The ferry

On By geoffspagesIn Photography, Skye, Walks1 Comment

I have to be in Uig this afternoon (a shopping trip!): I’ll make the most of the short journey with a walk up to the headland above the bay, to see the ferry (the MV Hebrides, or Innse Gall) arrive and depart. It’s a fine bright afternoon; there’s a cool breeze but at the tip of the headland there’s a comfortable little rock seat, which provides shelter and a great view of the pier. There are corncrakes down below in the grasslands and there’s a cuckoo somewhere nearby – but there’s no-one else around (I don’t think the visitors in their cars, struggling to avoid each other and the truly appalling potholes, will have heard them. Their loss!). This is a perfect place to idle away an hour.

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Heribusta, Peingown and Hungladder

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Friday 6 June: The morning should stay dry; we could have showers in the afternoon (we didn’t…). A morning walk should be pleasant, if rather cool. I’ll follow the very quiet road from the village hall, up through Heribusta, past the cemetery and museum (quite a few visitors here, on the short walk to Flora Macdonald’s grave) and back down the main road. The latter is surprisingly quiet too.  Not complaining…

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Cuckoo, curlew and corncrake

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Thursday 5 June: an evening wander. The observant will already have noticed that the visible wildlife is none of the above… The hare was silent; posed for one quick photo then hurried away. But along the rough lane to Monkstadt, the silence of a still north Skye evening is profound. The cuckoo was over to my left, towards the hill; down towards the shore a curlew bubbled. Then the sound I’d hoped I might hear, a distinctive “creak creak, creak creak” that accompanied me back towards the start. “Come out and listen!” (No photos – audio only!)

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Castell Caerdydd

On By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, PhotographyLeave a comment

Cardiff Castle! Tuesday 20 May – a visit to the Welsh capital, and on this occasion, we’ll take a look at the castle. It’s quite a place! In particular the interior of the 3rd Marquess of Bute’s mansion, paid for by the south Wales miners and the sales of the coal they dug, is quite astonishing. Can’t help thinking that the lives of those human moles could have been improved if the wealth generated by the coal had been spread just a little more evenly. The castle is now owned and managed by Cardiff Council.

Castell Caerdydd
Cardiff Castle

Broomy Hill

On By geoffspagesIn NT and EH, PhotographyLeave a comment

Sunday 25 May: Hereford – for the waterworks museum and miniature railway. The museum has “Steam Days”, twice a month during the season, coinciding with the public running days on the miniature railway. We’d thought about a visit for some time: today the time and weather seemed right.

The museum’s real fascination lies in its collection of water-pumping engines of several types, operating for demonstration purposes on steam days. The sight and sound of all these engines is mesmerising! The miniature railway operates on a satisfyingly complex layout (there’s a map on their website), with several trains running in a way that maximises that complexity. Great fun!

Waterworks Museum, Hereford
Hereford Society of Model Engineers