Evening light over two Corfe Castles. Photo taken just now, courtesy of my mobile phone, whilst strolling the Enchanted Gardens after dinner at Corfe Castle Model Village‘s cafe. This is undoubtedly the Isle of Purbeck’s friendliest eatery and (happening to be not very many yards from our house) is effectively our second dining room.
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Corfe Castles Leave a comment
Scilly times 1 comment
Two random images from the Isles of Scilly. The image above was taken out at the Western Rocks, which is the very first bit of Britain reached from America. A sizeable swell was rolling in from the Atlantic, but we were shielded from its full force by the 4km string of rocks and reefs. The photo below shows [...]
Postponement Leave a comment
To my intense disappointment, I won’t be running the South Devon Coastal Trail Series Ultramarathon tomorrow, as was planned. I’ve been laid low by illness all week; I’d hoped to shake it by the weekend, but am still coughing and running a high temperature. Very annoying indeed that I should contract ‘man flu’ at this time, [...]
Seahenge Leave a comment
In 1998, Norfolk man John Lorimer discovered a seven metre long oval of 55 oak posts in the tidal mud at Holme-next-the-Sea, encircling an inverted oak trunk. This Bronze Age ritual site had been uncovered beneath an eroding ancient peat layer. Excavations began, before the site eroded away. The press showed an uncharacteristic interest in [...]
Feb 14th Leave a comment
Have a good St Valentine’s Day, all. Having someone you care about to share your life with is, all things considered, a wonderful and precious thing. (The grey seals above live in Yorkshire)
Newquay surf and seals Leave a comment
Fistral Beach, Newquay, North Cornwall. Earlier on this day in 2007, I’d managed to launch out through clean 6-8 foot surf but (encountering steep 15-20 foot swell offshore) quickly realised that I was some distance out of my comfort zone. The problem was…now I was out there, how was I going to get back in? [...]
Shipwrecked on Muckle Green Holm Leave a comment
Heather and I had been stuck on the island of Rousay for three nights straight, waiting for the wind to drop. We were getting frustrated with our wait to head up into the North Isles of Orkney. One evening we returned to the tent and found that the wind had dropped… Within an hour we’d packed [...]
Dangling around Leave a comment
SAR helicopter training at the Needles, Isle of Wight. He was dangled right down between the Needles to water level and then winched up again. Rather him than me; funny, what some folk will do as a day job…
Puffins in Jack Sound, Pembrokeshire Leave a comment
‘Grief is the price we pay for love.’ – Her Majesty The Queen. Long to reign over us…
Great Yarmouth Leave a comment
Images of Great Yarmouth. Well, why not.
Muddy Purbeck dawn 1 comment
This was the very welcome view that greeted me in the last mile of this mornings’ very gruelling run. Home was at last in sight! I’d started out under starlight with the intention of running a full 26.2 mile marathon distance around the Purbeck hills, but the going was really heavy after last night’s heavy [...]
Exercise Smash and Fort Henry 1 comment
Fort Henry is an imposing concrete fortification overlooking Studland Bay in Dorset, built in 1943. The main building is about 30m long, with metre-thick walls. Several connected buildings are linked to underground tunnels extending backwards from the clifftop. On 18th May 1944, Fort Henry played host to several VIPs; none other than Prime Minister Winston [...]
Flotsam and Jetsam Leave a comment
Seen on a quiet Norfolk beach.
Misty morning run 2 comments
The murky images above and below were taken at around 8 am this morning from the cliffs above Chapman’s Pool, whilst stumbling through a rather long training run. Mist and cloud obscured the hilltops, and (apart from the run along Swanage promenade) this was my only glimpse of the sea. When I finally made it home, [...]
Red Sands Fort redux 2 comments
Someone mailed me yesterday and asked me about the logistics of paddling to Red Sands Fort, out in the Thames Estuary. To my shame, I can’t find the email and have no idea what I did with it. If you’re reading, any chance you could contact me again, please?
Gribben Head Daymark Leave a comment
This striped 25m tower was built in 1832 near Fowey in South Cornwall, to distinguish Gribben (aka Gribbin) Head from neighbouring headlands, hence allowing safe approach to Fowey. Because this is the internet, absolutely anything is possible, including building your own daymark.
Out Stack Leave a comment
The hunk of rock above is Out Stack, which happens to be the northernmost point of Britain. It’s located a short way north of Muckle Flugga Lighthouse, which is a short way north of the Shetland Isles. I certainly wasn’t on my own, out on the water up there on top of the UK. The [...]
Enys Dodnan Leave a comment
This extraordinary granite arch is found on the islet of Enys Dodnan, located off Land’s End in Cornwall. It is a highlight of one of the best coastal trips in Britain. The murky final image was taken on a rainy misty day last February, but is included here to show the whole isle. The jagged stack [...]
In a Flap Leave a comment
This fellow’s take-off was much more impressive than what followed. He got caught up in the gusty draughts in the cliff gulley and zig-zagged seawards out of control, barely avoiding the walls with manic flapping. In fact, I suspect that was what he meant to do…
This is England Leave a comment
No, really.
