David Howards Blog :: Geograph Britain and Ireland

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2021 summary

35 months ago

As the season draws to an end here is my annual summary of my photographic activity. Lockdown held back my usual routine till the end of March, so again sent me in a small circle around home covering less-visited areas until I was set free again Photo Photo Photo Photo, plus our bagpipers who put on a performance for charity Photo. Over the winter three pre-Worboys signs had turned up, so as soon as March ended I was off to get them all including one in...

lockdown 2021

Lockdown story

46 months ago

I usually make plans for each year for the photo season, roughly when the clocks go forward till when they go back, based on new map records and areas. The easiest new record was going to be my 20th myriad, SH in mid Wales. Then came the lockdown when we couldn't go out for more than about an hour, so on local duties. I covered every area I'd rarely visited Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo, and as a result of the added time managed a couple of POTY...

Half a season

51 months ago

My photo season begins in April and ends in October, when I can travel as far as possible in a day to make my map records and collect pre-Worboys signs. Luckily I did two such trips just before the clocks went forward, and means the road signs which I consider a priority as so many are gone if you wait a day too long, are up to date. Each year I list the next trips, using the map to see the next record I can get without being stranded in the middle of the night off the A1 in Lincs...

lockdown coronavirus local photos

2019 summary

56 months ago

2019 was probably my busiest Geograph year. I reached 18th on personal points (I didn't aim to, I just went out most weeks), and went further in a day and back in Britain than I have in my whole life (although Brussels is the record). In fact it was because the Eurotunnel was on partial running through August as it was so hot and told passengers not to travel if possible I chose Yorkshire as an alternative. It was a good idea in principle, but I didn't allow long enough to get there as...

malvern filey rain mid-wales

Mission complete

60 months ago

My 13 year long Geograph mission was completed on the 24th of June 2019. It had stages, the first was compass records, going almost as far east as it's possible in Southwold Photo, the south coast in various places Photo Photo, north to Harrogate Photo and west/southwest to Exeter Photo. Exeter also completed the longest reasonable distance between two points, as living in a corner of the map in London can't equally travel north and south to get long...

myriads travel counties distance

2018 summary

67 months ago

2018 was the busiest photographic year of my life. A new car actually compatible with motorways Photo (it's only a 1200 but size isn't everything) started me off breaking new records from the beginning of the year onwards. First my north record in Lincolnshire Photo , followed by my map distance record a month later in Exeter Photo . As I am in London Photo trying to beat that again north or west would require a lot further, towards the Lake District, as SW-NE...

counties devon yorkshire harrogate motorways

Long distance mission

74 months ago

2018 was planned to make my longest journeys and make inroads into the compass extremes and new myriads. It began with a January foray into Lincolnshire Photo , all fine besides it being dark on the return, but still gained a good range of spots in SK Photo and TF Photo myriads. Exeter Photo followed, longer and further and dark when I got there as it was also raining since Wiltshire Photo which wrecked many of the photos with water damage on and around...

Breaking records

94 months ago

Summer 2016 is almost over, and I got into a routine of regular Sunday trips covering as far as I could manage under the circumstances, the main one being the coast which has now been covered from the tip of Kent Photo to just short of Selsey Bill Photo . The bonus being some were guided by the known pre-Worboys signs Photo and then got as far as I could afterwards. My primary aim is extending the distance between the two furthest points on the map. Living in London...

wiltshire road signs kent a4 london

A life of collecting

98 months ago

I have been collecting all my life. Coins, rocks, collector's cards, model cars, train tickets and pre-Worboys sign photos. Geograph provided a new area to collect, which unlike the old train tickets would not suddenly come to an end in 1988 when they stopped printing them. I began as a viewer until I decided to have a go adding photos, made a mess of a few and gave up till Street View became available to confirm every location. Once my thousands of archives were up it formed my red patch on...

collecting distance coast

Silk purses from sow's ears

103 months ago

As the clocks went back my hobby had its wings clipped for another year, till March at least of 2016. But I don't stop taking photos, I just can't collect far-flung spots on my far-flung spot list, but now after filling little taken squares previously, am now taking places within them I haven't taken yet. Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo My memory tells me pretty well where I haven't been, so use the daylight hours (both of them in...

night photography london map reading

The end of the 2015 season

105 months ago

It won't be long now, another week or so, before my travels are curtailed when it gets too dark to get anywhere I need to. The year went totally the opposite to the plans, the primary being to break a record on my map. That would be increasing my maximum distance between two points, a new myriad or a compass point record. Due to various circumstances those didn't happen, although all required around an 80 mile plus trip each way. Various helpers became unable to help and no replacements could...

wiltshire geographs

The season begins

110 months ago

After getting new squares every week throughout the off season when it gets dark by 4 I was quite pleased with myself. Each year I have plans for a long journey or two, and each year they get longer simply as the closer ones get done. This year's list were all 80 miles minimum and include a new myriad, north record, distance record and anything else that comes to me on top. Unfortunately the exact moment the clocks went forward I was put on new tablets which had the primary effect of tiring...

records home counties centisquares

December, the darkest month

114 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

115 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

The 2014 season draws to a close

118 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

The 2014 season begins

122 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

Looking ahead

124 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

128 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

Mission complete

130 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

The new season

132 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

The new season 2013

134 months ago

The new season officially kicked off two weeks ago, with the clocks going forward, allowing my freedom to go wherever I wanted given the opportunity before it got dark. The first was a shortish run to the Sussex border as there was a gap without any red squares it was easy to fill in, and a week later finally got to Cuckfield to get this wonderful pair of signs only found because of Dave Spicer. Photo I have a list of trips for 2013 now, that was the first, mainly as old signs are...

ambition hectads pre-worboys sign

Spring is coming

135 months ago

Although the calendar (read 'government') means the clocks don't go forward till the final day in March this year it's now not getting too dark for photos till 6pm, so ignoring their method of trying to cheat time and beginning my 2013 plans, even if I haven't yet carried any out yet. I was pleased to get the first medium trip a few weeks ago to the edge of Reading, as it made a little splash in a previously green void, and luckily since when I've been available more pre-Worboys road signs...

Making the best of it

138 months ago

2011 and 12 began my quest for distant squares, after spending the previous few years simply taking everything I knew well and then loading them in here. But if you're not an early riser taking photos (while stopping every half a mile for the next red square) 50 miles and beyond from home would mean it inevitably got dark long before I could do anything even with the new camera. But my other targets are pre-Worboys road signs, which can be taken with a flash, and with the camera able to take...

pre-worboys sign kent

Close season

139 months ago

Having completed my last long trip to the compass points to Battle, finishing the compass a few weeks before the clocks went back, it was back to local duties until around April when it gets dark around 6pm again. Photo Luckily pre-Worboys signs continued to turn up, and with the advent of a new camera, not because I particularly wanted one but because the other was corrupting my cards at random times (possibly after I'd dropped it) and upgraded to a serious bridge camera which...

pre-worboys sign hectads night photos

What next

141 months ago

Now the summer is almost over, and it's getting dark at 7 then this long era is drawing to a close, and with the final trip to Battle last week have now visited all eight compass points to a reasonable extent, with possibly the winter to gather new energy and begin another mission in spring 2013. The Geograph map project began last year, having previously added whatever I happened to have wherever I'd been, and began seeing what increases and records I could create deliberately. The compass...