Just photos – no particular theme
It’s become a favourite – super coastal scenery and lots of space, and no-one else around. Rubha na h-Aiseig is very nearly the most northerly point on Skye – beyond the little island of Trodday, there’s just the sea, all the way to the north pole…
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=143969&Y=875858&A=Y&Z=120
We’ve driven here from Uig, over the bealach – past the car park for the horribly busy path to the Quiraing. There must be 70-80 cars crammed into every available space (apart from that taken by the burger van). I believe, along with several other destinations on Skye, that’s it’s become firmly lodged on the “World Top 50 Selfies” list… (what a shame!)
We squeeze past people struggling to park, and find ourselves in Staffin, for the very gentle walk over the hill and down to the shore south of the slip. Coming back up the well-engineered ancient path is slightly less gentle, but we can manage. Other than a few excessively loud voices at the slip, it’s really quiet – the only other person we’ve seen close by is a fisherman. On a fine, sunny, warm (for April) afternoon, Staffin’s shore is a great place to be.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=149198&Y=868006&A=Y&Z=120
Monday 15 April: We’re in need of a good leg stretch – somewhere out of this cold south-easterly wind. The forest road up Glen Hinnisdal could be just the thing… It may be a forest road, but much of the woodland has been cleared – there are fine views up the glen, and, on retracing our steps, down to the coast and Loch Snizort.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=141515&Y=857530&A=Y&Z=120
Friday 12 April: I think it may have been longer. We’ve time to kill, and we could do with a drink – and those pineapple tarts look good… The “Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life” is well worth a longer visit than ours – the indoor exhibits are fascinating, the cottages beside the mine provide evocative snapshots of ordinary industrial-era lives – and did I mention the trams and the railway locomotives? More than 40 years ago, I saw No.9 and “Robin” when they were working for a living. Long and inactively retired (the locos, not the author), it would be great to see them restored to steam.
Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life
The sunshine is warm, but the air’s cold today. Fortunately, the outdoor tea area at Benthall Hall is sheltered from the breeze, so we’ll enjoy our al fresco refreshments without a shiver. The bluebell season is just beginning, the chestnut leaves are emerging (they remind me of pale green cormorants drying their wings) and the oilseed rape is brightening the fields – sunshine even when the sun’s gone in…
We’ve been on a brief (and fairly limited) exploration of railways in Cheshire, focusing on the town of Northwich, whose railway station still looks like a railway station, complete with canopies (on ornate iron columns) and a Joyce (of Whitchurch) clock, which has stopped. Almost exactly 40 years ago – April 1979 – I was on a railtour which also stopped (briefly) at Northwich station. Standing beside the old loco shed was a line of tank wagons, which I guessed were used for storing fuel for diesel locomotives. Look at the middle two – how old are those frames? What were they originally used for? There’s an estate of modern houses where the loco shed stood. I wonder what happened to the wagons?
More photos on Geoff’s Rail Diaries: “More Cheshire Lines”
It’s in Wellington, Shropshire – a “rare suburban villa and mini-estate” according to the National Trust. We’re exploring this property on what began as a grey afternoon, though as we left the house, the cloud was clearing. An interesting place – a former owner seems to have been obsessed with clocks… The trees in the avenue are Wellingtonia – they’d have to be, wouldn’t they?
I’m trying out some new kit – an hour in Ironbridge might be worthwhile. Wow – it’s busy! Oops! – after the first few photos, I’ve accidentally set a “creative” effect which has over-cooked the colours. I’ve tried to tone them down a bit, but really they’d benefit from a bit more tinkering. It’s hardly worth the effort – I could take them again (on a quieter day…) if I wanted.
Monday 1 April: another old favourite – walking from Aston Munslow, up onto the crest of the Wenlock Edge, and back via Munslow and the path across the fields. There’s no-one else about today – it’s very quiet up here. More signs of spring’s advance – the first bluebells are starting to appear, amongst the primroses, violets and celandines.
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=351170&Y=287796&A=Y&Z=120
It’s a landmark for miles around, marking the highest point of the Wenlock Edge. At the top of Flounders’ Folly. we’re 80 feet higher! Benjamin Flounders, a Yorkshireman, had it built in 1838. After falling into disrepair, the tower was renovated by a local trust in the early years of the millennium, with a new metal staircase. It is open to all who wish to take in the magnificent view from the top (and who are prepared to make the 500 ft ascent from the parking area) once a month – usually the last Sunday, also on certain high days (appropriately) and holidays. Today being the last Sunday in March, we’ll pay it a visit…
View OS map on Streetmap http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=345895&Y=285041&A=Y&Z=120
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