Stroll 46 pt3

It is strange that a drainage ditch across a man-created pancake-flat landscape can appear dramatic, but get a sun-clouded sky and it all comes together.

 

Stroll 46 pt2

The changeable winter weather lead to some great light.

Saw plenty of interesting birds on the walk: a pair of Great White Egrets, Kingfishers and plenty of ducks and geese.

Stroll 46 Beverley to Hutton Cranswick

A walk across the wetlands of the Hull river. This is part of the Humberhead wetlands area that stretches both south (Thorne and Hatfield moors) and north (the Hull river and the Derwent river) of the Humber. Layla is posing next to one of the many drains and dikes that make the land fit for farming and for walking.

 

The Return

 

Rowan is safely home, Danielle is seeing her tonight in London. Here is a picture from her trip, a group en route to a volcano I imagine.

Birds on a Wire

Taken by the canal in Hyde last week, Cormorants enjoying the view from a high pylon.
 

What Goes Up

 One of the things Rowan has been doing on her trip to El Salvador and Nicargua is go up a lot of volcanos. How do they come down, you might wonder. Like this.

    

Stroll 45 pt3

The Peak Forest Canal is a great one to walk on: contouring along the valley side with various post industrial sights, including this one which tended to a little menace in its looming presence. 

 

Stroll 45 pt 2

I don't like this as much as yesterdays, but it gives a glance of the rural beauty to the canal from with the dark tunnel.

Stroll 45 Greenfield to Marple

 

A beautiful day walking on the Huddersfield Narrow and the Peak Forest Canals to Marple in Cheshire. This shot was taken near Stalybridge in a very urban section of the canal. There are more rural shots to follow, but I think this one is pretty good. 

Nicaragua

 Rowan is on holiday in central America. Last week was El Salvador, now she is in Nicaragua where this photo was taken on the roof of Leon cathedral. In the background is a volcano; she has already been a couple on this trip, with more to follow.

Back to the Moors

 Back out on Hatfield Moors last week, usual day of wonder. Saw no one.

Egret is Back

The Hob Moor Egret is back, looking more magnificent still. This was taken in the beck at the bottom of the garden.

 

A Cycling Life 5

 Next year 1980, I was climbing my first col in the Alps. It has featured a couple of times in the Tour since then.

A Cycling Life 4

 

1979 I think, Ro & Pete and I with bikes, taken at my parent's house in Kirtlington. I am holding a bike I bought with money that Great Uncle Charles had left me. It was a five speed Puch with flat bars, I think it cost £70. I have my Rock Against Racism badge on my shirt. Not sure what Pete's badge is.

Wood Shed

Stefan built this open wood shed for us earlier in the year. Keeps the wood dry, looks good lit by a torch.

Full of Beans

The runner beans provided a good green crop through the summer. Now it is time to use the beans that have grown in the remaining pods. Autumn soup time.

70.

 

We went by tandem to Sue's 70th birthday do at a wine bar on Bishopthorpe Road. Good to see people, and good wine too.

Stroll 44

 Further up the river the Hull turns from tidal mud to pastoral beauty. The shimmer on the water in this shot is from the light and not from some mercurial pollution.

Stroll 44

 I walked from Hull to Beverley via the river Hull and across the common land. Hull still has a real industrial feel. There might be footpaths named the Wilberforce Trail and such like, but you are left to cross highways with no crossings for pedestrians. It was an interesting walk though, with the river being tidal much of the way.

Tidal mud and industrial engineering past and present.

Evening

 Band practice today. Just the three of us jamming basically. A lot of fun and very relaxed. 

The evening sky on the moor the other day was pretty magical.

Rail works

The last two weekends have seen York Station effectively shut apart from the dreaded Bus Replacement Service. This photo shows why, the track into the station from the south is being completely overhauled, look in the lower left and you can see sparks flying as rail is aligned.

Weekend visitor

Rowan came up for the weekend, always good to see her. We all went to Skosh on Friday evening, then spent most of the time at home. Danielle has damaged a tendon in her ankle, so is off running and walking too much for a month. 

Up on top of the moors, about to start the descent towards Marsden.

 

Stroll 43

 I started in Greenfield in Lancashire, and walked back along the canal and then over the Pennines to Marsden in Yorkshire. It was a great day to be up on the moors.

My path followed the Huddersfield Narrow Canal up through Saddleworth to the Stanedge Tunnel under the Pennines. The railway which superseded the canal strides across it to great effect.