hyskeir for a couple of years before I got free time and good weather co-temporally. The idea was to get out to the...

geo-trip boat trip completing a hectad

The new season

19 months ago

This year I set myself three simple goals for the photography season (April-September while the clocks are forward), to beat the distance between two squares, ideally enough to potentially beat two myriads horizontally or vertically (nowhere like diagonally which adds 50 miles), from 122.8 miles to beyond 125, which I did shortly after, adding one just short of 130 in Ashford. South of London is now completed unless I do the old run using Waterloo Bridge when it was still free to cross during...

pre-worboys sign essex braintree

2014		1	1	1	4	1		5	3	1	1	2
2013	3	4	7	8	1	2	1	1		2
2012	5	12	9	10	7	8	9	4	3	3	3	2
2011	7	7	7	7	12	9	4	4	2	2	2	2
2010											4	9