12 April – 2007 and 2009

On 12 Apr 2020 By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, Photography, SkyeLeave a comment

2007: A day trip to north Wales. We thought we ought to visit Llandudno, for a trip on the cable-hauled Great Orme tramway (taking the tram up, then walking back down again). While we were up, so to speak, we thought we could go down the mine – the remarkable bronze-age copper mine, all the more noteworthy for being open to the public. We finished our day with a brief visit to Penrhyn Castle, where we just had time to look at the wonderful collection of ancient industrial steam locomotives.

2009: Another great Skye day, with an outing to the coral beach beyond Dunvegan. Later in the day, a clear sunny evening was perfect for a walk along the road to enjoy the warm light and the sunset behind the Western Isles.

Nine years later

On 10 Apr 2020 By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, PhotographyLeave a comment

On 10 April 2011, we visited the “Victorian Town” at Blists Hill – another little outing that never made it to the blog. As well as the usual attractions, there was a visiting troupe of red-coated soldiers, who seemed far to ancient to be much military use.

Blists Hill Victorian Town

Badger’s house

On 03 Feb 2020 By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, Photography, WalksLeave a comment

Reality is on the blink again, as Douglas Adams once said. The trees in the snowdrop woods are wearing scarves, and what we thought was the bothy, beside the walled garden, is now Badger’s house. Meanwhile, the deer in the park have gathered just about as far from all this fun as possible. Are we surprised?

Attingham Park NT

From Princes Street to Wallgate Street

On 21 Nov 201922 Nov 2019 By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, Photography, Railways...Leave a comment

Busy days!
Saturday 16 November: off to Edinburgh, on the train from Crewe.
Sunday: an ice-cold start on the Forth’s shore at Newhaven and Leith, then up Leith Walk (on foot, of course) for a brief spot of tourism in Edinburgh’s old town.
Monday: another frosty morning. This time we’ll use the old railway track to Scotland Street, and we’ll visit Calton Hill and the National Museum of Scotland. A full day wouldn’t have done justice to the museum, and we’ve only got a couple of hours before our train for home.
Tuesday: a day off, and an hour or so of fresh air down by the Severn, where the bridge is looking good in the late-afternoon light.
Wednesday: away at the crack of dawn for a rail exploration of parts of Lancashire, which doesn’t quite go according to plan. We miss a train in unexpected fashion in Wigan, before finding ourselves (briefly) in Blackburn and Clitheroe.
(further photographic exploration to follow)

Blists Hill: cold but sunny

On 09 Nov 201909 Nov 2019 By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, PhotographyLeave a comment

Friday: it’s a better day – bright and sunny, great for photography. It’s also very cold – we won’t hang around. Apart from one or two groups of schoolchildren, it’s quiet at Blists Hill. I think all the visitors are in the several houses – the doctor’s house, the squatters’ cottage, the toll house – in front of their warm fires.

Blists Hill Victorian Town

Toadstools and pumpkins

On 06 Oct 2019 By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, PhotographyLeave a comment

…and various other autumn fruits. Once again, we’re dodging the showers in Attingham Park. It seems busy – others have had the same idea, though once we’re half-a-mile or so from the entrance, it’s much quieter. Some sad soul has kicked what were probably fine fungi into many fragments – but there are still one or two splendid specimens for the camera.

Attingham Park NT

Inside Calke

On 04 Oct 2019 By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, PhotographyLeave a comment

They call it the un-stately home. Only a very tiny part of the interior is restored – mostly it’s as found, preserved as left, unbelievably cluttered and in places semi-derelict. Spooky? The best bit is the last – how do we escape? Through dark cellars and tunnels – is there light at the end?

Calke Abbey NT

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Outside Calke

On 03 Oct 201904 Oct 2019 By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, PhotographyLeave a comment

Sounds like “cork”… Wednesday – a fine a sunny day. It’ll be too wet underfoot for a walk – there’s been a good deal of heavy rain. How about a visit to Calke Abbey?

There’s a lot to see here – too much for a single visit. There are some splendid outbuildings and a wonderful walled garden – let’s take a look at those first…

Melons and artichokes

On 11 Aug 2019 By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, PhotographyLeave a comment

…in the greenhouse and the walled garden at Attingham. We’re taking a short leg-stretch, staying close to civilisation as there’s a chance of a heavy shower (inevitably, as we’ve taken a brolly, it stays dry). It’s very busy here today – car parks overflowing, with visitors to a classic car rally, but we’ll keep away from that, walking around the perimeter of the estate where there are relatively few others. As we near the end of our wander, we pass through the walled garden, where there’s plenty of summer colour.

Attingham Park NT

The Wharfage and the bridges

On 08 Aug 2019 By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, Photography1 Comment

Wednesday 7 August: beside the Severn on a warm afternoon. We walk as far as the redundant power station bridge, then back to the red iron bridge. The bus at the bus stop is red too – we don’t see many like that around here…