Author: geoffspages

Lovely little locos

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Railways...Leave a comment

Another visit to another favourite 2’0″ gauge line, the Apedale Valley Railway, which held a steam gala earlier today. There will be lots more photos (once I’ve worked through them all) and an account of the visit on Geoff’s Rail Diaries; in the meantime, here are three ‘newcomers’. The German-built O&K, with its neat little tender, spent its working life in Argentina. Avonside Ogwen was repatriated from the USA a few years ago, and Edgar is a ‘new-build’ replica of a (French) Decauville locomotive. A multinational railway!

Apedale Valley Light Railway

Jonathan’s and Town Brook

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

A walk from, but not in, the Carding Mill Valley. Once parked, I’m away back out of the valley, taking the path to Cwm Dale to reach the Batch Valley. At its head, the latter splits – into Long Batch, and Jonathan’s Hollow which takes me up to the Long Mynd plateau. I’ll stop for lunch at the froggy pond near the junction with the direct path from the Carding Mill. Pond? It’s a mere puddle! We’ve had a little rain in the last week or so – what was it like in August? I hope the frogs are OK!
Lunch over, I’ll continue to the top, Pole Bank, where there are just two people, one oblivious to everything but his smartphone, his companion engaged in a loud phone call: “I’m on a hill…” I won’t stay (I was here just last week after all) – I’ll head for the heather-clad ridge leading to the top of Town Brook Valley, then follow its narrow path down towards Church Stretton – and there’s a car in Carding Mill Valley…

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=343790&Y=295235&A=Y&Z=120

The pumping station

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Railways...Leave a comment

A visit to a open day at the old pumping station, in Shrewsbury’s Coleham district. The old pumping engines have been lovingly restored – so have their boilers – and are steam-operated at fairly regular intervals. Outside the building, there’s more of interest, including steam-powered garden railway trains, a 7¼” miniature railway and a 2′-gauge line. Great fun!

Coleham Pumping Station

And here’s the movie:

North Berwick

On By geoffspagesIn Dunbar, PhotographyLeave a comment

Tuesday 30 August: Not St Abbs! That was our intended destination, but there was a tailback on the A1 just past the cement works. “Let’s go to North Berwick instead”. It was a good choice – great rolls and cakes from a High Street deli and a bench with an extensive view across the Firth of Forth to the Fife fishing villages (try saying that quickly!), encompassing all the little islands off this coast. Now replete, we can explore a little – along the beach to the harbour and the lookout point. Plenty of interest in all directions – we’ll have to come again!

Tomorrow – back to Shropshire…

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=355445&Y=685773&A=Y&Z=120

The river and the palace

On By geoffspagesIn PhotographyLeave a comment

Monday 29 August: A day out, by rail, from Dunbar to Glasgow, calling at the town of Linlithgow on the return journey. Glasgow was in the grip of a refuse collectors strike (happily settled just a day or two later), with overflowing bins everywhere. The riverside was altogether more wholesome… 

An hour in Linlithgow gave me time to explore a little, finding the loch and the former royal palace – the town became a royal burgh as long ago as 1388. It might have been worth spending a little longer there, but I didn’t want to find myself having to catch a rush hour train from Waverley to Dunbar. Perhaps another day.

See ‘Return to Glasgow‘ on Geoff’s Rail Diaries for a record of the rail journey

Lunch at Pole Bank

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Shropshire hills, WalksLeave a comment

Yesterday the forecast suggested a mostly sunny ‘lunch out’ day, but this morning it was less hopeful – it would cloud up later, with rain on the way. It was certainly very pleasant on the way to Pole Bank, beside the aptly named Small Batch, and I enjoyed my lunch near the highest point of the Long Mynd. But as I gaze out across the lonely country around Bishop’s Castle and Heath Mynd, the cloud is gathering, and with the possibility of thunder, I’ll head back. The Ashes Hollow is too good to hurry, of course, and it stayed dry. The first drops were falling twenty minutes later as I neared home, dry in the car.

View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map?X=343360&Y=293180&A=Y&Z=120