Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71

....and for those still awake.... Most of the village of Bowness on Solway is within the boundary of what was the westernmost point of Hadrian's wall....Haie fort The church in Bowness on Solway is built from stone blocks sourced from the walls of Haie fort. Apparently, Border Reivers made their way across the Solway firth on occasions and once stole the church bells before attempting to retrace their steps back to Scotland...they ended up abandoned in the silt of the Solway firth....that is the English version anyway. Along the main road through Drumburgh with the Solway firth visible beyond. The Drumburgh branch railway was once worked by a horse drawn 'dandy' carriage now on display in the NRM. The former Caledonian railway to/from the Solway viaduct, near Kirkbride We travelled over the Hardknott & Wrynose passes earlier to reach Coniston Pure chance timing and the pre-booked coach party getting stuck under a bridge got us onto a 45min cruise of Coniston on the steam gondola Is anticipating the cruise Home as outward via Kirby Lonsdale, Slaidburn and Clitheroe, for coffee and some lovely Lancashire sausages for tea. This view looking towards Lancashire before Slaidburn Dave

Evenin' all, With impending CT & bone scans for Is (Mrs TG) we wasted no time in squeezing in another priceless, instant, head for the weather holiday. Clitheroe for coffee....then via Slaidburn, Kirby Lonsdale, Newby bridge and Whitehaven to our B&B near Abbeytown, then Dumfries & Galloway to Kirkcudbright, staying in Dumfries for day 2 and then via Caerlaverock and Canonbie to Gilsland for a drive adj. to Hadrian's wall. Then via Bowness on Solway back to our original B&B for our 3rd night. One of the most history rich trips we've done..... Heading for Slaidburn from Clitheroe The A5092 coastal route around the west side of the Lake District...looking back towards the Peaks Newton Arlosh church The longest viaduct in Europe in its day....the railway viaduct from Bowness on Solway towards Annan across the Solway firth effectively closed the Carlisle ship canal as large boats could no longer reach the canal. The viaduct was partly demolished twice, in 1881 and then in the early 1900s by ice floes in the firth. It closed for good in 1921 and was demolished by 1934. The idea of Border raiders wading/swimming across the mud and water of the firth to rampage and steal is challenging and yet the Ramshaw book on the canal descibes cattle being herded across the firth at low tide regularly. Clearly, some crossing points are/were suitable. Driving along the waterside route through Drumburgh to Bowness on Solway there are constant depth markers for when the water inundates the road but the views across the firth towards Dumfries & Galloway are superb. Rockcliffe, Dumfries & Galloway is a lovely waterfront village with great sea views The remnants of Hadrian's wall at Gilsland....many of the blocks from the wall were used in buildings along the length of the wall Effectively closed by the construction of the Solway railway viaduct, the Carlisle ship canal allowed large boats to sail into the centre of Carlisle. This is the canal bed near Port Carlisle.....the railway from Port Carlisle towards Carlisle was mainly built on top of the former canal. Port Carlisle....the entrance to the ship canal from the Solway firth Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

....Mainz was the destination for our honeymoon cruise on The Rhine in 2005 Robert....the Christmas markets were the theme....superb trip! Standing behind the glass sided bridge on the Swiss boat enabled one to study the depth/riverbed profile and traffic radar screens....very informative. Railways both sides of the river, 4 lanes of river traffic and stunning scenery meant that there was always lots to savour. We collected a souvenir of a mermaid from St Goar for a friend who had taken us to the airport....explaining that he would prefer an ornament with a more developed figure led to a lot of translation laughs and gestures from the shop owner. Dave

Mornin' all, Never one to miss the opportunity for the scenic route here are a few visuals from yesterday.... The Cheshire plain from Gun hill twixt Leek and Macclesfield....the telescope at Jodrell bank centre and The Cloud to the left Towards the south west from the same view point From Lask Edge twixt Brown Edge and Congleton....towards the Peak District Similar view point again towards the Peak District Now music by Boots Randolph....Yakety sax Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

Aft'noon all, Could have been worse but could have been considerably better is Mrs TGs diagnosis. CT scan to come then chemo so I'm taking her away for a few days next week before it starts. Fingers crossed All the best to anyone with health issues Dave

.....there was a time Robert when the majority of patients could remember life before the NHS and were simply very grateful to be getting treatment at all....discipline levels were much higher too with much greater social structure/extended families in place. Nowadays everyone knows their rights but very few are prepared to acknowledge their essential responsibilites which allow society to survive, let alone flourish. The pendulum swings but never seems to be able to stop 'middle of the road sensible'. Dave

Mornin' all, The restless year continues apace in The Moorlands as elsewhere. Easy indicators for June are the freshly silaged (first cut) pale fields coinciding with the cow parsley. A warm sunny and calm 06.30 today seemed somewhat late given the strength and height of the sun...... Large bare newly cropped/silaged fields can be tricky to use in pictures as they often lead to very bland/one dimensional results. Using tree shadows is one way of adding interest to these potentially blank canvasses. The reservoir is brim full at the moment but once the island beneath the nesting platform amidst these birds starts to appear then the water level is dropping Now music by The Rubettes....Sugar baby love Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave

....thanks Jamie....the Cromford canal society is restoring some tunnels as they strive to reconnect their waterway to the network....there are some excellent historical images on their website. http://www.cromfordcanal.info/ Dave

Evenin' all, Managed my first visit to Cromford wharf/High Peak jnc today along with a lovely sunlit stroll along the Cromford canal towpath linking the two. First sighting of Little Grebe too....plentiful along the waterway. Ironically, the current issue of Railway Bylines, with pictures of the Langley Mill end of this former 14 mile long canal, had sparked my current focus and whilst keeping the better half distracted as she waits for her diagnosis on Thursday, we happened upon Cromford wharf on a drive through the scenery. Can't believe that it has taken until now to enjoy its delights. The return journey via Wirksworth, Ashbourne, Ilam, Wetton Mill, Butterton and Onecote equally lovely in the bright sunshine. An ideal time to dig out the excellent Foxline titles on the subject and Google the canal for a few historic images. Feathered ones remembered Enjoy what you do Dave

....there are many canals in the Midlands Ian where anything wider than 6-7ft won't fit....therefore, only narrow beam, moderate length vessels can actually explore the whole system. Dave

.....that'll be the lesser spotted plastic. Dave

Mornin' all, Warm cow parsley sunny scarecrowtoony sort of constitutional this morning.....even the sheep appeared masked....I'll let Top Cat and Dr Seuss introduce themselves..... The better half has another scan today to try and ensure the most accurate diagnosis. Now music by Donna Summer....Love's unkind Feathered ones remembered Enjoy what you do Dave

Mornin' all, Mainly overcast, mild and dry for the short anticlockwise this morning. The advantage of cycling early at this time of year is that you can breath through your mouth without swallowing insects....there seems to be a lot more flying around later in the day. We marked my 49th by taking friends to The Goats Head, Abbots Bromley last night for some superb steak & kidney pie & chips....the beers are pretty good too. School governor hat on today....some school sign painting with the children before a full governors meeting tonight. Now music by The Caesars....Jerk it out Good harvest of rhubarb from the garden today Feathered ones remembered Enjoy what you do Dave

....pull the udder one!! Dave

.....was she milked last? Dave

....you wouldn't want to bang your nose if you fell over though S. Dave

....we paid the £23ish apiece Phil and felt that we had a reasonable experience for that price. I was however a little concerned to hear more of the overall pricing policy for admissions, which suggested that some visiting parties etc were heavily subsidised by others, such as the two of us. Dave

.....a useful guide which various locals and railway photographers have passed on over time Ian, is 'if the weather is poor on one coast of Cornwall/Devon then head for the other, as it almost always changes'....a phenomenom noted by yourself too. You're within striking distance of Sidmouth, Beer & Seaton now. Here are a few clips....apologies for the first scene, I misread the number tag.... A little T9 action on the Bodmin railway Brakevan rides behind a small Prairie on the Boscarne branch ....and the Beattie well tank Dave

.....afraid to say that we followed the S&D alignment as far as Blandford B2S....so we may have been very close indeed. Will advise next time we're heading that way. Dave

....whilst in Wimborne, Dorset over the weekend a representative sample of ales was compared....for research purposes you understand. Landlord by T. Taylor on draught at The Kings Head Lymington had to be No1 Old Oak by Wincle brewery in bottles which I took for the others to test had to be No2 Hook Norton blonde in bottles had to be No3 Flying Scotsman on draught at The Ship in Abbotsbury had to be No4 3 different Innis & Gunn bottled ales were No5 That concludes the voting of the TG household. Dave

.....the Eden project is around £23 per person entrance Ian....you may think that the Lands End parking is a bargain. The Lost Gardens of Heligan are nearby adj. Mevagissey...another charming seaside location...and have a touching story of the gardeners going off to war (1st world) and not coming back, leaving the gardens to go wild over many years...before being rediscovered 1952ish. They get my 'value for money vote'. Dave

.....we're labouring with NHS appointments just now having had the wife's MRI scan cancelled on Saturday. The combined assault from members of the family within the NHS and the two of us ringing each number that we had been given repeatedly until we were quickly given a new appointment for the next two stages of the process bore fruit and we are now being continually contacted by NHS staff to ensure that we're happy with the new progress.....not the technique that we had planned but we do respond vigourously to being messed around. Dave

.....lots of self build and investing in property projects going on in the UK Ian where individuals restore/upgrade/repair properties to make money in their spare time.....sounds like you may be witnessing that. Farmers are regulars in our area for that sort of project. I've attached a link to a minute and a half camcorder footage of our favourite Cornish/North Devon destinations The Roseland peninsula.....Pendennis castle then St Mawes castle from St Anthony's head....King Harry Ferry.....Countisbury hill adj. Lynton & Lynmouth with views towards The Doone valley and The Bristol Channel....Woody bay station then Woody bay coastal views towards The Valley of the Rocks.....St Mawes seafront. Variable camcorder technique due to being filmed over a 5yr period. Dave

.....not sure of your inclination towards the scenic route Ian but I'd consider the A39 from the area where you are now towards MInehead (Clovelly would be a good coffee stop) to ensure that you get to see the station at Woody Bay on the reconstructed Lynton & Barnstaple...lovely coastal views at different points too.....carry on to the coast along the narrow lane at Woody bay for some more superb views....then follow the narrow lane towards Lynton through Valley of the rocks. See timetable http://www.lynton-rail.co.uk/files/embedded/Timetable/Timetable-sheet-2015.htm The Exmoor scenery is superb in that area. The water powered cliff railway at Lynton is worth a ride to Lynmouth....Valley of the rocks coastal path walk to Lynton has more good views of the Bristol Channel/Sth Wales. Lorna Doone was set just beyond there and the drive over Exmoor / Dartmoor to/from Dawlish is lovely. Countisbury hill/County gate/Porlock to Minehead on the A39 very scenic too. The West Somerset railway from Minehead shouldn't be missed either....trains will run more regularly than at Woody bay. As for Lands End....the drive from Newlyn adj. Penzance via Mousehole (coffee stop) and Lands End to St Ives following the coast, is the way to go....one of the best peninsula/coastal view experiences in the UK (best views from high up in a coach). If you think it narrow in parts spare a thought for me doing it with a full size coach. We invited friends to join us for a few days nr Padstow in 2012 and they took us for a meal in the pub adj. the beach in Port Isaac to say thank you....and very nice too! Just ask if you need any more gen. Dave

Mornin' all, Dry, overcast but mild in The Moorlands for the short anticlockwise constitutional. A matter of judging the cartoon character scarecrows along the way through the villages....this years theme seems a little unscarecrowy to me and probably accounts for the reduced number of entries. The return leg included dropping by the sorting office to collect two parcels undelivered whilst we were at the coast....Duck tape remembered to secure them to the rack. Street market setting up in town as I headed home. The wife was meant to have an MRI scan before we headed away south on Saturday but a failure to enter/transfer information to her notes meant that the technician refused to do it so we now have a rather urgent appointment to remake. Feathered ones provided for Enjoy what you do Dave