Geograph Blog

Park Life in Dorset

David Robinson — 2025-12-05T10:21:19+00:00

We recently required a two night stay in the Poole area in order to attend a family bereavement in early December. Not wanting to trust the dogs to take to kennel life we opted to take them with us.

We decided on a park home, or static caravan on the edge of the New Forest. The caravan met all our basic needs and the ready access to Hurn Forest for dog walking was a great bonus. Being winter the site was thankfully quiet. Park life sees the accommodation packed into the space available and Oakdene Forest Park is no different so I imagine there would have been a lot to bark at if the park had been busier.

When we arrived the caravan was freezing cold and took several hours to warm up to a comfortable temperature. The electric fire helped with this once we�d worked out how to use it. It is fair to say that some areas of the caravan are in need of attention but the kitchen/lounge area is clean and tidy and works well for an hour watching the TV. The bedrooms are compact and warm. A certain amount of contortionism is required to use the bathroom facilities but you are packing a lot of kit into a small space.

The basic boiler, hot water and central heating equipment worked well but was let down by the smart thermostat which I worked out was a Google Nest Learning Thermostat. Somebody had obviously been teaching it some bad lessons as it was constantly trying to override our setting and either ramp the temperature up to 32 deg C or down to 9 deg C until I gave it a stiff talking to. Of course all of this could have been avoided if some basic sets of instructions had been provided.

Locking the main door, from either inside or outside, required a certain amount of skill which I�m pleased to say I�d mastered after a day of struggling. I did wonder if I was going to have to give it a squirt of WD40 but managed to avoid that. By the way I was told recently to squirt door fixings with a silicone based product and not WD40, but WD40 was all I had. Finally I noticed there was a lot of chemicals being used, toilet cleaners, air fresheners and dehumidifiers, and these all added to the fragrance of the accommodation. It was ok but some might find it over powering.

The park was kept to a high standard; the park staff were friendly and helpful; we did not use any of the park facilities (apart from the dog poo bins) but children appeared well catered for.

Will Geograph Spoil a Good Walk

David Robinson — 2025-11-15T14:07:33+00:00

Reflections on My Experience Since 2008

Introduction

My journey with Geograph, which began in 2008, was not quite the rewarding adventure I had anticipated. Rather than adding to the pleasure of exploring the British countryside, it often turned a relaxing wander�often shared with my dog�into a mission of documentation, where the search for grid squares and the imperative to capture 'the right shot' overshadowed the simple joys of walking.

Getting Started

Drawn in by the idea of contributing to a photographic map of Britain, I started submitting images to Geograph. At first, the novelty was appealing: there was a sense of purpose to my outings, and I enjoyed the challenge of seeking out specific locations with my dog trotting happily at my side on his lead. But as time went on, I found myself less present in the moment, my attention divided between the landscape, the necessity of fulfilling the project�s criteria, and making sure my dog didn�t get bored while I took yet another photo.

Contributing Photographs

Instead of letting my walks unfold naturally, I became preoccupied with finding new grid squares and framing every view for the camera. Rather than enriching my experience, Geograph introduced an element of pressure�each step became driven by the need to document rather than the desire to explore. The landscape, once a source of relaxation and inspiration for both me and my dog, turned into a checklist of images to capture and upload.

The Loss of Spontaneity

What I missed most was the spontaneity of a good walk. The urge to photograph and record every location meant I was constantly looking for something 'Geograph-worthy' instead of simply enjoying what was around me�often to the bemusement of my dog, who would pause expectantly while I fiddled with camera settings. Some of the best moments of a walk�unexpected encounters with wildlife, the play of sunlight on fields, the peace of an untouched path, and even the simple delight of watching my dog explore�were often missed while I focused on the next square or suitable subject.

Reflections

In hindsight, my experience with Geograph served as a lesson about the balance between documentation and enjoyment. Although I contributed my share of photographs and descriptions, I came to realise that the best walks are those taken without purpose, pressure, or a camera�s demand�just the simple rhythm of footsteps, the world unfolding, and the steady company of a loyal dog at my side. Geograph, for me, was less an adventure and more a distraction from the joy of simply putting one foot in front of the other and watching the world�and my dog�go by.

So Why Return?

To be honest, first and foremost I�m a videographer. Most of the stills I use on my Harveywetdog YouTube Channel are taken off the 4K video. But these days �phones take excellent images and with two new counties to explore in Devon and Cornwall I thought why not.

2025 summary

David Howard — 2025-07-23T18:12:12+00:00

As a born collector, coins, rocks, train tickets, pre-Worboys signs and photography, the Geograph map has provided the first potentially endless project as no one can get them all so there is always scope for more. I have a plan to extend my map area once a year at least, and last year completed it with a trip to Port Talbot, aiming for Swansea but being snookered by a roundabout in Port Talbot with very poor signposting crossing the only road across the river to Swansea and ended up going back the same way as there was no other route left . But the main aim was my 20th myriad SS which was completed well.

The winter months didn't stop my trips, managing frequent journeys for new squares for most of the off season, adding a new project since buying a motorbike meaning I could finally go inside the London Congestion Charge during the day so cover all the areas I could only get to otherwise on summer evenings . I also discover the odd pre-Worboys sign, which all go on Flickr but only here if on already as people tend to remove them if you give their exact locations. My 2025 project was not so specific, as my primary ambition was to create as far a distance between two points on the map as possible, which I completed when I went to Filey, albeit a couple of hours later than planned so it was already almost dark when I got there . Going further would either require a long train journey to Darlington or overnight in Devon, which to me is too much like hard work so may not ever happen. The only other reasonable myriad is SH in North Wales which I was going to get in 2020 but Wales closed its border for a year due to covid, and the upside was I used the period to get pre-Worboys signs from anywhere I could get to in the Midlands from Shropshire to Notts , which I probably wouldn't have got round to otherwise. SD is more of a train journey plus a tram as the train goes to Manchester Piccadilly and then a tram towards Whitefield to cross the border.

2025 season kicked off with a plan to fill out Newport Monmouthshire, but due to lack of sleep curtailed it to Chipping Sodbury and covered a route from Swindon to Tetbury all on new routes. The next plan was to fill in the area between SJ, SK and SE. In between I worked out an easy route to fill the east of TF in Lincs , covering all new territory from Spalding to Spilsby (and finding a pre-Worboys sign), all places I'd never have visited otherwise. Deciding the A1 was easily the best route north as it's free of obstructions unlike the A5 and its branches, I went to Newark then left on Sheffield Road all the way to Sheffield , which to my relief was almost deserted and virtually free of major junctions. I'd never been to Sheffield before and expected dark oppressive mills and was amazed to find a generally open suburban sprawl built around a swirl of parkland between the housing estates, and was far nicer than most of the other cities I've been to.

There is a possible first Geograph ahead, albeit possibly all at sea, but worth checking out. I can relax on the distance side now, and the other non-Geograph ambition was a short plane trip which should follow when the chance arises as it's a local round trip which needs booking weeks in advance. That should provide some aerial shots, my only others being of Heathrow on a trip to Israel in 1972. Otherwise I can now relax and go wherever I feel like for the remainder of the year, none of which has been planned.

New EntryWitney to Oxford

Bill Nicholls — 2025-07-19T17:59:27+00:00

My Blog was prompted after reading a news clip on the BBC app on my phone. The article was about the viability of reinstating a rail link from Witney to Oxford. I remember when I worked at oxford Instruments in Osney being taken to Osselli Engineering in Eyensham on a motorbike one lunchtime. I remember going over the Rail bridge at Eyensham then over the crossing by the Station. Many years later I
was driving along a new road where the railine went to the new Oxford Instruments building where the station used to be to install the infrastructure we would be using there no trace of it's former use could be seen untill you went out the back were a footpath went along the old rail line

Link

Link

Both of these articles had photos taken by Ben Brooksbank.I feel Ben left us with a wealth of photos he took over the years of long lost stations and it helped me with what I was looking into.
Would it be possible to reinstate the link, no! the original line ran from Oxford to Fairford and after the lack of foresight and the thought that road transport was the way to go lines like the one in question were closed. What happened then was a land grab by local landowners and councils who saw profit. This can be seen in Wallinford where the station closed and a new estate was built.
The old station at Witney is now occupied by an industrial estate.
The next place along at South Leigh a house now sits there

Oxford Instruments built a factory on the site at Eyensham before it was sold off, a roundabout is where the level crossing used to be and a road no runs where the line used to be

Further along Siemens building is beside the old rail line

The next place you would come to would be Cassington Halt and near the junction is you will find the Severn Trent Green Power Cassington AD Facility

Reinstating a line from Witney to Oxford would require it being built on a new route which the costing show around 900 million ATM, would it relive the A40 traffic which is a big problem, the councils seem to think it would help it is just a shame that when the government back then did not have any tought about what would happen in the future

Rosehall Wood and the Cassley Falls

Julian Paren — 2025-06-15T21:55:47+00:00

I had around half a day free to walk with my dog while my wife was demonstrating spinning at the Highland Sheep Day at Ardgay, close to Bonar Bridge. I had heard there were some fine waterfalls west of Lairg that knocked spots off the paid attraction of the Falls of Shin. I quickly found a walk description on the Walk Highland Site entitled Cassley Falls and Rosehall Forest. Link and decided this was the place to go. Having parked at the Visitor Information Centre at Rosehall Forest, I wandered off to grab a Grid Square away from my intended route, and on the return towards the car serendipitously took a turning marked with a post to follow way behind a dog walker striking out into the distance. This was an excellent decision as I later found out as this route doubled the length of the original proposed route and without any doubt took me into the most appealing part of the forest. By the end of the day the forest highlights had been in the extended part of the walk.

The Cassley Falls even after a long period of drier than average rainfall were great to see. The ambiance was excellent with woodland, rock gorges, waterfalls and grass meadows in close proximity. Andrew Tryon�s autumn images from the area certainly encourage me to repeat the walk later in the year.

The walk took in the yellow and green way-marked paths in the forest and the section by the river. The riverside path climbs up to the road at Rosehall by stone steps in a stone wall. This was difficult to negotiate with a twelve-year old dog who had to be lifted to the top of the wall that helpfully was at verge level.

Confusingly Ordnance Survey mapping calls the falls the Achness Falls and one version of OS maps calls the forest traversed as Deer Park, and at another scale as Rosehall Wood. Rosehall Forest is managed by Forestry and Land Scotland and the Woodland Trust website recommends visits in the autumn.

The walk was 7.3 km long and took three hours. The shorter Walk Highlands Route would have been 4 km and taken 1-2 hours You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

The Carntogher Way

Rossographer — 2025-03-08T11:43:47+00:00

Images of the Carntogher Way / Sl� an Chairn, a walking trail near Maghera. The full walk follows a loop but I chose to walk to the summit of the mountain and then return the same way. See Link for information. You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

A winter train trip on the Kyle Line

Julian Paren — 2025-01-14T18:33:07+00:00

My wife and I celebrate each of our birthdays with a train journey from our local station of Dingwall. At Dingwall two lines diverge - the Far North Line to Wick and Thurso, and the Kyle Line to Kyle of Lochalsh Link. January 10 is my wife�s birthday and this favours the winter trip to Kyle of Lochalsh where the whole route there and back can be accomplished in daylight if you stay in Kyle for just over two hours in the middle of the day. The important part of the planning is to get good weather, and forecasts are studied daily until an unambiguously good day can be expected. This year January 10 filled the bill - a proper birthday celebration. With forecast overnight temperatures below -10 degrees Centigrade both on the nights of 9/10 and 10/11 January and forecasted cloudless skies for the Western Highlands, we expected perfect conditions for the journey. We were not disappointed. We took food for the day as we knew that the Fisherman�s Kitchen (originally trading as Buth Beag) renowned for its Cullen Skink, would be closed. Our return rail tickets with a Senior Rail Card this year cost �21.60 each.

I presented one earlier birthday trip to Kyle as a Geotrip in 2019. It was entitled - Day Return to Kyle of Lochalsh from Dingwall. Much of what I wrote then is relevant today. I am repeating some of that text here, and adding comments on some photographic aspects..

A train ride from Dingwall, Sat, 2 Feb 2019

The railway line from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh is famed for its beauty. Together with the more publicised �Harry Potter� line that includes the Glenfinnon viaduct on its way from Fort William to Mallaig, and the wilderness route to Fort William over Rannoch Moor, the majority of the passengers who use the lines are tourists out for the ride and experience.
Each year my wife and I plan a winter journey on one of the North Highland lines. The choice is either the run to Kyle of Lochalsh or the longer journey to either Wick or Thurso. In the winter the timetables make a day return to Kyle of Lochalsh a great option as all the route at least from Dingwall, our natural starting point, is seen in daylight.
The crucial aspect is the weather. Living in the Highlands we can choose the day the weather promises to be at its best and even buy a cheap Advance ticket the day before. The morning train leaves Inverness at 0855 and arrives at Kyle at 1130. In winter we usually stay at Kyle for two and a quarter hours and catch the 1346 train back, which reaches Inverness at 1626.
Two and a quarter hours in Kyle is always enjoyable. First or last stop, Buth Bheag the small seafood shack opposite the town�s coach stop in the centre of town. Cullen Skink or sea food salads are quite superb and you can get a drink and sit outdoors in the sun. Then our usual walk - an exploration of the Plock of Kyle. This is very close with many footpaths, narrow and wide, to the coves of this promontory. Away from the shore there are orchids in summer and it is difficult to reconcile this conservation area with its former role as a golf course. The small bays have have been used as a major study area for seaweeds. The high point of the Plock is a purpose-made viewpoint which provides a wide panorama of Skye and shows the Skye Bridge to good effect.
In winter the trains are empty, so you can easily move around from side to side of the train for the best views. In summer I would be frustrated if I was �locked� in just one seat, as could potentially happen. For the most scenic part of the journey from Strathcarron Station to Kyle along Loch Carron you must be on the right-hand, loch-side of the train. An absolute must!!! So, if you are on a full train choose your seat for this section alone.
There are many images of the Plock of Kyle at NG7527 which will complement the ones here, and perhaps persuade others who find themselves in Kyle to take a walk on the Plock. For those who don�t like to part with their car for a day, and are on the west coast, you could enjoy the highlights of the train ride by taking a day return from Strathcarron to Kyle. A study of the map will show you that from Stromeferry to Kyle no car can replicate what you can see from the train. You are right at the water edge with a grandstand view.
Photography Addendum 2024

My approach to photography from a train is to only take images at 90 degrees to the train, by �anchoring� the camera to the glass, so the lens cannot catch reflections of the train�s interior lighting. If you have a clean window, whatever imperfections there are on the glass will be invisible. This year the train windows were not as clean as usual with both an overall mistiness and solid dirt. This required a careful choice of where to position the camera. Some post-processing of the images was needed on the computer to compensate for the surface smear film on the glass. All images were taken with a lens of focal length 24 mm on a full-frame camera, and crops taken where appropriate. As in all my rail journeys, I choose to operate the camera in a Manual Mode with a shutter speed of around 1/250s or 1/500s to minimise motion blur. I also choose an aperture of around f/4 to f/5.6 to reduce the chance of imperfections in the windows dominating the image. I suspect this moderately large aperture is the cause of some vignetting as the window glass is quite thick. This is easily corrected. Future experiments should confirm the pros and cons of using a relatively wide aperture. Then my camera can be set for Auto ISO to ensure the best combination of lighting, aperture and shutter speed. Mostly the resultant ISO was near 200.
In the most scenic parts of the Kyle journey the train is travelling close to 45 km/h or 30 mph. The journey of 61 miles from Dingwall to Kyle takes just over 2 hours including stops. Such a slow speed is helpful for photography. For position fixing, my mobile Apple iPhone using the app GPX Tracker records position every second and the camera clock is synchronised. Theoretically this could lead to a position accuracy of around 14 m when travelling at 45 km/h.

Conclusion
It is a surprise how similar the conditions were on the two GeoTrips - on February 2 2019 and January 10 2025. Both were fantastic days to take the train, and further days out on the Kyle Line are inevitable.
You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

The Grantham Canal

Alan Murray-Rust — 2020-05-19T21:47:09+00:00

The slight easing of the Covid-19 restrictions allowed a relief from a very routine daily round in the urban environment for getting essential exercise, with an opportunity to get out into the countryside. The early part of May 2020 has produced significantly fine weather. The canal towpath has been developed as a multi-user route and is a popular place - not too many at the time I was taking my walk.
The walk can be seen as a Geo-trip here Link

The Wildcat Trail around Newtonmore

Julian Paren — 2024-08-18T10:45:52+00:00

The Wildcat Trail around Newtonmore is promoted in the leaflet Newtonmore Paths and on two websites. Newtonmore Paths is one of a series of leaflets under the general title of Cairngorm Paths. Six Newtonmore Paths are listed and the Wildcat Trail is the longest and described as strenuous.

According to the leaflet

The Wildcat Trail is an iconic orbital path through woodland, moorland and alongside rivers, offering wonderful views. Narrow uneven earthy paths, some rough, stony and muddy. Some sections across grassy fields with livestock present. Gates and a railway crossing.

The Walk Highlands website describes the path
Link and there is a very good description of the path on the Wildcat Centre website. Link

I started and completed the circular walk from the car park of The Highland Folk Museum. My wife was demonstrating spinning at an events day there and I had six hours to myself and our dog while she was busy. The weather was excellent.

The Wildcat Trail does a large loop around Newtonmore with excellent paths and one minor road. Being summertime the path was dry, but vegetation and trees in leaf by the River Calder prevented good views of the river. The section along the River Spey was a little disappointing because the river is only seen in one or two places, again because of thick belts of trees. Two minor diversions were made from the official route. One to visit the Craggan Viewpoint above Newtonmore and the other to see a Hut Circle in a clearing in the woods north of the town.

The achievement of the designers of the walk is to join up and create paths so close to Newtonmore without hardly seeing the town at all! You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

Portadown loop cycle

Rossographer — 2024-05-23T11:21:38+00:00

40km cycle around north County Armagh, starting and ending at Portadown. Highlights included Dan Winter's cottage near Loughgall, Castledillon Obelisk and the former Richhill Railway Station. The route contains a surprising number of short, steep hills. You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

Cul Beag from the A835

Julian Paren — 2023-06-06T20:52:36+00:00

C�l Beag is a less popular destination for walkers than its neighbour C�l M�r. C�l M�r has a good access path from the A835 which rises steadily until the final stiff climb to its summit. Once at C�l M�r's summit there are a range of ridges to explore and this makes for a great day out. In fact one of my images from C�l M�r has been my most viewed on Geograph and the day spent on the hill was one of the finest of my trips in recent years. So, C�l Beag became an obvious target when my daughter visited as she accompanied me on C�l M�r.

It is a longer access to C�l Beag and there is an intervening summit to climb named Meall Dearg. The footpath from the A835 starts well with cairns but as Meall Dearg approaches there is no definitive path and you just take any line you fancy to gain the height. The hill is steep. From the top of Meall Dearg there is again no single path to the summit of C�l Beag. The gradients are less steep in this section.

The views from both Meall Dearg and C�l Beag are extraordinary - perhaps even more extraordinary than the view from C�l M�r. Walk Highland say the walk can take five hours. My wife, daughter and I took seven hours on a very nice day and much time was spent providing images to illustrate this GeoTrip. You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

A walk across London

Philip Halling — 2024-03-02T22:03:32+00:00

On Saturday I travelled down to London on the train; I had booked a ticket to see the Holbein exhibition in the Queen�s Galley beside Buckingham Palace. My ticket was for entry at 3:15 in the afternoon. Arriving at Paddington Station with no plans for the morning and walking down into the underground to catch a tube train I was thinking of maybe going to Kensington and visiting one of the museums, but then I thought it is a reasonable day weather-wise, it�s not raining, which is a rarity this winter, it would be good to walk along the banks of the River Thames, so I took the tube to Tower Hill.

Emerging from the underground station, I walked around the corner passing the remains of London�s Roman wall and walked beside the Tower of London, recalling memories when I visited in 2014 on the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War when the moat was filled with poppies for the fallen. Approaching Tower Bridge, I descended the steps taking me down to the riverbank. I walked along the riverbank in front of the Tower of London, taking in the views of the Shard, the tallest building in western Europe. When completed in 2012, it was the tallest building in Europe, now in 2024 it has slipped to seventh. On the opposite side of the river is the unusual City Hall, designed by Norman Foster and built about twenty years ago. Today, I thought it was beginning to look a little dull and shabby. Perhaps it was just the light. To my left was the iconic Tower Bridge, one of the best known buildings in London.

Approaching London Bridge, looking across the Thames, I could see what I thought to be a church tower, almost lost in the buildings surrounding it. I then realised it was the tower of Southwark Cathedral, somewhere I had not visited for about fifteen years. I walked across London Bridge and then under the railway viaduct near Borough Market. It was packed with people, many eating at the food stalls. I entered Southwark Cathedral, and exploring I particularly wanted to find the memorial stone to Edmund Shakespeare, William�s youngest brother, who was also an actor and like his famous brother came to London. Also, in the cathedral is a memorial and effigy of William Shakespeare. This is not far from the original Globe Theatre and he probably worshipped in this church as it was in Shakespeare�s day, it became a cathedral in 1905. Above the memorial is a Shakespeare memorial stained glass window in the form of a Jesse window, depicting many of Shakespeare�s famous characters.

Stepping back outside I was now following the route of the Thames Path on the southern side of the river. I last walked here in 2011, when I walked this long distance path in its entirety. I walked past the replica, Golden Hinde, Sir Francis Drake�s ship in which he circumnavigated the world in the 16th century. Along Clink Street, I pass the remains of the medieval Winchester Palace, the London home of the Bishops of Winchester. Today, it is in the care of English Heritage. Emerging beside the river the sun has now come out lighting the dome of St Paul�s Cathedral and the glass towers of the city of London. Interesting to see how much this view has changed since I walked the Thames Path just over 12 years ago. From here I had a distant view of the BT Tower, which when built as the GPO Tower in the 1960s was the tallest building in London. This week it has been sold for a reported $347m and is to become a hotel.

Continuing along the riverbank, I pass the Globe Theatre. I really must attend a production there! Passing Tate Modern, the former Bankside Power Station, and the Millennium Bridge. The sunlight is highlighting St Paul�s Cathedral. I continue passing Blackfriars Bridge and walk by the Royal National Theatre. Here there is a Henry Moore-like sculpture by Frank Dobson called �London Pride� and a statue of actor Sir Laurence Olivier as Hamlet. Beyond Waterloo Bridge I reached Hungerford Bridge, a railway bridge flanked by two footbridges named the Golden Jubilee Bridges. I cross the river here walking through Charing Cross Station and emerging by the 1860s replica Eleanor Cross. At Trafalgar Square I visit the National Portrait Gallery, probably my favourite gallery. When visiting London, I often visit it. I like wandering around looking at many familiar portraits. Today, I had a look at the Tudor portraits and having visited a memorial to Shakespeare in Southwark Cathedral I sought out the portrait of William Shakespeare. Known as the 'Chandos portrait', after a previous owner; it�s the first portrait to be acquired by the National Portrait Gallery, when it was founded in 1856. This portrait is one of three images thought to be reliably depicting Shakespeare, the other two being the Droeshout portrait which appears in the First Folio, published in 1623, and the bust of his wall memorial above his grave in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. A picture of a younger man has been identified as William Shakespeare in recent years. This is the Cobbe portrait which the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust identified in 2009, but this is disputed. There are so many questions about Shakespeare, there are the conspiracy theories that he never wrote the plays, and as I was looking at the painting I hear a young woman behind say, "a friend of mine believes he never existed".

Continuing my walk, I crossed Trafalgar Square and passed under Admiralty Arch which is currently shrouded in scaffolding and sheeting as it undergoes a major multi-million-pound refurbishment and conversion into a hotel. Walking along The Mall, passing familiar sites I turn right into Marlborough Road and have a closer look St James�s Palace. It was here that in September 2022 King Charles III was proclaimed King. Opposite is the Queen�s Chapel, originally built in the 1620s. Whilst standing there a London Green Badge guide arrived with a family he was guiding. Listening to him from a discreet distance I learn that it was in this chapel that Princess Diana�s coffin rested on the night before her funeral back in 1997.

Just a short distance now, I walked into St James�s Park and around to the left of Buckingham Palace and into Buckingham Gate where I visited the Holbein exhibition in the Queen�s Gallery. After my visit I walked down to Victoria, I took the tube train back to Paddington, concluding an interesting day.
You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

Following the old railway, now NCN5 near Seahill and Flint

David Smith — 2023-08-02T21:08:39+00:00

From our holiday cottage near Seahill, we followed the old railway line on our bikes, crossed the Dee and continued to Flint. Partway through the weather turned to rain. Being an old railway, this was a flat route, with some gentle undulation near Flint You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

The Bealach Path and Killiecrankie Loop

Julian Paren — 2022-08-09T11:18:51+00:00

The Bealach Path and Killiecrankie Loop Saturday 6 August 2022

This walk to Killiecrankie over the hills from Pitlochry and then back by the River Garry is described in a number of trail guides. The route receives acclaim with high star ratings. So, it was no surprise that Jo and Richard Doake were able to persuade Scotways (The Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society) to lead this route for a sociable walk for its members. The route details were: 8.5 miles/14km; 530 m ascent; and the walk was graded B/B+ �suitable for people of average fitness with hill-walking experience� with walking poles recommended for the hill section.

Seven Scotways members and two well-behaved dogs joined up on the Saturday morning in Pitlochry. Unexpectedly, it was raining hard. The approach towards Ben Vrackie through the woodlands by the Moulin Burn was walked in a persistent drizzle, but the opportunity was taken to replenish a bird feeder by the path. On leaving the woods and joining the moorland, the rain eased and the low-lying cloud started to lift off the hills. The ascent to the Bealach na Searmoin was taken gently and by the time the pass was reached the hills were completely clear and the visibility had become excellent. With less than a quarter of the walk behind us it was downhill all the way home. So there was time to study the ecology of the hillside. Jo Doake excelled in searching out the less usual berry plants and plenty were ripe enough for sampling.

The easy descent to Killiecrankie was broken by the lunch stop above a large field used in the past as a campsite by the Boys Brigade. The plan for the day had been to take lunch at the National Trust for Scotland Visitor Centre at Killiecrankie, but the suggestion that this would be an open invitation for midges to take advantage of us, led us to picnic on the open hillside. At Killiecrankie all was well with the insects so a further refreshment stop followed.

The longer half of the day took the group along the River Garry, firstly beside the railway viaduct and then under the Garry Bridge. Here there was the spectacle of youngsters on a number of Zip wires criss-crossing the River Garry. This was the site of the Killie Zip Park where adults and youngsters from eight years up could spend an hour for �39 traversing the River Garry. This was not without some concern when a light youngster did not have enough momentum to gain the platform at the end of one wire. Quickly a safety officer crabbed along the wire and entangled the person using her legs and then crabbed back to a high platform supporting the wire. The rest of the walk was taken gently with a coffee/cake stop made at the Boat House Cafe by Loch Faskally. Later the sound of traffic on the A9 detracted from the rural scene before the walk to the Pitlochry Dam Visitor Centre was completed via Loch Dunmore.

The consensus view on the internet is that the walk takes just over five hours and our own Scotways Walk Description suggested 5-6 hours. Our walk had taken seven hours, but as the weather had held after the first thirty minutes there was no imperative to hurry. The sun was in short supply but with a slight breeze walking conditions were perfect. A delight of the walk was to learn much from our fellow walkers and to discover mutual friends. The summer may be the least exciting season for this walk, but the dry conditions underfoot were a bonus.

You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link . Please note the GPS track did not start at the start of the walk at NN943595.

A short walk to Myreside Pond

Bill Kasman — 2020-06-16T09:57:08+00:00

You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link

There is a video of this location available on YouTube Link

My wife first mentioned this pond to me one evening whilst we were reminiscing over old times and I was intrigued by the name she gave it - 'Scabanory' - and what she told me about childhood memories of catching tadpoles, minnows, etc. It has been many years since her last visit and she wasn't quite sure of its location but, with a little research and the help of a local history site, I managed to find it - in the middle of a grove of trees in a farmer's field!

The Far North Line - from Brora to Wick, January 2022

Julian Paren — 2022-01-14T12:41:22+00:00

The journey
Each year my wife and I take a train trip to celebrate our respective birthdays. Living near Inverness and with my wife�s birthday falling on January 10 we usually head west to Kyle of Lochalsh. The Kyle line is particularly striking with snows on the highest peaks and the journey can be done in daylight. See for example Link.
However this year we repeated the journey made exactly ten years earlier to take an Away Day on the train from Dingwall to Wick. The journey time was 3h 50m each way with just over an hour to explore Wick. The day of travel was chosen after scrutinising the weather forecasts, which was fortunately correct. The journey started and ended in the dark, but in this GeoTrip I focus on the section between Brora and Wick during which the sun was above the local horizon.

The train
The train was formed of two carriages, and north of Tain there were less than ten passengers at any time - a typical winter loading according to the ticket collector/guard. In summer the number of carriages is doubled and the train can be very busy, particularly with railway enthusiasts.

The Far North Line
The line has its support group, Friends of the Far North Line, and is now featuring more in the publicity associated with the North Coast 500. Link

The Flow Country
The trackless section of the line across the Flow Country lies in the RSPB Forsinard Flows Reserve with its Visitor Centre in the buildings of Forsinard Station. Link

Wick
The day trip allowed an hour to explore Wick. Below Wick Station a multi-use path leads along the south bank of the Wick River to the Coghill Bridge and over to a further path upstream along the north bank. We did the leisurely and interesting walk to a viewing platform with information on the ecology of the Wick River. Alternatively a walk to the harbour and a fish and chip shop filled the hour ten years ago.

Photography
Although the train takes 4h 30m from Inverness to Wick (while the more direct route by road is travelled by buses in 3h), the train is no slow-coach, taking the Flow Country at a typical speed of 90 km/h. I still have much to learn of the shutter speeds required to photograph from a moving train and to ensure best quality images shooting through the train window. As a perfectionist, I used Topaz Labs Sharpen AI to correct my full resolution images for motion blur. For Geograph-sized images, the sharpening made no difference.
You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

A visit to the derelict former RAF Yatesbury air base

Vieve Forward — 2014-12-30T18:04:18+00:00

It was one of those spur-of-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 that I hadn�t geographed yet, quite a few of which were up for TPoints and third or fourth visitor points.

I have visited Yatesbury many times. One winter, I walked through Yatesbury every Sunday on a route from Broad Hinton to Avebury, but this didn�t take me near the former air base. But I�d been near it on other walks, and the space near a concrete blockhouse close to the junction of The Avenue and the lane to Nolands provides a handy parking spot for walkers. While there, I�d seen the old buildings on the other side of the road. I knew they had something to do with the war, but I�d taken no interest in them. Another geographer, Brian Robert Marshall (BRM), had no doubt already covered them: such things were right up his street, so I left them to him. But instead of starting my walk in Yatesbury, I decided to do a circular walk starting from a layby not far from the Beckhampton roundabout on the south side of the A4.

Following a track that was once the original London-Bath road through a beautiful beech plantation , I soon emerged at the top of Knoll Down, from where I could see Yatesbury Field spread out to my right down below. I continued for some way along the ridge, until I reached a round barrow that I wanted to photograph. From a distance, I could see a concrete slab protruding from the top of it and a kind of concrete gully coming out of the side. Coming closer, I saw that the concrete in the gully had partly fallen down and it was blocked with weeds, which prevented me from exploring it further. I had no idea what this concrete affair was for, assuming that some farmer had put it there, perhaps as a shelter for lambs, though why he should damage a scheduled monument, I couldn�t think. I took some photos and moved on .

From the ridge, I could see Yatesbury air strip . The windsock told me it was still in use, but I saw no planes taking off, and dismissed it as just another of the tiny leisure airfields in which Wiltshire abounds.

I was now heading in the direction of Cherhill monument, but at the junction of the track that leads to the Iron Age fort on top of the hill, I turned right to cross the A4 and take the minor road to Yatesbury. Just after the bend in the lane, there were a few buildings that looked as if they might be leftovers from the war, but I hadn�t sufficient interest to photograph them. This is a lesson I am constantly failing to learn: that you should photograph everything that sparks your curiosity, even if you don�t know what it is at the time. They lay beside a drive which was barred by a Private sign, and looked as if they had been commandeered for use as farm buildings.

Just past this point, I could see the derelict buildings of the former RAF Yatesbury camp in the distance across the fields . If I had never noticed them before, it was because whenever I had come this way before, it was by car. Now, they looked really interesting: since joining geograph, I have become very interested in derelict buildings, which I consider to have a certain sort of beauty, and a ghostly sort of fascination. Looking at my map and realising that they weren�t accessible from the Juggler�s Lane bridleway, I toyed with the idea of cutting across the fields by way of what I took to be a track. But it turned out on closer examination to be just a field boundary, so I scrapped the idea.

Further down the lane, and nearing the right-hand bend for Yatesbury village, I could see Hangar 45, a huge redbrick building which I took to be one of the wartime hangars restored . It was in immaculate condition. The gate was locked, and although it was a Saturday, I could hear a vehicle�s engine running inside. I took some pictures, both of the side and the offices at the back, feeling sure that it had been covered before (and later being proved right), and continued on to the crossroads, where I turned left into Juggler�s Lane.

To my right were the concrete blockhouse and the patch of empty ground which dog-walkers use for parking. The high metal barriers that had once surrounded the blockhouse were now partly torn down. I didn�t photograph the blockhouse because it looked too ugly (another mistake), and I was sure BRM had already done so. It did cross my mind to wonder why metal security fencing had been erected, though, but I didn�t bother to pursue the thought.

On the other side of the road, the derelict corrugated iron building seemed to have decayed very much since my last visit. Now there was hardly anything left of it. But as I said, I dismissed it as uninteresting and in any case was sure BRM had already recorded it.

I thought I would go down Juggler�s Lane a little way, to see if I could get a better view of the derelict buildings I had seen from the road. I walked along an avenue of very tall trees until I came upon a pillbox which I didn�t remember seeing when I last passed this way a very long time ago. It had all its orifices blocked with concrete. Despite being pretty sure that BRM would have beaten me to it, I photographed it just in case, and continued a short way along the lane.

I should explain that there are two tracks running in parallel from the crossroads as far as the pillbox. The one I was on is metalled, while the other is not. It is the other lane that carries the bridleway past the back of the buildings I was approaching, first of which was a large white house which was clearly lived in. I continued along the metalled lane, but just before the house it was blocked by a gate with a Private sign on it.

To my left, I could see the derelict buildings of the air base. The one nearest was in a terrible state of disrepair and seemed to be on the point of collapse. It looked as if it might have been a hangar , but the roof beams had partly fallen in, and whatever had covered the roof was now missing, leaving the skeletal frame open to the elements. There was a wide band of rough ground to the left of the lane, so I crossed far enough over this to take some photos, making sure I regained the metalled lane before I was spotted.

Back at the crossroads, I continued towards Yatesbury, taking a photo of the Rectory as I passed in case I needed it to bag my grid square, then I continued my walk back to my car.

The following day, I uploaded the photos that would need least research in order to tick off more grid squares and secure more points of one kind or another. Later in the week I began to upload the photographs which required more research, and I came up with quite a few surprises. The first was that the concrete thing in the round barrow on top of Knoll Down turned out not to be something installed by a farmer, but was in fact an anti-aircraft emplacement built during the Second World War. Link That figured: the round barrow stood on the highest part of the ridge, with a good view for miles both to the north over the Yatesbury plain with its airfield, and to the south over the Marlborough Downs, whence enemy aircraft would have approached from the sea. I wondered if the MoD had had to put in a request to alter the scheduled monument (it had been scheduled in 1925). Perhaps it already had a big gouge dug into the top by the antiquaries of the 19th century, although Wiltshire and Swindon Historic Environment Record makes no mention of the notorious Dean Merewether, and gives no references prior to aerial photographs taken in 1946. While excavating the barrow prior to installing the gun emplacement, fragments of human bone and shale and pottery were found, including a Bronze Age beaker. Link

The second surprise was that the dilapidated hangar I had photographed had originally been built during the First World War. Not only that, but it was Grade II* listed. For those who don�t know, many of the most beautiful houses in England only have Grade II listing: to attract Grade II* listing, a building has to be very special indeed. Yet this hangar was practically disintegrating, and looked as if it wouldn�t last another winter. What had been going on to merit all those high metal fences and streamers of black plastic flying in the wind, yet resulting in the apparent complete abandonment of the site?

As I looked into it more, I discovered that there were three Grade II* listed hangars on the site, including the wreck of a building that I had seen opposite the parking space at the beginning of the drive, and that there had been two air bases, the East and the West Camps, both going back to 1916. I came across some videos on YouTube made by John Grech Link Link Link (collections of photos really) of the derelict buildings in the camp, and was fascinated by the eeriness of the place which must once have been teeming with life. From one of these, I discovered that the blockhouse at the junction had been the main guard room for the West Camp. I looked again at BRM�s photograph: he had described it as a blockhouse, so not having a photograph of my own to upload, I put in a suggestion for a change to his description, which he accepted .

The third surprise explained why the site looked as if builders had downed tools one day and gone home, leaving it to rot, with the metal fences falling down, the hangar roofs falling in, and not even taking their scaffolding planks away with them.

It appeared that a Moroccan businessman by the name of Jamal Khanfer had bought the site in 1998 and planned to convert the former air base buildings into luxury houses and flats, and to build five new houses to the north of the site. Link According to his agent Mike Milton, from Milton Architects in Marlborough, Khanfer had bought the site to use for flying before he realised the history behind it. After a lengthy public enquiry, his proposals for development were accepted and he started work, but his plans were thwarted in 2008 when, after the financial crash, his funding was pulled, and work ceased. Although by then he had conserved one hangar of the western pair, he clearly had not provided adequate protection from the elements for the other. (I�m not sure whether he owns the eastern hangar). In March 2014, he re-submitted his plans for developing the site Link but since they did not include proposals for the future use of the conserved hangar, revised plans were requested. In the meantime, although he was served by English Heritage with an Urgent Works Notice to arrest further decline in the condition of the derelict western hangar, before the works were implemented there was a substantial roof collapse. English Heritage, seeing that it is beyond repair, has now given permission for its demolition. Link

I don�t know what made me sadder, Khanfer�s neglect or English Heritage�s failure to protect the hangar. But that would have been the end of the matter as far as I was concerned had it not been for another suggestion I�d made for one of BRM�s photos while I�d perused those he had uploaded for RAF Yatesbury. BRM had contended that the trees in the avenue leading away from the guard room were oaks , but I was sure they were not, and suggested beeches. BRM responded that as no-one could be certain unless they went back there in the summer and identified them from their leaves, and until then he was sticking to his description. The moderator weighed in, saying they were not beeches, because beeches had smooth bark, and suggested ash. This was on the Thursday. It must have been on my mind all day Friday, because when Saturday dawned fine and bright, I decided to go back to Yatesbury and find out. It may have been nearly midwinter, but at least I could guess from the buds on the twigs and the leaves and seeds on the ground what the trees were. Not only that, but I wanted to go back and get a better photograph of the gun emplacement in the round barrow, and if possible, get a closer look at the ruined RAF base.

So I set off on Saturday morning and, parking in the same layby as before, made my way swiftly up to the round barrow . This time, I pushed my way past the nettles and rubble and into the gun emplacement itself . There was another surprise: a little bunker behind the emplacement , where I imagined the soldiers sheltering from the cold on long winter nights, with what looked like a fireplace too , though realistically, the bunker may simply have been used to store ammunition.

When I emerged from the bunker, I looked out over to the south, from where the bombers would have arrived, and thought of those men keeping their spirits up through many a night on that freezing spot on the Downs. I thought how brave they were, and how much we owe to them. I looked in the other direction over the modern Yatesbury airfield, and as if to make my imaginings real, a small plane took off, banked around and flew over the Knoll.

I went back to the car and drove on to Yatesbury, where I parked opposite what I now knew to be the main guardroom for the West Camp . No longer just an ugly blockhouse, it had become the place where sentries would have stood and challenged everyone who wanted to go along the lane. One iron gatepost still remained of the gate which they would have guarded . I took a picture of a hump in the ground behind it, and only realised was a Stanton air raid shelter when I came to upload the photo later .

My first priority was to have a good look at the hangar nearest the junction. This was in terrible condition. Even though I had never paid it much attention previously, I noticed that it was in a far worse state than on my visits prior to 2014. I clearly remembered a reasonably solid wall clad with green corrugated iron. Now most of it had disappeared, leaving a few of what looked like huts at ground level and some glassless windows above. The roof was entirely missing.

I was able to get a very close look at what was left of the building and wander round inside it. The vast concrete floor remained, with the iron groove for the hangar doors , and the ancillary buildings on either side, but apart from that, it was just a shell of the building . How sad that it had survived two world wars and been listed by English Heritage, and yet in the last few years had perished through sheer neglect!

I walked a little way along what used to be the runway, which extended west in the direction of the other hangars and buildings of West Camp. From there, I could see the hangar I had photographed the previous week more clearly, and also the other hangar in the listing, which was black and looked remarkably intact. I desperately wanted to get closer and have a good look, and contemplated walking along the field boundary. But the ground was very rough, and I might have been seen and stopped, so I decided to return to last week�s viewpoint and try to get a better picture from there.

I set off along the lane, looking at the trees as I went. What were they? They definitely weren�t oaks � I could tell that from the shape. They weren�t beech: the lack of coppery beech leaves and beech nuts beneath my feet made that clear. But they weren�t ash either: they didn�t have those typical black ash buds. I could see no seeds of any kind lying on the ground but I picked up a leaf. It was more or less triangular, roughly like the ace of spades in shape. I put it in my rucksack together with a twig to take home and identify later.

Further down the lane, I took another look at the pillbox, which was a hexagonal Type 22 pillbox. The reason for its position here now became clear: its purpose was to defend the northern perimeter of the West Camp and to protect it from anyone who might have managed to get past the guardroom.

Next I walked over into the rough grass again to try to get a better photograph of the dilapidated hangar. I took some shots with the feeble zoom on my camera, but these turned out to be no better than the shots I had taken the previous week. Besides which, I could see cars parked outside the white house, one of which had its engine running, and I did not wish to be seen. I�d decided that I would try to get into the site from further along Juggler�s Lane, and if I was seen now, that would put an end to my plan. Normally, I don�t so much as deviate from a public footpath, but when as site is as interesting as this, I am prepared to trespass if necessary. If I am seen, I apologise, and sometimes find that the subterfuge was unnecessary; but this time, I was determined to get photos of this site by hook or crook, and I didn�t want to jeopardise my chances from the outset.

So I retreated to the pillbox. From there, the public bridleway follows the track to the north of it. I passed with the house on my left, and followed a trimmed hedge and fence for a short distance until it gave way to wilder hedgerows beyond. I could glimpse the camp over to my left but the bushes were too dense for me to get through.

A little further on I came upon another pillbox hidden in the bushes that BRM had missed. It was another Type 22 hexagonal box, but this time the loopholes hadn�t been blocked up and you could see that they were of TF744 066 pattern. Link The whole pillbox was covered in moss which glowed bright green in the afternoon sunshine.

And then, eureka! Just beyond the pillbox was a well-worn path through the hedge, over a broken-down barbed wire fence, and across the adjacent rough field towards the camp. I had found my way in!

I get the same thrill from trespassing as I did when I was a child nearly sixty years ago. There is the feeling of butterflies in the stomach at the possibility of getting caught, and the burning excitement to see what you came to see before you are spotted. It is as if a primeval hunting instinct kicks in, and yet you know that as long as you are careful, you are doing no real harm, apart from possibly annoying somebody. And being an adult, you are less likely to take unnecessary risks and put yourself in danger (though I did have some warning shots fired in my direction once), which is partly why I didn�t enter any of the buildings.

But before I go on, here is an outline of the history of the camp:

In 1916, the Royal Flying Corps developed two airfields at Yatesbury specialising in training Corps Reconnaissance pilots. Two camps were established, one on each side of the minor road from the A4 to the village itself: this one, the West Camp, comprised the officers� and men�s quarters with the usual facilities and three large hangars, while the East Camp was adjacent to the A4, where the present airstrip is, and had hangars and workshops. The airfields opened in November 1916 with No. 55 Reserve Squadron arriving from Filton, equipped with the Avro 504A and the Scout D.

Although the war ended in November 1918, training continued into 1919, when squadrons were sent to Yatesbury to be disbanded. The Station finally closed in early 1920, and the land was returned to its original owners and reverted to farmland until 1936.

In 1935, Bristol Aeroplane Company (BAC), which had been operating a school at Filton in Bristol since 1923, purchased part of the former western airfield and built a flying school, which opened in early 1936. This was the No.10 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School (Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC trained here in 1936). Various facilities were built including an officers� mess and accommodation blocks. In 1939 the airfield was taken over by the Air Ministry and brought up to wartime standards, which included the construction of the Bellman and Blister hangars, the Stanton air raid shelters, and a Sommerfield Track of steel mesh matting which was laid on the two runways. Training was carried out with Tiger Moth aircraft. This continued until the outbreak of war in September 1939, when pilot training was transferred away to other stations to allow the field to be used for training airborne wireless operators.

Meanwhile, in 1938/9 on the site of the East Camp, the RAF, realising that it would need a large number of radio operators, built the No. 2 Electrical and Wireless School, (later renamed No. 2 Radio School). The theory of wireless and Morse code were taught on the ground and Dominie and Proctor aircraft were used for the aerial training. The trainees were billeted in a large number of wooden huts; over 50,000 men successfully passed out of the school between 1939 and 1945. In 1942 a heavily guarded compound was built at the eastern end of the camp to teach the new top-secret radar. This was originally known as No. 9 RDF School but was later called the No. 9 Radio School. Over 19,000 men and women were trained there.

At the end of the war air training largely ceased, and the camp was used for basic training for a while. The Flying School at the East Camp was briefly used to train pilots but in 1947 was abandoned. From 1954 to 1958 it was converted to RAF Cherhill, 27 Group Headquarters; with the start of the Cold War the camp had become busy again, mainly with the training of radar operators, mechanics and fitters. Large numbers of men on National Service passed through the camp, but with the end of National Service in 1961 demand reduced. In 1965 the camp was finally closed. During this period, over 70,000 personnel had been successfully trained there. In 1969, the wooden huts were demolished and the land returned to agriculture, with the exception of the gymnasium, the only brick building on the camp; the Flying School and buildings were abandoned and left to rot. Link Link Now I was about to see for myself how the site had fared since then.

I crossed the small field of rough ground diagonally towards a gap between the high metal fencing which surrounded the site and the first building on my left. At the time, I didn�t know what each building was used for. Many are identified in John Grech�s videos, but I couldn�t remember which was which, so I just photographed each one as I came to it, hoping to identify them when I got home. To cut a long story short, I will identify them now as I describe my route through the site.

To my left was the main generator house , and between it and me was a high redbrick wall , with a space behind it which Grech identifies as the M/T (Motor Transport) Section parking bay, from the original stencilling on the wall Link although it is not next to the M/T shed as you might expect. Looking at the photos now, I can see that the wall had originally been three sides of a long covered shed, the roof of which has now gone.

Through the windows in the generator house, I could see a huge rusty metal girder, but I decided not to investigate it now, because I wanted to get as many photographs of the whole site before my presence was discovered. I peered round the corner of the generator house, and found myself on a tarmacked drive, obviously a continuation of the one starting at the main guardroom and running through the gate marked �Private�. It was covered with moss which was spongy underfoot.

Thinking it best to explore the buildings farthest away from the house first, I turned right on to this road, and started to walk up it. On my right was the temporary metal security fence, and on my left was a green space in which were several humps which reminded me of large recently-dug graves or small long barrows . At the end of each hump was a concrete box or a construction made of laths covered with plastic. It turned out these were Stanton air raid shelters, Link each of them big enough for fifty men, the excrescences being either the entrances of the emergency escape hatches (I did not venture close enough to ascertain which).

Just beyond these on my left was the single-storey concrete-rendered brick block of flight offices . These offices were ranged on either side of a long corridor .

On my right, beyond the high metal fence, I could see two buildings in the rough field I had crossed earlier . One looked like a redbrick toilet block, but was in fact the small arms armoury. The other, half-covered in ivy, was the small arms firing range.

Continuing along the mossy drive, and just before the western boundary fence at the end, was what looked like a small swimming pool, but turned out to be the base�s water storage tank , capable of holding 200 gallons (900 litres) of water. This brought to mind a comment by one of the airmen stationed at the East Camp, who had said that the baths were marked with a line and must not be overfilled. Doubtless, with so many men stationed at the camps, water was at a premium, and of course extra was needed in case of fires caused by bombing.

Looking back to my left, I could see the main accommodation block, a two-story concrete-rendered brick building with metal window-frames , built on an E-shaped plan, with the long side facing the afternoon sun.

Walking to the end of this, I peeped around the far corner, and saw some brick ancillary buildings . Venturing further towards them, I saw on my left, at the end of the office block I had seen earlier, the station�s squash court . The roof had originally been glazed to let in the light from above, and when John Grech photographed it in 2010 the interior was preserved in excellent condition. Link

Returning to the front of the accommodation block, I carried on until I came to the combined officers� mess and office building. This was the architectural highlight of RAF Yatesbury West Camp. It was built in 1936 by the architect Cecil Jones from rendered brick with flat roofs and steel-framed windows. The complex was praised by Flight magazine in 1936 as �a model school whose pattern few will equal and none better�, and a 2003 report by English Heritage described the building as �a crisp modern composition by Cecil Jones, the most significant of all the buildings erected for the 50 Civilian Service Flying Training Schools�. Link Link

A billiards room and a mess/ante-room for use by the instructors and officer pupils faced the garden front on the southwest side. Now, of course, it is in a sorry state , although its former grandeur can be imagined from its fa�ade which faced the evening sun and is marked by a taller projecting block to the centre, which had french windows with fanlights above them set in four recessed semi-circular arches. Link Nowadays, there is a high unruly hedge blocking the view from those windows, but perhaps when the base was in use, you could sit there sipping your gin and watch the sun go down over the Cherhill monument. I couldn�t help noticing that the soil was much softer near the hedge, and wondered whether there had once been an ornamental pond there.

Turning the corner at the end of the fa�ade, the elevation facing south-east towards the airfield is only slightly less impressive with its four projecting bay windows. This was the watch office and flying control: here were the offices for the chief flying instructor and time-keeper, and the pilots' changing-rooms. The aircraft control tower is on top of this building. Looking round the far corner of this building, I could see the kitchens at the back of the officers� mess .

Walking parallel to the fa�ade of the watch office in an easterly direction, I passed another block, this time the operations block , which contained more administration offices and the training facilities. I was now walking on the concrete of the disused runway , which was overgrown with weeds and brambles, and scattered with debris abandoned by the builders when they�d left: bricks, pieces of wood, bits of plastic, and piles of spoil.

With the operations block on my left, I had a good view of the two hangars . The one nearest me had been restored , but the other was in a state of almost complete collapse . I was now not far away from the white house, and I could hear sounds of banging coming from near there. At first I thought the white object in front of the furthest hangar was a car, and that the banging was coming from someone working in the hangar; but the �car� turned out to be a boat, beached miles from the nearest river, and the noise was being made by someone unseen near the house.

I got as close as I dared to photograph the ruined hangar, then backed off to look at the one that had been restored. It looked as if they had made a reasonable job of conserving it, because the hangar looked watertight, apart from some sheets of corrugated missing from the front; at least it was in no danger of collapsing. But it had not been restored to its original condition, as can be seen by comparison with a photograph taken in 2005 of the eastern hangar Link which still appears to have one of its sliding doors partly intact.

With the hangar�s massive fa�ade on my right, I cut back in toward the shelter of the trees. On the north wall of the restored hangar were the annexes , still clad in corrugated metal, with their windows now covered with metal also. This was identical to the set-up with the eastern hangar , see Link which shows how the eastern hangar in 2005.

Off to my left, and quite close to the front of the restored hangar was the aircrew ready room, an evocative name and place if ever there was one . John Grech�s collection of photos shows the inside of this building Link where the aircrews probably sat in two lines facing each other, cheerfully bantering to cover their nerves while they waited to be called.

Beyond this and to my left were more reminders of the dangers of the place. Two dilapidated buildings to the east of the squash court on the other side of another mossy drive were for use by medics. That on my left, which still bears the faint remains of a red cross in a white oval on its gable, was the sick bay , while that on my right was another medical building . Back along the drive to my right was the ambulance station , and further along still, near the entrance, was the fire tender shed .

To the left of the ambulance station was the four-bayed M/T (Motor Transport) shed . I was now back on the original mossy drive I had set foot on before circumnavigating the site. Leaving the M/T shed on my right, I walked back to the generator house and went inside.

Above the door was a giant steel beam, to which a pulley was attached . The manufacturer�s name (Herbert Morris Ltd. of Loughborough) was printed on one side of the beam, plus the fact that the pulley was capable of lifting 4 tons (4.064 tonnes) . This beam slid back and forth on metal wheels with cogs along another pair of beams on either side of the inside of the building: I had already seen one of these beams through the window. The pulley was used for lifting generators into and out of looked like three huge ceramic baths set into the floor on the right hand side of the building . (These generator mountings are best seen in John Grech�s collection of photographs Link where they aren�t covered.) There was another similar, though slightly differently-shaped ceramic pit in the far left corner of the shed .

By this time, I thought I had hung around too long for my own good, and decided to scarper. I made my way back across the rough ground to the gap in the hedge near the pillbox. I still had a five mile walk planned, so I continued along Juggler�s Lane.

Not much further along, the hedgerow on the left ended, and I had a good view back over the western end of the camp , and also over the edge of the escarpment on which it stands. Right over the other side of the field was a small building, but I wasn�t going to plod all that way to see what it was. I photographed it, and later found out that it was another pillbox, this time a Type 27 . Link Link Then I went on my way.

When I got home, the first thing I did was look up my leaf and twig in Prime and Deacock�s 'How to Identify Trees & Shrubs from Leaves or Twigs in Summer or Winter', a little booklet dating from 1942 that I picked up from a car boot sale. It wasn�t much help, but the shape of the leaf was vaguely familiar. Then I realised that it was the same as the leaves of the tree at the end of the garden of the house where I grew up: a poplar. But I will still have to go back in the summer to prove it.

I also discovered the secrets of Hangar 45: have a look at Link to see what the architects envisaged for the inside! Twenty-nine �live/work� units, communal work space, parking, a play space for children, and even a village shop, all under the hangar�s capacious saw-tooth roof. In case you are wondering what a live/work unit is, it is a place where people can work from home, thus reducing their carbon footprint by not commuting, and making use of otherwise awkward buildings such as warehouses and hangars. According to RIBA Journal February 2001 Link Hangar 45 would have housed 29 �prefabricated timber live/work �cassettes�� around a central �street�, with parking either side. In 2007, Wiltshire County Council Planning Committee discussed architect Mitchell Taylor Workshop�s proposals, raising some objections on the grounds that it was �by no means a certainty that the proposed dwellings in this location will be utilised as such [i.e. for people to work from] or provide a totally sustainable community�. Link I don�t know whether the proposal was ultimately passed, though it is clear from events elsewhere that the creation of live/work units was considered to be a slippery slope towards change of use from industrial to purely residential. In 2007, a number of people in Hackney were served with notices to quit their live/work spaces unless they immediately applied for planning permission for change of use. Link However, even with my penchant for trespassing, I haven�t the nerve to go snooping around Hangar 45 to discover the outcome.

More photographs of RAF Yatesbury can be seen at Link Link Link Link and Link Also see Link

And for a final treat, watch Link or Link in which the West Camp features as a set for the video of Doctorin� the Tardis by the Timelords/KLF (1988). It gives a good view of the concrete runway and the two westernmost hangars, which were then almost intact, as well as being jolly good fun!

A traverse of the Malvern Hills

Philip Halling — 2021-11-26T15:38:56+00:00

For anyone living in the counties of Herefordshire or Worcestershire the line of the Malvern Hills is a familiar sight on the horizon. In fact, the hills form part of the boundary between these two counties, the southern slopes of Chase End Hill, the most southerly of the hills, is in Gloucestershire. The origin of the name Malvern is probably from the ancient British moel-bryn, meaning "Bare-Hill",

The Malvern Hills are formed around 680 million years ago. The hills are the eroded remains of volcanic magma chambers which were created in the southern hemisphere, about 60 degrees south of the equator. Mostly igneous and metamorphic rocks, the hills are late Precambrian and among the hardest and oldest rocks in England.

The hills are popular with walkers and attract people from far and wide. I regularly walk on the hills and as friends were walking the length of the hills from south to north I took the opportunity to join them. Public transport is limited, so we parked cars at Hollybush in the south, and near the clock tower below North Hill at the other end of the hills. Unfortunately, parking at Hollybush means missing the two most southerly hills, Chase End and Ragged Stone Hill. There is no parking available at the very south and including these two hills would mean walking south from Hollybush and then backtracking to the car park before continuing north. This diversion adding about another 4 miles to the walk.

Leaving the car park and heading north, the first ascent was Midsummer Hill, the path is rather steep, albeit not too lengthy though and the path soon emerges just below the summit of the hill. On the summit there is what appears to be a bus shelter. It looks a little incongruent, though it offers fine views to the east and I�m sure on occasion offers welcome shelter. Inside a plaque commemorates Captain Reginald Somers Cocks M.C. who gave Midsummer Hill and its iron age hill fort to the National Trust in 1923.

The Somers family lived at Eastnor Castle which can be seen to the west, along with the obelisk in the parkland which celebrate illustrious family members. The path descends and passes through Gullet Wood and then follows the ridge of Swinyard Hill before crossing the broad Hangman�s Hill leading to Broad Down. Here the Shire Ditch, also known as the Red Earl�s Dyke becomes a prominent feature, it is an earthwork following most of the spine of the hills. It was thought this dyke running along the length of the Malvern Hills was created at the orders of Gilbert de Clare, the Red Earl in the late 13th century to mark the boundary between his land and that of the Bishop of Hereford. It is now believed to be much earlier.

A short zig-zag path with steps ascends Millennium Hill and then it is an easy walk to the Herefordshire Beacon. This hill is better known as the British Camp, a large Iron Age hillfort dating from the 2nd century BCE. The diarist John Evelyn remarked that the view from this hill was "one of the godliest vistas in England". The descent from here is steep in places and is partly via concrete steps which have been there as look as I can remember. The path emerges on to a large car park beside the A449, here there is the Malvern Hills Hotel, or if you prefer, a small caf� where we stopped for a coffee.

The Jubilee Drive which was constructed to celebrate one of Queen Victoria�s jubilees joins the A449 here. We follow this road for a few metres before following a path on the right which took us past the rear of Wynds Point, a house which was home of Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind in the 19th century. Here the path returns to the ridge and easily ascends Black Hill and then it is a bit of a roller coaster over Pinnacle Hill, Jubilee Hill and Perseverance Hill until we reach Upper Wyche where a road passes through a cutting in the hills. The origin of the name Wyche may be as a result of it being an ancient salt road. Droitwich, a source of salt is not many miles away, to the north of Worcester. The Wyche Inn is just round the corner and is a great place to stop for a pub lunch. The pub enjoys fine views to the east over the Severn vale to the Cotswold Hills.

After lunch it is a gentle walk following a broad tarmac path leading all the way to the too of the Worcestershire Beacon. The path used to provide access for deliveries to a caf� which used to be situated just below the summit. It burned down in the early 1970s and was never replaced. There is a small levelled area to the west of the summit where it once stood. On the rocky top of the Worcestershire Beacon, there is a trig point and just to the north there is also a toposcope which was placed here in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria�s Diamond Jubilee. At 425m (1395ft), the Worcestershire Beacon is the highest point in the Malvern Hills. To the east there is nothing this high as far as the Ural Mountains, and in the winter with a cold east wind it feels like it. To the west some twenty-five miles away on the border between England and Wales the Black Mountain rise to just over 700m.

After the Worcestershire Beacon the is a steady descent, leaving just three more hills, Sugarloaf Hill, Table Hill and finally North Hill. Reaching North Hill there is an abrupt end to the hills with the land falling away steeply to the north. From the top of North Hill there are excellent views over Herefordshire and Worcestershire. To the north are the Abberley Hills, to the north-east there are the Clent Hills and Lickey Hills, hiding the large urban conurbation of Birmingham and the west midlands. To the north-west the Shropshire hills of Titterstone Clee Hill, Brown Clee Hill and the Wrekin, near Telford are all clearly visible on a day with clear visibility.

We dropped down to the Lady Howard De Walden Drive, a path with contours North Hill and then we followed a zig-zag path to the car park near the clock tower at North Malvern. The Malvern Hills are about 9 miles long from north to south, on our walk we had walked about 10 miles in total.
You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

Meal a' Bhuachaille circuit, Glenmore

Julian Paren — 2021-09-21T07:48:12+00:00

This GeoTrip is a walk of a published route on the WalkHighland website and the paragraph that follows is from there.

[i]Meall a' Bhuachaille is a great choice for a first hill walk in the Cairngorms, being easily accessible and having the benefit of great paths to the summit as well as superb views. Here is a chance to experience the beauty and wildness of the Cairngorms without the length and remoteness of some of the Munro walks. The walk described offers great variety, with ancient Caledonian pines, lochs, forests and a windswept ridge; it can easily be extended to a full day�s hill walk by continuing over Creagan Gorm to Craigowrie.

TERRAIN
Good paths and tracks throughout.[/i]

Having read the descriptions to images already published on Geograph, I realise that the hill path to the summit was one of the first in Scotland to be eroded extensively, and it became one of the first to be restructured by experts in path maintenance. The path has survived well, but there has been inevitable further erosion, and evidence of people cutting corners, taking a more direct line that the easier gradient zig-zag path that was constructed.
This leisurely walk was accomplished in perfect weather in 5 hours for the 9.9 km path. The ridge was not windswept and there were no insects to detract in the woodland section. However the Glenmore Visitor Centre where the walk starts and ends was closed presumably due to Covid, and the cafe and toilets closed early at 4 pm.

There were people everywhere and cyclists enjoying the way-marked cycle paths. There were about a dozen folk on the summit of Meall a� Bhuachaille while we sat there enjoying the experience.

Link

You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

2021 summary

David Howard — 2021-09-04T15:48:51+00:00

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 , plus our bagpipers who put on a performance for charity . 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 Thetford which turned up here. As I already have a patch around there I took the opportunity to increase it, and used the map here to find two squares with only one image either side of a road, which needed GPS to locate as one was limited by hedges and the other was in a field .

Twyford and Trumpington were the other two, and once completed was free to roam wherever I wanted to. The only aim now is new territory, as it would need a tremendous effort to reach any further locations without a reluctant overnight stay. I may next year, as covid prevented it since 2019 so anything more ambitious was so hard as to be practically impossible, including the Eurotunnel to France. The routine this year turned out to be major A roads to their conclusions, the A10 to King's Lynn , the A41 to Solihull and the A34 to Birmingham , albeit with very few sections using the designations nowadays. I ended the serious journeys with Uttoxeter , to fill in the yawning gaps in SK myriad, having attempted Nottingham earlier in the year and got so stuck in traffic I turned off and headed west instead .

Locally I use my phone to keep track of wherever I am, and followed the progress of the wild flowers in my local parks where I go to run . There is also a series around Golders Green and Hampstead Garden Suburb where I do my mother's shopping. Otherwise the trips have been to green patches in between the red on my map, becoming further and further away after 15 years, and generally around Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Essex . More pre-Worboys signs turned up on the east coast, meaning a first visit to Great Wakering and a visit to Mersea Island for the first time in about 40 years. One memory is always revived now as my current road map was bought last year on a trip to Leicester as the last one was coming apart and is now indoors for reference. However it came back to life when I went to Birmingham as it has a huge town plan which guaranteed I reached the exact spot I had to get a sign in.

It was a slightly different year due to lockdown, but less than 2020 as the restrictions didn't last as long, but having three signs to get as quickly as possible (many are gone if you wait, as I've experienced too many times) used up any ambitions to bag a distant myriad this year, and plan a trip to Wales again next year for that purpose. My other trip planned is into the far side of Staffordshire, and everything else is flexible.

Anniversary of Edward Jenner's first smallpox vaccination

Philip Halling — 2021-05-14T15:56:25+00:00

If ever we needed a reminder of the importance of vaccination it is now with the world fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

The events which took place 225 years ago today in Berkeley, Gloucestershire were a milestone in medical history. In was on 14 May 1796, that Edward Jenner administered the first smallpox vaccination, a step which eventually resulted in the eradication of smallpox almost two centuries later.

Edward who was a physician in Berkeley had noticed that milkmaids appeared to be generally immune to smallpox. Cattle suffer from a similar disease known as cowpox and Jenner considered whether pus from blisters on cow udders protected milkmaids from smallpox.

In an experiment which would have been totally unethical today, Jenner took a small cowpox pustule from milkmaid Sarah Nelmes, and used this to inoculate an eight-year-old boy called James Phipps. He administered it by a scratch on the boy�s arm. As a result, the boy suffered a mild case of cowpox, after which he was infected with human smallpox. The boy shook it off and was unaffected by the disease. By 1801, it is estimated 100,000 people had been vaccinated against smallpox using the same method.

As a successful doctor, Jenner also had a practice in Cheltenham, a fashionable town at the time with many people visiting to take the waters.

Though never nationally recognised, Jenner received the freedom of many cities, including London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dublin. He was honoured by universities around the world who gave him honorary degrees. Perhaps most surprising was a special medal minted in France under Napoleon in 1804. There are statues of him, including one in Gloucester Cathedral. There is a statue of him in London�s Kensington Gardens, originally it was in Trafalgar Square. There are also statues of him overseas, including one in Tokyo.

Though Edward Jenner will forever be remembered for discovering the smallpox vaccine, there are other aspects of his life which are perhaps less well known.

He was born in Berkeley on 17 May 1749 (new style), one of eight children. His father, the Rev. Stephen Jenner, was the vicar of Berkeley. Edward went to school in nearby Wotton-under-Edge at Katherine, Lady Berkeley's School. At this time, he was inoculated by a method known as variolation, an earlier, riskier method of smallpox inoculation.

From the age of 14, he was apprentice for seven years to Daniel Ludlow, a surgeon in Chipping Sodbury, in South Gloucestershire. In 1770, he continued his medical studies and became an apprentice of surgery and anatomy, under surgeon John Hunter at St George's Hospital, London. He returned to Gloucestershire and became a doctor in his hometown of Berkeley in 1773.

Edward Jenner had an interest in wildlife and in particular studied swallows and swifts, and cuckoos. At the time many believed swallows and swifts hibernated underwater through winter. Through his studies it was Jenner who put forward the idea these birds migrated, though he didn�t know where they went.

Also, he studied cuckoos and discovered their habit of laying eggs in the nest of other birds. After examining newly hatched cuckoos, he discovered they had an indentation in their back, used to eject eggs of the host species from the nest. He discovered the indentation disappeared after 12 days. His work on the breeding habits of cuckoos gained him admittance to the Royal Society in 1788.

In the 1780s balloon flight was in its infancy. On 2 September 1784, Jenner launched a balloon from the courtyard of Berkeley Castle. The balloon drifted to the east over the Cotswolds and landed in Kingscote Park, near Tetbury. The park was owned by Anthony Kingscote and it is believed on this day, Jenner met Catherine, daughter of Anthony. Four years later Edward and Catherine were married in Kingscote church. She was obviously impressed by his balloon.

The balloon was launched again and this time drifted north, eventually landing near Birdlip. The Air Balloon Inn, so often mentioned in traffic reports, is believed to have been named after this event.

Edward Jenner died on 26 January 1823, aged 73. There is a memorial statue of him in Gloucester Cathedral however, he was buried in the family vault at the Church of St Mary, Berkeley.

On such a significant anniversary it seems fitting that today I have had my second COVID-19 injection.

Climbing the tower of Worcester Cathedral

Philip Halling — 2014-08-30T20:53:41+00:00

Climbing the tower of Worcester Cathedral

Having visited Hereford 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 ever present. With the exception of Durham, few of England�s cathedrals are in a more attractive setting, with Worcester Cathedral overlooking the River Severn. For cricket fans the cathedral tower is a familiar sight as it forms the backdrop to New Road Cricket Ground. The cathedral used to feature on the reverse of the �20 note (1999-2007), along with Worcester�s most famous son, Sir Edward Elgar.

The cathedral tower is the third to grace the building and was built in 1374. The first tower fell down in 1175 and the second was taken down in 1350 as it was unsafe. The present tower is 52m (170ft) high to the roof, with the pinnacles adding a further 10m making a total of 62m (202ft). The tower weights 4,500 tonnes and has 16 bells. Whilst on top of the tower a wedding had just taken place and with all the bells ringing I could feel the tower move.

There are extensive views from the top, making climbing the 235 steps worthwhile. The view to the south extends down the Severn valley with the distant Cotswold Hills a blue line on the horizon; to the south-east Bredon Hill is clearly visible with the Malvern Hills unmistakable to the south-west. Just beyond the Malvern Hills is May Hill, situated in Gloucestershire on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean. To the west, and lying to the north of the Malvern Hills, are the Suckley Hills. To the north-west are the Abberley Hills with the Abberley Clock Tower standing sentinel. To the north the view extends to the high ground bordering Birmingham and the Black Country, in particular the Clent Hills. Only to the east is the view foreshortened by the suburbs of Worcester, the Rainbow Hill and Warndon areas rise to some 60 metres above sea level. Immediately below, the city of Worcester is at one�s feet and in particular the River Severn flowing past. The river cuts the city in two due to its floodplain which creates a green corridor, within this is New Road, Worcestershire County Cricket Club�s home.
I once read a description of Worcester which described it lying on the boundary of lowland and upland England. Standing on the top of the tower this is not my impression, it feels that it sits in a bowl with higher ground above 500 feet in three directions.

It�s thought during part of the Battle of Worcester in 1651, Charles II viewed the action from the tower, it is interesting to ponder how much the landscape has changed in the intervening 360 odd years. The city of Worcester has changed and grown enormously in that time, but I wonder how different and how much the more distant landscape has changed?

Lockdown story

David Howard — 2020-09-25T23:32:51+00:00

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 , and as a result of the added time managed a couple of POTY nominations . Then came the free travel, except to Wales. As a collector of pre-Worboys signs , I decided instead to scour the country for them, first deciding Shropshire was a goldmine, where I'd never been at all, so went around Bridgnorth (one I knew of wasn't apparent till I spotted it on Google when checking the others), which added me quite a few I'd never even have considered getting before. Then I Streetviewed everywhere within around 100 miles, as a result picking up beauties in Blandford Forum , Daventry and rural Northants I may not have thought of looking for before. None are here as there are no other pictures of them online and many vanish when locations are offered, but they are all on Flickr pre-Worboys group.

Then I went back to filling space on my map, working round the compass points covering places like Rochford , Spalding , Kettering , Dereham and Leicester , one of the only large towns in England I'd never been to before. I also moved up to 15th on the personal point leaderboard as a result, which took precisely 14 1/2 years of digital photography and getting on for 50,000 photos. But the map can never be finished, and with a reluctance to stay in strange places overnight nowadays my scope is also limited, although I had planned an overnight trip as well which also got postponed by 12 months. With the nights drawing in I have just started planning next year's trips, SH myriad of course, and other places in yawning gaps on the map mainly in the midlands. Also I may manage a second trip to the Channel Islands (after 57 years) which would begin a profile on another Geograph site if so.

Cul Mor from Knockan

Julian Paren — 2020-09-11T21:22:15+00:00

The Walk Highlands website provides a suggested itinerary for climbing C�l M�r, and this was mostly followed for this Geotrip. The walk uses the Stalkers Path from Knockan that crosses Meallan D�omhain and climbs C�l M�r by the North East ridge. The walk then heads North West along the spur over Sron Gharbh until the terrain descends abruptly at a nose. This point provides a memorable view over Loch Sionasgaig and Stac Pollaidh. The return is made along the spur to the bealach separating C�l M�r and Creag nan Calman. The full route then heads out and back from the summit of Creag nan Calman to the bealach from which a grassy descent is made to the outward path, but involving a short re-ascent of 30 metres over Meallan D�omhain. We decided instead to contour Meallan D�omhain and join the outward path lower down. This was probably a mistake as one of the party found the contouring tiring on the ankles. As NC1911 had only been visited once before, a detour was made to Loch a� Phollain Riabhaich, to photograph this prominent feature close up. The entire walk was in perfect weather and time was reserved for just sitting and staring at the Assynt landscape. My Garmin 62s gave the route as 16.2 km and we spent a leisurely 7.5 hours in the hills.

My greatest surprise was to discover later that the NW spur of C�l M�r had only been visited once for Geograph. It provides a viewpoint that must rank with Scotland�s very best.

You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link.

The Braes Loan Trail

Bill Kasman — 2020-06-28T15:03:52+00:00

You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link
The Braes Loan Trail incorporates several historic elements going back to the 12th century and beyond. Part of the trail is believed to be an old pilgrim's route which used to pass through Markinch and along which Edward I led his invading army into the village in 1296. The trail also makes use of old cattle routes used to drive cattle to and from grazing at 'The Mires', a once-boggy area which, in prehistoric times, was a loch stretching from Markinch to Kennoway and later was an important area for peat cutting and the gathering of reeds for thatching. The trail passes medieval ruins and sites of historical interest including the place where the founder of St Andrews University, Henry Wardlaw, was born.
Stretching for approximately 2� miles (4 km) the Braes Loan Trail is a circular route which starts and finishes in Markinch and can be walked in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. Walking in the clockwise direction saves the best views for the latter half of the trail. It can be connected with several other routes which offer interesting and historic walking including the long-distance path of the Fife Pilgrims Way Link The going underfoot is generally good following rough tracks, field margins and grassy paths with only relatively gentle inclines but proper walking boots or shoes is advised.
Information about the Braes Loan Trail can be found here Link

One last look at the cooling towers

Philip Halling — 2019-12-09T21:55:57+00:00

I was in Ironbridge back in the summer and whilst visiting some of the museums I took a couple of photographs of the cooling towers of the Ironbridge Power Station which ceased generating electricity in 2015. Knowing the towers were to be demolished during the coming winter I thought it would be good to return when the leaves have fallen thus hopefully getting a better view of them.

I�ve been thinking over visiting in recent weeks but the dull and very wet weather of November had put me off. It was by chance that on BBC regional news, �Midlands Today� I saw a news item regarding the cooling towers and that they were to be demolished on Friday. This prompted me to visit the next day.

I parked in the car park near the Coop supermarket and walked along the bank of the River Severn to Abraham Darby III�s 1779 iron bridge, stopping on the way to take an atmospheric picture of the towers with mist above the Severn. Driving from Worcestershire it had been foggy but fortunately much of it cleared near Much Wenlock and at Ironbridge some was still lying in the river valley. After crossing the bridge over the river I followed the Shropshire Way along on old railway trackbed and then up through the wooded hillside below Benthall Edge. It was twenty years since I last walked here, I remember being impressed by the view of the cooling towers from here. It�s funny how memory plays tricks, the views from here weren�t as good as I remembered. Even with the trees bare, the last leaves being blow away by autumn winds, it was difficult to find a clear view through the trees of the cooling towers. I reached the top of Benthall Edge I then followed a bridleway which descended to a residential mobile home park called Pool View Park Homes. The site was dominated by the chimney, and to a lesser extent the cooling towers of the power station. Following the access road, I emerged on the A4169 near where the road crosses the River Severn near Buildwas Abbey. Three of the cooling towers can be seen from the bridge. Returning to Ironbridge I followed the Severn Way along the riverbank, briefly stopping to photograph the four towers from the access bridge to the power station.

Before getting in the car and returning home I returned to the same spot where I had first taken pictures of the towers this morning. Obviously the sun was lighting them from a different direction and it was less misty so the towers could be seen reflected in the waters of the river.

I had been very lucky with the weather, the following day was cloudier and the light not so good. Two days later at 11am on Friday 6 December I watched online as the towers were razed to the ground. Explosions took away the stilts the towers stand on, the collapsed in the blink of an eye like paper.

I shall miss seeing them on the skyline.
You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

Railways of Chasewater 1

Michael Westley — 2020-05-10T19:40:59+00:00

As many of my fellow geographers know, Birmingham and the Midlands has a rich history of railways. Subsequent to their demise before/since Mr Beeching, many have now become fabulous oasis from the (once) fast pace of the city and of life in general.

Fast forward to the present worldwide lockdown, and I chose to get some early morning exercise visiting the area north of Brownhills to search out such railway relics, whilst enjoying a short hour and a half's walk in the sunshine and with little interaction from fellow humans.

Parking on Coppice Lane, I took a footpath north, climbing up onto the rail embankment until reaching A452. Crossing and returning to the old trackbed at site of Brownhills Station, I continued north on route of Beacon Way, until reaching a footbridge across M6 Toll Road, taking me into the wonderful splendour of Chasewater.

Walking clockwise around to the main Chasewater Railway station, I headed north up the gravel track for a while, until the overhead pylons become visible on the left, and take a track to the left (west) to cross through kissing gates at the railway. The footpath takes you to Brownhills Road.

From there, continue south via housing estate paths (nicely landscaped), and between the remains of two man-made lakes, turning left (east) to take track leading up and across M6 Toll. We have now moved from the Walsall Wood Extension (MR), via what was a link line, to the Norton Branch (LNWR), close to what would have been sidings and Collieries.

After crossing M6 Toll, the path runs south along the trackbed, crossing Albutts Road, and under the A5 road, before passing the site of a short spur that once took a mineral line west, across Wyrley Common to Brownhills Colliery (great pit). This section of the former railway is tree-lined and an ideal cycleway as well as footpath.

Continuing south, we reach Engine Lane and the NCN route 5, where we turn left (east) and continue onto Coppice Lane to return to our start.

Link

Link

Ilkley to Eastby

Chris Heaton — 2020-04-28T15:36:59+00:00

Starting from the Old Packhorse Bridge in Ilkley, which coincides with the eastern end of the Dales Way proper.
The route basically follows pastures beside or close to the River Wharfe to reach the village of Addingham. Once passed a caravan site, the long distance path follows pastures through wonderful scenery dominated by Beamsley Beacon to the east. On reaching the B6160 a path has been created in fields parallel to the road, to keep walkers safe from speeding traffic. After Bolton Bridge the river is followed through one of Yorkshire's best loved regions to the priory at Bolton Abbey - a feature on many calendars.
The Dales Way was abandoned at Bolton Abbey, as I ascended onto high ground through Westy Bank Wood and onto Hare Head with huge ranging views to all points of the compass.
Descending to Halton Moor, a track was taken southwards to Calm Slate Farm - better known these days as Billie Bob's Ice Cream Parlour. From here a path through fields, and a farm track entitled Bark Lane brought me to the village of Eastby. You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

Things growing in my lawn

Bob Harvey — 2015-07-05T08:52:40+00:00

I have three areas of grass in my garden. A small front garden, a conventional back garden, and a further area we call 'the orchard' because I planted apple trees. This rear section was bought separately from the developers, and although other householders have extensively cultivated theirs, mine has never been disturbed apart from planting some apple trees and cutting the grass. The soil and the grass cover are directly descended from the original 'West Field', a stray meadow and grazing used overnight for beast headed to Bourne Market. Although my mowing must have had some effect I do it fairly infrequently and it probably closely resembles the 19th century grazing.

Thus there are things growing in the grass that were probably there a hundred years ago. I think that has some geographic merit. The soil is part of a narrow irregular strip along the edge of the fens that the British Geological Survey describes as "Kellaways Clay Member - Mudstone". It is a heavy but fertile clay, frequently waterlogged in winter. Within a few metres are the lighter soils of Bourne Woods and the hills toward Edenham, which are similarly sedimentary, and described as "Kellaways Sand Member - Sandstone And Siltstone, Interbedded." This is the very edge of the Lincolnshire Limestone, sloping down below the fens.

Both geologies are said to be "Sedimentary Bedrock formed approximately 161 to 165 million years ago in the Jurassic Period".�

The garden is just above the 25metre contour.

I can't identify the grasses. There are loads. I can, however, manage the flowering plants.

Bellis perennis, the Common Daisy.
This is a fantastically widespread plant of grassland, with a flowering season from late spring to early autumn. The flower closes at night, leading to the suggestion that the common name is a corruption of 'Days Eye', which seems a bit contrived to me. At one time children would spend hours constructing Daisy Chains, but the habit seems to have died out.

Ranunculus repens, Creeping Buttercup
This is a very invasive plant, but I can forgive it because of the spectacular colour of the flowers. There are various buttercups, but the foliage rather than the flower is the method of identification.

Linum bienne, Pale Flax
This is a rather intermittent flowerer, but will come back after a couple of years when I havn't seen it. The stem has very thin leaves.

Anagallis arvensis, Scarlet Pimpernel
Normally an indicator of light soils, this is quite well established in my clay. The plant has had over names, such as Shepherd's Weather Glass, because the flower only opens under the brightest of skies. On a sunny day it opens around 9am and closes around 4pm, but on a dull day it might not open at all.

Medicago lupulina, Black Medick
One of the tiny plants known as Hop Clover, this is a useful plant in a lawn as it is a nitrogen fixer: to the extent that it is an indicator of nitrogen-poor soil. It has invaded within the last 15 years, suggesting that the heavy water-logging of recent cold wet winters have finally leached out all trace of the 19th century cattle population on the land.

Prunella vulgaris, Selfheal
This is my favourite of all the things I run the mower over. The popular name recalls its former use in wound healing. When I was at school I was told that Roman Legionaries carried it in their pack and planted it wherever they went, and that it is a sure indicator of former Roman occupation.

I was disappointed when researching for this blog that this notion is not mentioned in any quotable text.

Trifolium pratense, Red Clover
Trifolium repens, White Clover
A well-known constituent of grazing land, high in protein for the cattle and always buzzing with bees when the sun shines. I love the sight of clover in bloom.

Myosotis arvensis, Common Forget-me-not
Precursor of a thousand garden varieties, the tiny blue stars of Forget-me-not are a constant joy.
---
Update in 2020. I have members of the club to report
Cardamine pratensis, The Cuckoo Flower or Ladysmock

Euphorbia helioscopia, The Sun Spurge.
There are blocks of these in the nearby woodland, and this one is sheltering in the shade of a fencepost

Stellaria holostea, Greater Stitchwort
I had been told this was a garden planing, called "Snow in Summer" (Cerastium tomentosum), until I took a little more notice. It is the Greater Stitchwort.

Veronica serpyllifolia, the Thyme-leaf Speedwell
A tiny flower, around 3mm across at most. It spreads across the lawn most years, but is not visible every year. The plant is not easy to discern when it is not flowering, hidden in the grass.

Half a season

David Howard — 2020-04-23T21:39:02+00:00

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 . 2020 had three such knowns, SH myriad in mid-Wales on a familiar route before turning off north, the Eurotunnel which won't contribute here except around the Folkestone terminal, and the final four pre-Worboys signs I missed north of Bristol . The reserve is my first ever myriad starting with an N in Darlington which requires up to an hour wait on a railway platform at each end as that is the frequency there. Instead come the end of March we all got locked down to our local areas. There's always something new to discover there but hardly difficult to access, even on the shortest day. So art again replaces geography, looking for new angles and views wherever I am, on my park walks every other day, buildings where I buy food, and people queuing for shops and going about their business.

Currently we are approaching month 2 of lockdown. Two months to the longest day, with the current suggestion we won't be let free this year. The locations won't go away so would have to wait for all of us, and means my collection will return to the first two years when I had a digital camera and recorded all my favourite places with no restrictions for the first time. Like everyone else it also means I can check every single day of the past archive and upload all the hard to locate or similar photos I didn't have time to add at the time as it would have slowed me down. I'm also finally able to add my pre-2007 photos which aren't on my current computer, and can either access from CD or Flickr. I have zero plans for the lockdown photos, as I think of where to go each day based on the weather and where I feel like going. Most are to the parks I am surrounded by here, and once a week or two to the parks a couple of miles away nearer where I grew up near Hampstead. I actually have half the time I normally would as I am now looking after my mother who can't have anyone else working there, so I am definitely not running out of ideas. I expect soon I will choose a specific residential area to cover in depth for my exercise period and walk around nearby roads and look for the usual favourite features such as paths, streams (we have a lot here), railway lines and electricity substations which are always tucked between and behind houses.

I am still straining at the leash to go to Wales. I know the road so well I can almost guarantee no hold ups, and pretty much time it in advance to make the best of the daylight. I missed France last summer, first as I was ill the day I was meant to go, and then the whole system crossing the channel was barely operating the rest of the season due to the heat, and the call centre recommended not going, and on their website. I remember the day I went north instead and hearing on the radio there was a three hour wait each end and was so relieved I didn't risk it. In about 1983 we went to Folkestone to get the hovercraft to Calais (as I would now if there was one, I won't use ships ever again), and there was a gale so we went on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway to and from Dungeness instead . My father was happy to take the ferry as it could cope with the wind speed but not me. In the early 70s my mother was late home from work in court as the session finished late, and we turned up at Southend Airport only to be turned back as the plane had already boarded and had to go back the following day . Now we have this situation possibly for the entire year or longer, and we can only make the best of the tiny level of freedom we are allowed.

Strath Halladale

Tim Heaton — 2020-04-22T19:32:02+00:00

You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

2019 summary

David Howard — 2019-12-15T20:14:42+00:00

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 compared the A1 and routes through Lincs with motorways, but the A1 was jam packed until Peterborough , losing well over an hour, and was almost dark when I got to Filey . I aimed for Scarborough but Filey was almost the same for the map coverage and too late to go beyond once I got there. Crossing the Humber Bridge was a real highlight as well .

Half the trips were for pre-Worboys signs, few are posted here but can all be seen on my Flickr account Link in their own album. I don't want the wrong people to know where they are and remove them. It meant my first visit to the Malvern Hills , which I found even more scenic than mid-Wales where I went to get into square SN . Northants had a particularly rich set of old signs and I found more and more and went a few times . I even found one in Walberswick when I went for lunch and found one almost outside the shop. I then found one of the originally numerous bunch of unclaimed squares on the Dengie peninsula in Essex , which was then down to a single pair, included one which wasn't fenced off and only a quarter of a mile from the road. The only hurdle being waterlogged from the previous day, it took me ten minutes to reach, carrying my GPS waiting for the numbers to click over from TL9801 to 9800, and had double confirmation from the phone's geotag. As soon as I took the first photo I uploaded it to Geograph to guarantee it got there, and was actually registered as a first soon after I got back home .

So it went far better than I expected, a couple of punctures from laybys with potholes and an island without any signage sticking out into the road, the only other hurdle being three weekends of solid rain, when I chose lack of traffic over being dry. Apart from Yorkshire I managed to avoid any other serious holdups, and never mind getting lost as if I keep taking photos they all add new squares and the GPS gets me back on track eventually.

My previous 2018 blog has plans for 2019, which were completed early and extended for the rest of the year. 2020 has fewer left, a probable sign in Derby and Wiltshire, another first geograph, and if I really feel like it another myriad in SS which I have been near to but couldn't make a detour after driving to Exeter already. Otherwise I will just keep getting new squares and look for more signs.

Scotways Hill Track 315, Dingwall to Strathpeffer and Garve

Julian Paren — 2018-06-16T21:05:16+00:00

Scottish Hill Track 315 is 20 km long and connects Dingwall and Garve, which are just one station apart on the Highland Line from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh. The route can be broken into two, a Dingwall to Strathpeffer section and then Strathpeffer to Garve. In fact I had walked much of route 315 when on shorter circular walks, but had always thought the route as a simple linear walk would be rewarding.

Studying the summer rail timetable it became evident that trains were better timed to do the route in reverse. Starting at Garve from the 0955 arrival from Dingwall and then walking back, heading towards the statistically better weather as the walk progressed. Better than walking towards more uncertain weather!

Having walked the majority of the walk before, I knew that two of the best features of the countryside between Garve and Dingwall would be bypassed unless two diversions were made. The first to Loch na Crann in the Contin Forest, and second to include the vitrified hillfort of Knockfarrel, the latter being a deviation from the direct route suggested in Scottish Hill Tracks.

The walk was 22 km long and with two good breaks at Loch na Crann and on the Knock Farril ridge took just over seven hours. The weather became better all day and the sun broke through before reaching Strathpeffer, giving a real sparkle to the walk up Knock Farril.

For those who like a slightly longer walk, a side-trip to Rogie Falls would have added an extra 1.5 km, but from past experience you would need an extra hour to enjoy all the features of Rogie Falls.

Just three people were met on the walk. A single walker heading for Silver Bridge and back having started at Strathpeffer, and two on the summit of Knock Farril, who had foregone a Shearings day trip to Ullapool on their coach holiday to get some fresh air.

Standard class single fare from Dingwall to Garve is �4.70 - 2019 price.

NOTE: There is a ford at NH412601 which may be impassable after heavy rain.

See Link for a winter view of the ford.

See Link for a drier March view of the ford.

You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

Circular walk by the River Beauly from Black Bridge

Julian Paren — 2019-11-24T00:01:54+00:00

A circular walk beside the River Beauly above Lovat Bridge used to be possible by parking a car near Lovat Bridge at the entrance to the estate. The Laird has now closed the logical car parking area, and the walk now is best made by parking at Black Bridge. The full circle is over 9 km if one extends the route into the woodland that adjoins the Balblair Quarry. In fact the best part of the walk is the section in Balblair Wood. The route along the river is very quiet. I have been in the area in most seasons, but I do recommend the walk in November when the colours are at their best. The car park at Black Bridge lies over the bridge from Balblair Wood and is adjacent to the Kilomorack Burial Ground. You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

If you're visiting London

Robin Stott — 2012-12-19T00:27:21+00:00

London! Despite living there in the 1960s we decided we'd like to live in different parts of the country (together!). We began our ramble round Britain, living, working or studying in Norwich, York, Perth and Warwick for the last 28 years. In the sixties I found London increasingly oppressive but now when I visit I thoroughly enjoy it; it's easy to get around; it's a pleasure to just walk, there's so much to see. And photograph.
On a sunny Sunday in May this year, with a ticket for in my pocket, I set out on foot from , heading for to meet daughter No.2 for lunch. The camera was filling and time was passing so when I reached I got the bus to . More photos. A good chat with daughter over pizza by the river. Set out for the City. More photos. A once-in-a-lifetime experience (Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass and Robert Wilson) at the Barbican and then home , happy. Even while snapping away I was conscious that London has already generated tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of photos . Before submitting my own I wasn't looking forward to checking what had already been taken, but was pleasantly surprised to find that there is a great deal that hasn't been snapped.

So if you're in the capital with the camera this Christmas or New Year, don't waste battery on the obvious shots. Look around: there's lots more waiting to be photographed, not to mention life going on. London's for the taking.

Confirmation of inaccessibility

Richard Law — 2019-09-22T14:31:18+00:00

A week-long holiday in Trefdraeth, I thought, might give me a fighting chance of picking up the two still-green squares of SN0442 and SN0543 on the coast just to the north of Newport Sands. It appeared from the maps that, steep as the access obviously was, it might just be possible to sneak into either of them from the south in each case.
The first attempt was at SN0543. On the Tuesday afternoon, I took an illicit but quick bike ride along the coast path to scope things out, and dropped off the path near SN05794282, down ever-steepening slopes of gorse, bracken and grass. Then I reached the top of rocks - it was clear there was no straightforward way down those without wings. Traversing right/east eventually brought me to the nearest you can really get to SN0543 at which point you're climbing back uphill anyway, and the hillside itself is pretty steep
&
.
There are no obvious belays to attach a rope into and abseil, or anything - not even a half-decent bush.

The second attempt, a few days later, was to try & get into SN0442. Sea-level in the square to the south actually isn't that hard to reach - a bit of scrambling and down-climbing and you're there. But that's followed by some rather alarming deep-water soloing and traversing above the tide levels, which even when it's essentially flat calm out to sea, feels a tad intimidating
,
Happy as I generally am with climbing and traversing (have soloed VS in the past) I simply couldn't justify the risk of a dunking on the last day of the holiday; it might have taken rather too much explanation to the other half. A quick look into the bay of Traeth-y-B�l suggests there 'may' be a way down there and then along the lower cliffs further north, but I give no guarantees on that one.

The nett result of all this investigation suggests that these two squares are better left to the intrepid sea-kayakers of this parish. Over to you, Toby Speight!

Mission complete

David Howard — 2019-07-31T23:31:50+00:00

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 , the south coast in various places , north to Harrogate and west/southwest to Exeter . 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 spreads but east to west is all that's possible, with east being fixed as stated already.

The next step was to get as many myriads as I could get without staying overnight, which I can't be bothered to do any more. Also most of my friends and family who used to share the driving to Lancashire which was the first destination, due to relatives living there, are no longer around and had to ask around online when I went to Harrogate last year. I picked up SN in Rhayader and TA in Caistor and now the only two I can do the day trip to without wearing myself out and spending most of the day stuck in a train are SS and SD which I may venture to next year if I feel like it.

That means there are no more long distance journeys left on my list. I am now working through every pre-Worboys sign in the southern half of England, and started them since July with a few coming up next. It has included Walberswick which rained solidly as soon as I got into Hertfordshire, where I had been right next to before I knew it had any (two, one turned up after I got there), and Weston by Welland where although I checked in advance going for the first direction sign found there was indeed one the other side of the same junction, so I returned there and skirted the edge of Leicestershire to make the most of the new territory. I also spent most of an afternoon in Bristol where there were seven pre-Worboys signs, one was impossible as the city centre was coned off for road works but got the rest with little trouble, knowing every time I got lost I was picking up more squares.

Otherwise I look for new squares wherever I feel like visiting, and try and take decent pictures locally in between. I can never run out of material so as long as I can leave the house I will continue taking photos. My next long visit is planned to France which will appear here as far as the tunnel.

Siss Cross

Mick Garratt — 2019-05-15T13:59:02+00:00

Typical of the many crosses that are a feature of the North York Moors. Originally erected by the Saxons or Danes after their conversion to Christianity but most replaced over the years. Their purpose has been speculated as a waymarker, territorial boundary or a memorial but may have been re-used for all of these. Siss Cross is on Danby Low Moor close to the ancient trod running north from Danby to the coast.

From my photo-diary for 14th May, 2019 see Link

The Lake, Studley Park

Mick Garratt — 2019-05-13T15:24:39+00:00

John Aislabie first began to create the landscaped gardens of Studley Park around 1716 but it was only after he retired from Parliament under dubious circumstances that he was able to devote fully to the task. During his time as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Aislabie guided the bill through the House of Commons whereby the South Sea Company would take over the national debt in exchange for government bonds. But when the South Sea Company collapsed in 1720 it was found that Aislabie had received �20,000 of company stock in exchange for his support for the scheme. He resigned as Chancellor and was found guilty of the �most notorious, dangerous and infamous corruption�. He was expelled from the House, removed from the Privy Council, and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Upon his release, he retired to Studley.

One of the landscaping features was the damming of the River Skell to create a series of lakes, the largest of which is called The Lake. Studley Park is a National Trust property and, along with Fountains Abbey is a designated World Heritage Site.

From my photo-diary for 12th May 2019 see Link

Powder House, Belmont Ironstone Mine

Mick Garratt — 2019-05-15T13:54:58+00:00

The climb up Highcliff Nab from Hunter Hill Farm used to be one of my regular routes, but I rarely get that way much now, so I was surprised to see how much clear felling of Guisborough Wood has been done, with I guess more to follow. I remember this heavily reinforced concrete bunker being hidden by trees and almost buried. It was a powder house where the black powder or explosives for the Belmont Ironstone Mine were stored, well protected and well away from the mine entrance and other buildings to lessen the impact of any explosion. There would have been no windows and no exposed metal fixtures so as to eliminate sparks. The mine itself dates from 1907 although the royalty had been worked for three decades in the 19th-century from a drift to the east of Belmangate. In 1929 the mine was taken over by Dorman Long and Company and soon after was abandoned and dismantled with some of the buildings finding use today as stables.

From my photo-diary for 13th May, 2019 see Link

Day Return to Kyle of Lochalsh from Dingwall

Julian Paren — 2019-02-05T20:16:43+00:00

The railway line from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh is famed for its beauty. Together with the more publicised �Harry Potter� line that includes the Glenfinnon viaduct on its way from Fort William to Mallaig, and the wilderness route to Fort William over Rannoch Moor, the majority of the passengers who use the lines are tourists out for the ride and experience.

Each year my wife and I plan a winter journey from the Inverness area on one of the North Highland lines. The choice is either the run to Kyle of Lochalsh or the longer journey to either Wick or Thurso. In the winter the timetables make a day return to Kyle of Lochalsh a great option as all the route at least from Dingwall, our natural starting point, is seen in daylight.

The crucial aspect is the weather. Living in the Highlands we can choose the day the weather promises to be at its best and even buy a cheap Advance ticket the day before. Dingwall to Kyle return with a Senior Railcard can be bought for �13.70. The morning train leaves Inverness at 0855 and arrives at Kyle at 1130. In winter we usually stay at Kyle for two and a quarter hours and catch the 1346 train back, which reaches Inverness at 1626.

Two and a quarter hours in Kyle is always enjoyable. First or last stop, Buth Bheag the small seafood shack opposite the town�s coach stop in the centre of town. Cullen Skink or sea food salads are quite superb and you can get a drink and sit outdoors in the sun. Then our usual walk - an exploration of the Plock of Kyle. This is very close with many footpaths, narrow and wide, to the coves of this promontory. Away from the shore there are orchids in summer and it is difficult to reconcile this conservation area with its former role as a golf course. The small bays have have been used as a major study area for seaweeds, and if you are an ultimate planner, see if you can choose a day with low tide for your time at Kyle. The high point of the Plock is a purpose-made viewpoint which provides a wide panorama of Skye and shows the Skye Bridge to good effect.

In winter the trains are empty, so you can easily move around from side to side of the train for the best views. In summer I would be frustrated if I was �locked� in just one seat, as could potentially happen. For the most scenic part of the journey from Strathcarron Station to Kyle along Loch Carron you must be on the right-hand, loch-side of the train. An absolute must!!! So, if you are on a full train choose your seat for this section alone.

My approach is to only take images at 90 degrees to the train, by �anchoring� the camera to the glass, so the lens cannot catch reflections, and if you have a clean window, whatever imperfections there are on the glass will be invisible. The trip illustrated here used a Ricoh GXR with M mount and Leica 21 mm lens (equivalent to a 30 mm lens) for the outward journey, and a Huawei P20 Pro Smartphone with its equivalent 27 mm lens for the return. The Huawei in a protective case was flat against the window, an easier option than keeping the Ricoh�s lens hood against the glass.

This year our usual January trip was postponed until a perfect �weather window� for both Dingwall and Kyle on February 2 got us ordering rail tickets. It was a surprise to find that within 15 minutes of leaving Dingwall station we were in a blizzard that continued for thirty minutes. From Achnasheen to Kyle and back to Dingwall the weather could not have been bettered. Interestingly the Ullapool road followed to beyond Garve on the train had had little snow clearing, providing extra reason to enjoy the train rather than take a winter car journey

There are many images of the Plock of Kyle at NG7527 which will complement the ones here, and perhaps persuade others who find themselves in Kyle to take a walk on the Plock. For those who don�t like to part with their car for a day, and are on the west coast, you could enjoy the highlights of the train ride by taking a day return from Strathcarron to Kyle. A study of the map will show you that from Stromeferry to Kyle no car can replicate what you can see from the train. You are right at the water edge with a grandstand view.
You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

2018 summary

David Howard — 2018-12-25T01:10:12+00:00

2018 was the busiest photographic year of my life. A new car actually compatible with motorways (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 , followed by my map distance record a month later in Exeter . As I am in London trying to beat that again north or west would require a lot further, towards the Lake District, as SW-NE is most of the width of Britain only stretched in the sea or Cornwall where I have never gone in one go. That done I went after new myriads, ie SE in Harrogate also taking the northern record, and SJ in Wolverhampton . I have more planned for the spring in 2019.

Once I'd got into a routine I changed the odd vehicle when mine was too frequently being repaired for the slings and arrows of living in London, and found a friend to go to Harrogate as I always used to on long trips to help with the driving. It was the third time I'd been there as my destinations were based on places I'd been to before but long before digital photography. The first time Betty's had a massive queue outside, I think we went somewhere else the second, and as it was 7pm this time it was actually quiet but we didn't bother to go in mainly as the light was going so I wanted some time on the way back as well before it got dark passing into Notts .

The other frequent trips were for pre-Worboys signs , rarely posted nowadays as it is like leaving your front door open to the public. Most were in the west country and two discovered after I'd got home so spent a long time back and forth on the A303 . That added some nice shots of Stonehenge , and filled out ST nicely. I also added a number of new counties- Devon [[5704234]] , Notts [[5749386]] (five photos, all supplementals taken at dusk), Yorks [[5749396]] , Staffordshire [[5799200]] and Worcs [[5800542]] . In between I picked up so many local squares I went up to 22th of Geograph points, and half the year was spent living near Kingston [[5923921]] as my house collapsed (with help from the builders) as it was damp and sinking, so filled in loads of TQ [[5823406]] and SU south of the Thames [[5877267]] as well as ST [[5951772]] . I finally returned home to a single room in the attic while the builders pop in occasionally (I am not exaggerating here) to do some work and make more rooms habitable.

It is now just past the shortest day. I plan my trips by the available light so have a list ready for this week, next month, February and March when I can do my first long one hopefully to the Fens. As my maximum distance is now virtually impossible to beat unless I complete my other ambition to fly to Dublin I am happy to potter around on any new ground, and by no more than coincidence my 257 mile stretch created between Exeter [[5705227]] and Cromer [[5411638]] just beats four myriads in length but not visible as it crosses them all diagonally. My mind is set on facts and figures, and people either couldn't care less or see it as an irresistible challenge as I do.

'Weeping Window' at Hereford Cathedral

Fabian Musto — 2018-04-24T20:48:03+00:00

The 'Weeping Window' sculpture at Hereford Cathedral was made by two people, Paul Cummins (artist) and Tom Piper (designer). This sculpture has been seen in many places before, such as Caernarfon Castle, etc. Recently, during the early days of March 2018, the Weeping Window sculpture was being set up at this cathedral, and it wasn't until March 14th 2018 the Weeping Window fully opened to the public. Since then the city has been having a huge number of visitors, as they were going to visit this well-known sculpture. They didn't just visit the sculpture, some also visited inside the cathedral too.

I'm someone who lives in Herefordshire, and already knew the news about the Weeping Window sculpture being made. It wasn't until April 7th 2018 when I started to visit the actual sculpture myself, and it was absolutely amazing! Despite the fact I did have a sneak peek of the sculpture being constructed at the cathedral around March 10th 2018, I knew that it was going to make Hereford gain a lot of visitors, there were even signs for it if you were taking the A49 road from Leominster! Overall, it's a very well-made sculpture, and the two people responsible for this sculpture did a massive brilliant job. I'm not sure how long this sculpture will last at the cathedral, might possibly be taken away around the end of April 2018. I have taken a couple of pictures of the sculpture, so check them out if you want. I also made a short video of me discussing the sculpture too, so here is the link if you want to watch it: Link

Scottish Hill Track 303 part 1 Glen Torridon to Coire Mhic Fhearchair

Julian Paren — 2018-09-04T19:28:07+00:00

Scotways Hill Track 303 takes the popular walk from Glen Torridon between Beinn Eighe and Liathach as far as a col and then heads up behind Beinn Eighe before crossing trackless country to join a path along Glen Grudie that reaches Loch Maree at Bridge of Grudie. The 14 km walk is described in detail in the Scotways book, Scottish Hill Tracks.

The first half of the walk is on excellent paths and a small spur takes you into Coire Mhic Fhearchair. Many take this route there and back to view one of the finest rock architecture sites in Scotland, The Triple Buttress of Coire Mhic Fhearchair.

Throughout the walk there are views of steep buttressed mountains and empty wet moorland. All the Torridon and Flowerdale Mountains north of Glen Torridon are seen. Even the hardiest MTB cyclists were met crossing to Torridon from Bridge of Grudie this way, although, excellent as it is a walkers' path from Coire Mhic Fhearchair, I would have thought it virtually beyond endurance for MTB cyclists who must carry their bikes extensively.

The lip of Coire Mhic Fhearchair is at 600 m elevation and the two-way walk from Glen Torridon is around 15 km. Coire Mhic Fhearchair may be passed either on an ascent or descent from Ruadh-stac M�r, the highest Munro summit of Beinn Eighe. The final 400 m height gain or loss to the summit involves negotiating a steep scree gully which needs care.

A more direct ascent of the Munro summit from the coire by Nigel Brown in 1997 is described in the linked Geotrip 899.

You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

Scottish Hill Track 230 The General Wade Military Road over Slochd

Julian Paren — 2018-05-10T06:59:47+00:00

Slochd Military Road

Start location: Raigbeg (NH 811 291)
 End location: Layby on A95 near Carrbridge turn off, (NH 913 187)  
Path distance: 19.7 km

The Old�Military Road between Dunkeld and Inverness was built between 1728 and 1730 under the auspices of General Wade.�Much of it now lies under the A9, but a few sections* such as the stretch over�the Slochd take a different alignment and can still be followed.�The Slochd Mor is a narrow pass, hence this strategic�gap is shared with the railway as well�as the modern road.�At 1300ft, the Slochd summit�is one of the highest points on the old route between Inverness and Perth.

The Slochd Military Road is a listed as Heritage Path 157 on the Heritage Paths website and Hill Track 230 in Scotways (Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society) publication Scottish Hill Tracks. Both the Heritage Path website and Hill Tracks of Scotland describe the walk from South to North. However as part of the Scotways 2018 Walk Programme it was walked from the north at Raigbeg near Tomatin.

Fourteen Scotways members undertook the walk, which was led by Peter Mackay. With one lunch stop south of the Slochd and another at Sluggan Bridge the walk took the party six hours. Peter Mackay added Scotways marker signs at a number of path junctions along the route. The party was able to leave cars at both ends of the walk so that the walk was a true linear walk. For future walkers this is the best feasible way to do the walk by ensuring there is a car at each end.

The walk started at Raigbeg and after a mile in an obvious direction took an ill-defined route across rough moorland before becoming part of tracks that serve a current purpose and are well maintained by estate owners and those requiring access to their crofts. The highlights were the natural woodland south of Slochd, the Wade bridge at Ortunan and the magnificent recently restored Sluggan Bridge - the real feature of the Slochd Military Road.

The Sluggan Bridge was built by Caulfeild in 1764 to replace the ford on Wade's road. Just five years later, it was necessary to rebuild the bridge, it having been destroyed by floods. At the turn of the eighteenth century�the Sluggan Bridge�was bypassed,�along with the section of road to its south, by the building of the direct road from�Carrbridge to�the Slochd.
You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

Scottish Hill Track 329, Strathrory to Dalnaclach circular walk

Julian Paren — 2018-07-04T13:36:57+00:00

Each year a walks programme is organised for members of Scotways - the Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society. Besides being a social activity and led by a local member, the opportunity is taken to check up on the signage and the state of a Hill Track and exploring whether any maintenance is required. Scottish Hill Track 320 is a 7 km linear link from Strathrory to Dalnaclach. The opportunity was taken to create a circular walk starting from the Forestry Commission�s Aldie Burn car park and traversing the Morangie Forest from east to west before heading down into Strath Rory. This forest section was mainly on wide fit-for-purpose forestry roads (which are also used in the winter Snowman Car Rally), but with local knowledge a detour was made to pass old inhabited sites now buried within the forest.

The leaders of the walk had a vast knowledge of all the archaeology that could be seen if the vegetation and woodland had not been so dense, and others on the walk were experts in the flora and fauna. Pine marten scats, flowers in the Aven family, chickweed wintergreen, �fox and cubs� all provided a reason to slow the pace and discuss the finds.

The drove road in Strath Rory was a delight and apparently used by D of E expeditioners for their hiking qualifications. The walk whetted the appetite for a return in the autumn to visit the fort at Cnoc an Duin below which the Strath Rory path passes. The contrast between a managed forest and a path through a once-frequented glen was striking. I would have preferred to have been a drover than a forester!

The walk ended at Dalnaclach and a car took the walkers the few miles back to the Aldie Burn car park.

Walk length 19.3 km Time taken 6 hour with stops for archaeology and assessing flowers.

Scottish Hill Tracks describes the final 7 km of the route as follows:

Scottish Hill Track 320 Strathrory to Dalnaclach

7 km/4 miles OS Sheet 21 Start NH 667778 Finish NH 733763

This route was part of a network of old drove roads leading from Caithness and Sutheriand to Milton and Kildary. The start is signposted to Dalnaclach on the B 9176, on a bend just north-east of the Strathrory Bridge. There is parking space for a dozen cars. Take the track SE, down to the Strathrory River, and then the right fork through a gate. Shortly after this the stony track changes to a grassy, and sometimes boggy, indistinct path alongside the river. Many of the boggy places and burns have boardwalks or bridges. Pass south of Cnoc an Duin to a derelict cottage at Coag. Just before Scotsburn House take a left fork which Ieads between the edge of farmland and mixed woodland to a car park (6-8 cars) at the white croft house of Dalnaclach.
You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

Changing coastline. A circuit of Whiteness Head

Julian Paren — 2017-07-30T13:23:27+00:00

My wife was committed to demonstrate spinning at the Nairn Show for four hours so I set about finding a local walk to fill the available time. Quite a low tide was scheduled for 1115 in the morning so I decided to walk the coastline of Whiteness Point. The plan was to walk outward by the sand and to return by the track that runs down the middle part of the spit. A good walk for the dog, especially with one minor detour to visit a "square" just off the direct route.

The interest in the walk increased when it became clear how much the coastline had changed since current maps were surveyed. By creating this GeoTrip it is obvious where the major changes have been. In a nutshell I walked the sea edge all the way to the restored salmon fisher's bothy and then continued striking along the water's edge before rounding the spit of Whiteness Head on the shingle and tracing the new coastline of the southern shore of Whiteness Head before heading back to the bothy by the northern coast and walking the track back to Hilton of Delnies.

The walk was 8.2 miles long and took from 1050 to 1350 (exactly three hours) including a stop at the bothy on the return. I was in square NH 8457 very close to low water.

Google Earth and Apple Maps have recent satellite imagery that displays the change of coastline. On a more subtle note the spit north of the bothy seems to have moved west (according to my GPS) as my track was close to the waters edge not on the ridge of the spit. You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

Beinn Eighe Reserve Mountain Trail

Julian Paren — 2018-05-30T10:27:04+00:00

The Beinn Eighe Reserve provides two trails. A short woodland trail and a far longer mountain trail. The woodland trail is around 7 km and can take four hours because of the steep terrain.

According to others: The Mountain Trail is a fabulous trail to explore the hills of Beinn Eighe. This loop trail takes you up through ancient woodland, rugged grasslands and heath, to the beautiful heights of the mountain terraces. This is a memorable walk, with breathtaking views over the surrounding mountain landscape. The 6.5 km (4 mile) walk rises to 550 metres and takes three to four hours to complete. The path is steep and very rough in places, so it can be challenging for less experienced walkers. You will need to wear hillwalking boots and take food and warm waterproof clothing, as the weather can change quickly and the top of the trail is very exposed.

On a warm and sunny Spring Day with no need to hurry the walk took 4.5 hours and minor diversions were made. For an experienced walker/climber the steepness of the terrain was noticeable. The path has been excellently maintained since its creation in the 1990s. Its route does not coincide precisely with the OS 1:50,000 mapping but conforms to what is provided at 1:10,000.

The path provides a grandstand view of Loch Maree with Slioch behind as well as views into the outliers of Beinn Eighe itself. Please note the path does not venture onto Beinn Eighe.

The two booklets will be useful for those visiting the Reserve.

Link for the Mountain Trail
Link for the Woodland Trail

The Mountain Trail joins the Woodland Trail for the last mile of the walk.

You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

The circuit of Loch Affric

Julian Paren — 2018-05-30T09:34:04+00:00

The walk around Loch Affric passes through Scots Pine woodland and open moorland with fine views of the neighbouring mountains and Loch Affric. Glen Affric is considered one of Scotland's finest glens and in reaching the River Affric car park at the end of the public road to start the walk you will have passed through delightful woodland and loch scenery.

The circuit of Loch Affric is around 18 km and taken leisurely in good weather could take 7 hours.

According to Wikipedia

Loch Affric is one of two large lochs within Glen Affric, further up the glen to the southwest of Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin. The River Affric is the main inflow and outflow for both lochs.

A number of smaller lochs surround Loch Affric. At the southwestern end sits Loch Coulavie located at the base An Tudair Beag and a slightly higher elevation. Also at the south western end, the River Affric flows into the tiny loch of Loch na Camaig. At the north eastern side, Loch Pollan Fearna drains into Loch Affric.

Much of the area around the loch is mountainous. To the north, is Sg�rr na Lapaich (1074 m) and An Tudair (1036 m), outlying Munro Tops of Mam Sodhail. To the south lie the Corbetts of Aonach Shasuinn (888 m) and Carn a' Choire Ghairbh (865 m).

The walk is described on the Walk Highland site

Link

My wife and I enjoyed the walk meeting my daughter at the foot of the footpath from Mam Sodhail after she had spent two days Munro climbing with a high level camp by the lochan below the ridge of Sron Garbh.
You can see this trip plotted on a map on the Geo-trips page Link .

Long distance mission

David Howard — 2018-05-25T00:19:06+00:00

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 [[5655511]] , all fine besides it being dark on the return, but still gained a good range of spots in SK [[5652430]] and TF [[5651457]] myriads. Exeter [[5704241]] followed, longer and further and dark when I got there as it was also raining since Wiltshire [[5708407]] which wrecked many of the photos with water damage on and around the lens. But a success as completed and got some usable photos in SX [[5705207]] as well as plenty there and back. The piece de resistance (for my map anyway) was a repeat of a journey made in 1992 (with no camera) to Harrogate in April [[5748095]], straight up the usually unpopulated A1 via Wetherby [[5748633]] , which went extremely smoothly. After asking various people to share the workload I finally put a note on Facebook, and was responded to by someone I'd known for years but never met who also likes long day trips. He crossed London to get here and was a very entertaining partner and saved me driving back. Again by the time we left Yorkshire [[5748139]] it was beginning to get dark and struggled to get much usable to fill more of SK [[5749384]] but that was only a secondary issue.

The following trip was for the large number of pre-Worboys signs in the west country, four collected coming back from Exeter, but a loop from Podimore [[5763604]] to Devizes in May [[5765901]] bagged nine signs and lots of new territory [[5768171]]. Due to the sensitivity of advertising the locations of valuable artefacts I only add them now if they are here already, such as this one. [[5764062]]

Now I can relax and cover new territory closer to home and places I haven't covered much, with just a planned trip to SJ ahead around Wolverhampton. But my main mission is now complete as all other journeys besides one which was more than one day to Morecambe from the 80s and 90s have now been revisited one way or another, besides an extremely dull one to West Wales door to door on the M4 I can manage without a repeat visit. If possible the next proper long journey will be made by plane but no more until the time.