Travel – Page 5 – Neil Baldwin's blog : Warning contains walking, technology, photography, holidays.

Two camels to North Norfolk

We had a loose arrangement to go away for the weekend with our friends H&N, which we had not got round to arranging when out of the blue we got an email with details of a cottage, which would be booked whether we were coming or not. We were over the moon and arranged to have the Friday off, we would be spending the weekend in North Norfolk in a little village called Wiveton with a pub called the Bell with a reputation for good pub grub. We were up quite early and left the house at about 08:45 destination my parents, for a coffee stop. We stopped for about an hour then headed towards Peterborough then across the flat lands towards Kings Lynn. As we left the ring road at a roundabout we spotted a circus tent and to our surprise two camels grazing in the field. Our planned stop was the cafe at Holkham but when we got there the place was closed for refurbishment, so we had to go to the Victoria for some lunch. They did not have a snack menu, so we had a starter each. Helen had the soup of the day, and I had a chicory, Roquefort and walnut sale, which was quite small but we asked for bread with it so it filled a hole.

We crossed over the road to Queen Anne’s drive and parked up then spent a couple of hours wandering through the pine forest then back along Holkham Beach where the usual nudists were absent, probably some thing to do the with cold wind, as the sun was out and the sky was blue. We then headed toward Cley and helen spotted a short-eared owl from the car and I just about got sight of it to identify the species. We stopped at the deli in Cley for some snacks and salad for later, then parked up at the far end of the reserve and walked out on the bund, to the sea. The sun was low so the light was great for taking photos, so I did. In the reedbed we spotted reed buntings. There were some frisky swans fighting and plenty of waders. The curlews were calling which is always a great sound to hear it reminds me of the seaside when I hear it out of context for example on the TV in the back ground.

It was getting towards17:00 so we headed to the cottage that N&H had rented, and on the way there we spotted another owl species from the car this time a barn owl. We found the cottage easily thanks to Helen having checked it out on street view the day before. H&N we’re not far behind as N had got the afternoon off. We had my pasta sauce for dinner then caught up on each other’s news.

N cooked us a breakfast as a result we did not leave the hut until 11:00 the rough plan was to head to the coast then turn right and see how far we got before turning back in land and back to Wiveton. It was an overcast day but the forecast was for no rain till the evening so we did not need to take waterproofs. We headed out of the village on the road until we got to the main coast road where we crossed over on to the sea wall until we reached the village of Cley by the sea. We made sure we got on the correct section of the sea wall because there is a section that heads towards Cley but then curves around and takes you west to Blakeney, we were heading east to Salthouse.
We passed through the Cley windmill complex and then out towards the sea and the car park where there used to be a cafe but after a winter storm some years ago it was washed away and never replaced. The tide was quite low so we had the luxury of hard standing to walk on near the water’s edge, but eventually we had to walk in land and over a long stretch of gravel which was hard work. We took a familiar path in land to Salthouse as Helen and I had stayed there a few years ago. We had lunch at the Dun Cow, had changed and gone all trendy since we last visited it. The food used to be fried pub grub, I had smoked salmon salad and gavalax, the others had a goats cheese salad and deep fried mushrooms, and haloumi chips with chipolte mayonnaise. The food was good but we would have referred a sandwich, rather than a selection of starters.

Suitably refreshed we then headed back to the hut, but we took the more direct route following a footpath that ran parallel to the coat road and more inland. We couple not find a path I had spotted on open street map so we had to walk up Old Woman’s Lane to get back on track. We passed though the Cley churchyard then up Glandford Road, across the bridge and back in to Wiveton. We were all quite tired as it had been a long walk, so we sat and watched the French lose to Wales in the Six Nations. We had a table booked at the Wiveton Bell which has a reputation for good food, it was a good job that we booked because as we arrived a lady was being turned away despite her pleading. The beer was good as well as the food. I had Lemon Sole and the other had a risotto which was very filling so we skipped dessert.

Next morning we were up a a reasonable time as we had to vacate the hut by 10:00 so rather than a cooked breakfast we had toast, then gave the hut the once over and vacated just after 10:00. We headed for Cley Spy at Glandford to have a drool over the expensive optics that they sell. H&N bought a reasonably price pocket sized binoculars, then we headed to the Art Cafe and had a look round the tut. Helen managed to buy a cushion to add to our collection. Next stop would be

Holkham beach as the sky was blue albeit a bit windy. We parked at the Beach Cafe at Wells rather than Queen Annes drive because we would then be able to have a spot of lunch after our walk. We kept to the woods as we walked west so to avoid walking into the cold wind We got almost to Queen Anne’s drive before popping out of the woods and letting the hound loose on Holkham, boy can that dog run. By the time we had walked along the beach back to the coastguard’s look out the temperature was not as cold as it had been first thing, and so we sat outside and had a coffee and something to eat.

We said our goodbyes then headed home whilst listening to Ireland beat England in the Six Nations. The journey was quite uneventful with little traffic but we made a bad choice as we crossed Luton and wasted sometime following the SatNav through town when we should have gone via the airport. All in all a great weekend with good company, as good a weather as you would expect at this time of year, and some good walking.

Yellow car photo-bomb at Bibury

We are spending the weekend in the Cotswolds with Helen’s sisters and cousins which is an almost sometimes annual event. We find a rental cottage out of season often in the Cotswolds because it is in a roughly equal travel distance for everyone. We are staying in Winson which is a couple of miles from Bibury which has been in the news recently because an inhabitants has brought a bright yellow car and has, shock horror, parked it outside where they live, but it is messing up tourists photo’s of the quaint cottages.

I left work at 16:00 and picked Helen up on my way through Aylesbury at about 20 past four. The traffic was quite busy but moving until we got to the A40 on the north west of Oxford where as usual it ground to a halt then moved very slowly as the sets of traffic lights released us in dribs and drabs, I disobeyed the sat nav as we neared Winson and went cross country for the last 5-6 miles. We passed through Bibury but it was too dark to see the offending vehicle.

We were the third vehicle to arrive out of 5, but everyone had arrived in time for dinner to be ready for 19:30, which is one of the advantages of being equidistant for everyone. The rental property was very extensive with all five bedrooms upstairs, in total there are 5 bathrooms two of them en-suite. With the bedrooms upstairs it meant that the downstairs was very spacious, two lounges and a massive kitchen diner worked well for us.

I was in bed at a reasonable time, was soon asleep and did not notice everyone else going to bed so I must have got to sleep quite quickly, and after a good night sleep was up a reasonable 08:30 refreshed and ready for a day of walking and socialising. The plan was to walk to Bibury to see the yellow car and if possible get a bite to eat.

First thing there was a sprinkling of snow, but it was raining which did not bode well for our walking plans, however by the time we were ready to head out the sun was shining and there were clouds about, it was cold made worst by the wind. The plan was to walk to Bibury on footpaths that followed the river, which would involve crossing the river twice. We walked through the village of Winson and found a footpath across the park/field, which led to a collapsed wooden bridge over the river. Luckily there was a newer bridge 30 yards down stream.

The path took us up hill and parallel to the river but we were soon off the footpath by not paying attention to the map. Our inattention cost us a slight detour, but we were soon on a track called Potlickers Lane! At a lovely Cotswold village called Ablington we crossed the river then did a short stretch on the road before picking up a footpath that took us around the outside of Bibury and into the village at the far end.

As we got to the edge of the village we spotted the yellow car which was surrounded by people taking selfies of themself with the car. We took our own pictures then headed to the hotel/pub we wanted to eat at. Unfortunately there were no tables available so we decided to try the Catherine Wheel pub up a hill just outside the village. They fortunately were able to accommodate us and we had a great pub lunch, I would recommend the venue.

The walk back was the same route but slightly shorter as we were at the closer end of Bibury. The weather was still cold but sunny perfect for taking photos. We got back to the hut at 1600 and the women got on with the jigsaw, rock n roll.

Dinner was a buffet of cheese pizzas and other nibbles. I was in bed by 10 and Helen was not far behind, we had not taken an afternoon snooze like some of the others, in the morning we watched some of the Murray Jokovic tennis final, but I went for a walk after the second set, the weather was too good to be indoors. I walked for about and hour and a half and I came to the conclusion that the Gloucestershire council do not spend much on footpath signage something that is done very well in comparison in Buckinghamshire. I did see one of those useful phone-boxes that had been re purposed as a book exchange,

When I got back Murray had almost lost the tennis and N had made a great mung lentil curry, with stir fry peas, rice and all the trimmings, it was lovely and I will try the recipe myself sometime. Helen and I made a sharp exit after lunch we wanted to get back home in good time as I had to be up early the next day as I was travelling. All in all a very good weekend.

A wet London to Brighton 2014

Another year has cone round quickly and it is time four our annual pilgrimage to Brighton. A good friend has a car that qualifies for the Bonham’s London to Brighton vintage car run, and we use it as an excuse to take Monday off and stay the Sunday night in Brighton, which this year only cost £25 at the North Street Premier Inn. Helen and I have in recent years (I have been doing it for over 21) skipped the early 05:00 start to be in Hyde Park by 07:00 and motored directly to Crawley leaving the house at a more sociable 09:00.

The drive round the M25 was steady due to the biblical rain caused by a long bank of cloud dissecting the country at 45 degrees and stationed directly over the A23 on this Sunday morning. Luckily the rain had stopped by the time we reached Gatwick Honda on the outskirts of Crawley, which new for this year is where the official coffee stop was arranged. Usually the coffee stop the is on Crawley high Street which is an ideal spot for the public to see the cars parked up on the cobbled square. The Honda dealership was on a main road with pretty poor viewing opportunities. We found a suitable place to park in a nearby housing area and soon met up with the support crew at the car show room. I heard many people grumbling about the new venue. Suddenly the rain came down again so we made a sharp exit and got back on the road to chase down the Humberette. I got some pictures of Paul Holywood who was driving the Beaulieu DeDion Bouton, we later found out that Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Ben Ainslie were taking part but did not spot them.

We did some of the office coal route but diverted off to do some catching up and with some luck caught up with the Humberette not far from Pyecombe where we had agreed to meet up for a passenger swap. Swap done we took the back road into Brighton to park the car near the Premier Inn before heading down to Madeira Drive to meet up with the others. Helen went shopping L&J whilst Rory and I went down the front. Chilli and mulled wine was on offer in the hospitality tent, but I opted for a coffee. We did the usual hanging around looking at cars before getting the car on the trailer for its journey home.

Walking back to the hotel Rory felt peckish and could not resist the opportunity for some traditional seaside fayre of Fish & Chips. Back at the hotel we found the girls and agreed to meet up at 19:00 to go and find somewhere to eat. We settled on Zafferelli’s which was just down the road. The food was good and the waiters took a shine to J and did some impromptu baby sitting so that his parents could enjoy their meal. I had Calamari Luciana (squid in a chili tomato sauce) followed by spaghetti Puttanesca both of which were good. We were all drinking and the bill came to £26 each which I thought was a fair price. We went for a final pint at the Horse and Wagon which was just up the street, a got to bed about 23:00 ish.

London to Brighton Vintage Car Run LBVCR

We woke up to rain the next morning and met up in reception at 08:50 for our tradition visit to Bill’s for breakfast. I had the vegetarian breakfast which consists of eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms on two pieces of toast one spread with Guacamole the other with chilli humus, and it is always very nice, and I washed it down with two Americano’s. Bills is on North Street just 5 minutes walk form the Premier Inn. Then we were off for a spot of shopping, and I managed to buy a T Shirt. We had to leave at about 11:30 or pay for extra parking at an exorbitant rate but that suited us as we had a stop on the way home to visit and elderly relative of Helen’s, who was expecting us for lunch.

We stopped off for a couple of hours and caught up on family news then headed off at about 14:00 home. It was still raining and we took a cross country route to avoid the tail back on the A23 near m25. We were home in good time about 16:00 we had beaten the rush hour traffic. A great weekend with friends.

Tower of London Poppies

Helen and I have the day off so I thought I would treat Helen to a day in London. We got the 09:31 from Berkhamsted by the skin of our teeth due to the queue at the ticket office and our in ability to figure out how to use or travel card on the automatic machines. The train must have started from Tring as it was empty so we got good seats.

The plan was to go and look at the poppies at the tower of London, where I had a surprise for Helen, then the museum of London which neither of us had been to before, and then possibly the British museum if we had the stamina and the time. We had ofg peak tickets so had to avoid the rush hour.

We took the slow bus to the tower of London it seemed to stop for every traffic light. In the end we got off early and walked the short distance remaining. The poppies at the tower are very impressive and there was an army of people planeting the new ones. The surprise I has for Helen was that one of them was hers, you can buy them on line here, then when the installation is over with they pay out to you. Helen seemed really chuffed with the idea.

We stopped for a bite to eat at Eat whisly we consulted the maps to find the most interesting way to walk to the museum of London. It is close to the barbican and was probably built at the same time. On the way we stored at the guildhall to have a look at the Roman ruins that are displayed there but they were refurbishing so we had a look around the great hall which was quite interesting. The is also a church which inside is very bright and airy not quite enough though for a handheld panorama.

Moving on we passed through the banking district and on to the “roundabout” that the museum of London is on top of. The museum is free to look round and I would say worth a visit, you are taken from the earlier time to current time as you make your way through the exhibits, I found the more recent two centuries most interesting. Helen preferred the older stuff.

The journey back was for more straight forward we eventually found a tube station and got on the Northern line and popped out at Euston, “simple”. I got Helen a bit worried while we waited for the train to leave I jumped off the train to do a panorama of the platform, just 5 minutes before the train was due to depart. I got some wifely looks when I came back.

Steam trains Sewing machines an Eid

Steam train at Moorgate Tube station London

Being home alone while Helen is on a weekend coach trip /song a long I needed Ian Visits website to rescue me by pointing me in the direction of an event to take a look at. 2 things took my fancy a Seeing machine museum in Tooting and the Eid festival in Trafalgar square I had a plan.

I was up early and and checked the logistics as I had breakfast, it turns out the festival starts at 12 and the museum opens at 14:00 not ideal for me I wanted am early start. I umed a and ahed a bit then spotted that the last steam train event on the London underground would be this weekend as part of the 150 anniversary of the tube, I now had a revised plan.

I arrived at Berkhamsted station bought a ticket and the train was already pulled in when I got to the platform perfect timing, the plan was coming together. The 08:31 train was quite busy but not at Berko so I easily got a seat by the window. It was a day train and skipped a few stations on the way in and arrived at 09:05.We passed through some reason on the way but nothing enough to dampen my enthusiasm.

I was running late the as I only had 15 minutes to get to Moorgate and it helps if you get the Bank line rather the the one that does not go through Moorgate, so I got off the treason that I just managed to catch and starved the journey back to Euston and got back on the Bank branch of the Northern line to Moorgate, once again jumping on just as the doors closed. At Moorgate I headed for the the Hammersmith and City line, the train was running late so I saw it since slowly into the station under steam. There were quite a few train enthusiasts there but not as many as I would have expected. Suitable pictures were taken and posted on Facebook. I had a chat to a policemen who was in my field of view, I had seen him worrying in his now pad and thought he might be a train spotter. My next stop would be Trafalgar square and I figured a trip round the circle line would be best as the trains depart from the next platform over from where I was stood.

After a pleasant journey with a seat I got off at embankment and walked up to Trafalgar Square where the festival was still in preparation. I had an hour to waste so o headed to the National Portrait Gallery I had a vague idea that the BP portrait award was on, I was not to be disappointed. If you are ever in London it is worth a look, it always amazes me how people can paint and it is only when you are within 6 inches of some of the detail that the brush strokes are evident. I have caught it a few times over the years and have always left in awe. I still had time for a coffee before 12 and it was welcome as the last one I had was for breakfast. The National Gallery cafe would be the venue which severed great coffee but tired looking Chelsea buns. The cafe has a queue up part and a table service with waiters in white shirts with aprons, something Helen would enjoy.

I hung around at the top of the square waiting with the masses for the festival to be opened. When it was my first mission was to find something to eat, there were plenty of stalls to chose from I had a Dahl rice and vegetable curry which I eat sat in a cordoned off arrears that the public seemed to think was out of bound but the security guards said otherwise so me and another couple had a whole table each with table cloth and an chiefly view of true stage. The cities were very nice work just the right amount of spice. Google provided me with a bus option to the sewing machine museum, number 88 followed by a 249 to Tooting Bec. The 88 was interesting as it went round the back of Westminster on small streets but past lots of Government offices such as the Home office. I changed at Clapham common, which I had never appreciated the size of it is a massive piece of green real estate. The locals were making the most of it some resting others playing sport tag rugby and volley ball the less common ones that I saw. I got off the bus at Tooting Bec about 20 minutes before it opens. It was not obvious where it was so I had to get my phone out and check the building number.

Shoes at the London Sewing Machine Museum

I went over to the building about 5 minutes early an Asian looking lady was there who asked me whether this was the museum. Then the owner of the museum arrived and said it would be another 5 minutes before it would open. The museum is owned by the the Wimbledon Sewing Machine Co. and is a real gem of a specialist museum. The ate literally hundreds of old sewing machines from miniature ones to industrial table top ones on display in glass cabinets in two large rooms and a few side rooms. I spent so me time looking around an taking some pictures, it was surprising how specialised some of them were built for a single purposes such as joining carpets or stitching eyelets in leather. There were photos and letters on the wall from presidents of sewing machine manufacturers on the walls up the stair way the owner had and/or is a big player in the sewing machine market. The owner looked quite an old and I hate to think what might happen when he is not around to look after it. There should be some scheme like the listed building scheme to preserve the collections that are worthy of preservation. I picked up a copy of ISMACS News the official journal of the International Sewing Machine Collectors’ Society to read on the journey home. By the way if you want to visit the museum is open from 14:00 to 17:00 every first Saturday of the month, its website is here.

I jumped on a bus but then decided that the tube would be quicker and jumped off the bus at South Clapham where the Northern line goes to Euston without the need to change lines. I got talking to a guy who was interested in photography and said I should take some pictures of the people to in the carriage, explained that I preferred landscape photography he seemed a bit out of it and it was hard to hear what he was saying over the noise of the train, so I was glad when he got off a few stops later. I spent the rest of the journey using the Virgin WiFi at each station to purchase a battery case on Ebay for my mobile phone as I regularly run down the batteries on a trip to London because I use the GPS a lot for navigation and use the screen a lot for writing this blog post.

I got the 15:34 from Euston which arrived on the platform at the same time that I did with a fresh coffee. I got a take away curry from Waitrose, yes my second of the day, and went home for an early night, tomorrow I am back in London to watch Mr T do a Triathlon at or around the Excel exhibition Centre.

Fountains Abbey

On K and R’s recommendation we headed back up the M1 heading for Foutains Abbey near Ripon, we were a bit worried that there might be a lot of traffic because the Great Yorkshire show was on near Harrogate. Fountains Abbey is a world heritage site and certainly deserves the accolade. Wikipedia says “Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately three miles south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near to the village of Aldfield.”

We parked up in the two thirds empty car park, and walked to the entrance and information centre with National Trust shop. The site is vast and consists of the Abbey ruins a house and many acres of landscaped gardens with water features. The lanscapped gardens have large lakes with statues of greek gods. It was a short walk down hill to the abbey ruins, and we stopped at the mill cafe for a coffee and to grab some sandwiches for later. We wandered around the ruins taking it all in. There were plenty of people oj guided tours an I heard quite a few foreign languages clearly a popular tourist venue given the world heritage status.

The Cloisters Fountains Abbey Studley Park Yorkshire

Taking photo’s was quite a challenge even though I had my wide angled lens with me it is difficult to keep the verticals parallel whilst framing the picture well. I also took some panorama sets which I hope will prove popular on Google maps. We were also there in the middle of the day and the sun can prove to be a bit harsh and bright in July.

We wandered around the lakes stopping halfway for a rest and time to eat our sandwiches, sat on a bench while the world walked by. I left the GoPro on the bench arm taking a picture every 2 seconds for a timelapse to be stitched together at a later date. We stuck to the shade for the walk to the far end of the lakes as it was very warm in the sun. At the end we headed out the gates as we wanted to take the alternate route back via the church we had been recommended to us to take a look. We were not disappointed and I wished I had a tripod with me to take a panorama in the church. Note to self investigate good light weight and small tripods at a reasonable price.

I decided we should take the long way home across the dales. We headed west towards Pately Bridge, and drove through a heavy rain storm which saw torrents of rain running down the steep roads to the valleys at the bottom. The views after the rain had stopped were stunning, but we did not really have time to stop. I made a mistake and took the turn to Ilkley rather than Keithley which mean that we had to drive through Brighouse and Bradford and Huddersfiled to get home, and it was the rush hour to boot. The journey home took 2 hours compared t one hour to get there.

K treated us to Pizzas for tea.

Walk to HMS Bulwark from Rotherhithe

London seems to be a weekly commute for me at the moment. This Saturday I have managed to get tickets for a tour of the Navy ship, HMS Bulwark moored up in Greenwich for a few weeks. To make a day of it I thought I would walk from Rotherhithe which will complete the walk I started last weekend when I walked from Rotherhithe to Tower Bridge.

Waiting at Berkhamsted there were quite a few groups of people with picnic hampers clearly some outside event was on. The train was relatively busy but I got a seat with a table for the coffee I purchased on the platform. The train was running 7 minutes late.

I chose to tube it to Rotherhithe, then I kept to the Thames path as much as I could, it turned out to be quite a long walk and at Deptford high street I thought about getting a bus but the next one was in twenty minutes so I carried on walking. By the time I got to the Cutty Sark I was quite tired of walking. There was a sort of French market on and I bought A veggie quiche for lunch the whole transaction done in French. I followed that with a coffee and a pee at the Greenwich museum the cafe was a bar as well and brewed its own beer in the big atrium of a bar in big copper brewing things.

I joined the queue at about 1245 for the 1300 trip. I had a spare ticket and offered it to a guy carrying a camera, I don’t think he really understood what I was offering him, he said yes bit then disappeared. Luckily for a young lady in the queue near me I was able to offer her the spare one. She had registered but could not get the eTicket up on the screen of her blackberry.

Her name was Natalie and she was a bored commercial lawyer and was thinking of joining the Navy as a legal reserve? We were soon herded into a tent for 10 minutes of how great the Navy is and why we contribute taxes to the service which provides value for money. Then we were herded onto a jetty where our launch to take us to the Bulwark was waiting. Once on board I tagged onto one of the guided tours of he boat. We visited the control room where they play war games the helicopter deck where we were able to go into the cockpit of the helicopter parked there. In the control room I noticed they were still using Windows XP that probably explains why the government has agreed to pay Microsoft for patches post them making the OS end of life. We also went into the depths of the vessel where we got to see the landing craft which can be launched out of the back of the ship.

We were on board for about an hour and a half. Were were herded back to the pontoon to pick up the launch to take us back to land at the Cutty Sark. I was quite tired by this point so decided to take the most quick and direct route back possible. Google t0 the rescue, a Tube station was near by bit the line was closed further down the line so down 10 flights of steps on to DLR then off at the next stop up some steps, onto a bus that went all round the houses and eventually to another DLR station where I got a train to Bank, then the Northern line to Euston where I was two trains ahead of the Google suggestion.

At Berkhamsted I picked up Helen who was shopping for dinner then we went home for Pizza and salad for me at least an early night. A tiring but enjoyable day.

The Brunel tunnel

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Rotherhithe Tunnel under the Thames London

Ian Visits came up trumps again the Brunel Tunnel under the Thames is open for the weekend due to a line upgrade to convert from four to five carriages per train. I got in quick and managed to get myself a ticket before that sold out less than an hour later.

I was up early and managed to get the 08:46 to London Euston from Berkhamsted, which unusually had no free seats. On arrival I used Google maps to find out how to get to the Brunel Museum at Rotherhithe. You may not be aware but Google recently announced it had all the public transport times so when you ask for directions not only does it know which trains and buses to use it knows when the next one is. This is a great improvement on trying to read the bus maps that have no road names and then work out the coded bus stop you need to be at. It suggested Victoria line then Jubilee but I fancied the bus so set the options for buses only. 68 then change at Waterloo bridge to the 381. The 68 arrived as I got to the bus stop.

It was still raining when I got off the bus at Waterloo bridge but there was some sun to the south in the distance which was good because I was lugging three cameras with me. The 381 took me past the Kirkcaldy museum of material testing which I had visited a few weeks before. The bus passed through some interesting areas where you could see that there had in the past been companies that manufactured goods. For example I saw a building with a painted sign for a company that made tin boxes. Further on there is evidence of shipping with old warehouses, pubs with nautical names (The Shipwrights) and even the London nautical school. By the time I got off the bus the sun was out.

Once alighted I followed the signs to the Brunel Museum and the staff there directed me to Rotherhithe station which was the correct place to congregate. I was early but they let me join the queue, but not before I stocked up on batteries for my flash. I would have to wait for the allotted time but thanks to my trusty insulated foam sheet was able to sit down while I waited, all the time the sky got bluer and the clouds more fluffy and white.

The 1100 tickets were called and we were guided into the closed station, and given blue surgical gloves to put on, then told to gather at the top of the escalators then we were taken down the steps to the platform of the station. First we had to have the obligatory Health and Safety briefing which explained why we had to wear gloves, dirt and weil’s disease so don’t touch stuff and then suck your thumb. We then stepped down on to the track and were led into the tunnel, our guides explained some of the history and features of the tunnel when we stopped every 30 metres. Eventually we came to the next station Wapping where we crossed over and went back up the other side to where we started. Then we left the station via the escalators not forgetting to throw the gloves away and disinfect our now sweaty palms.

As the weather was bright I decided a walk along the Thames path would be nice and provide plenty of photo opps . I followed Jubilee walk which keeps you as close to the river as is possible and you get to see some interesting buildings, most of them dock related so lots of converted warehouses with cranes sticking out of them. Just as it looked like the next shower was due I came across the Design Museum and popped into the cafe for a sandwich and coffee it was pretty average and cost £8.50!

Tower bridge was nearby so I carried on and crossed the bridge and attempted a panorama set at the mid point. On the other side was St Catherine’s dock always a good place to take photos so had a wander around. There are old buildings, boats and bridges. From there I headed towards the tower of London, then consulted Google maps for an escape route. At the no. 15 bus stop I got chatting to a fellow photographer who had a spirit level bubble in his hot shoe. I have one but it is a sharp cube that stands proud he had one that was more or less flush. He said he got it from Amazon and with the power of the internet so did I got just £1.99 a bargain.

I alighted at Aldwych and walked over the road and jumped on the 68 to Euston. It was pouring down at Euston and I had 10 minutes to spare before the 14:54 to Northampton . I grabbed a coffee and a paper then headed home to process my photos.

Elvis Presleys false tooth and the WW2 Bunker

WW2 Paddock bunker in Neasden North London

I have mentioned the Ian Visits website before on this blog, well today we attended two events we we spotted there. Both events are a bit unusual and completely different. First we visited a rarely open WW2 bunker, then we went to a dentist surgery to have a look at Elvis Presley’s false tooth. The day started with a bit of a panic, when I realised that although we had got up at 07:00 to get to Neasden in good time I thought we had to be there at 09:30 but when I checked the ticket it said 09:00. Any how we left the house at 07:45 and the Sat Nav was suggesting that we would be there by 08:55 plenty of time we thought!

The Sat Nav it turns out take account of traffic it knows about but that is not all traffic so after following it to detour the traffic it did know we ended up in queues that it had not anticipated. At 08:55 we called Katy the organiser to let them know we were running a few minutes late. We finally go there at 09:20 and they kindly allowed us to tag along with the school kids on the 09:30 tour. The tour started by obviously going down some steps quite a few in fact, the tour guide was very good and explained how far down we were and the little amount history of the place. The Bunker was only ever used twice during the war then was locked up to hardly ever be opened again so no one really was aware of it presence and those that were had signed the official secrets act and could not divulge anything. For example they had contact with a person that whose duty it was check the phones worked every week but she could not tell them much about the place as she was only permitted to descend the steps walk along the corridor check the phones then exit they way she had come, blissfully unaware of the size of the complex.

The tour took about an hour and was very interesting, the place was very damp (because when they built some houses on top they breached the water proofing) dirty mouldy and there were stalactites on the ceiling. The Paddocks as the bunker is know is made available to be viewed by the public twice a year by the housing association that built the house on the research site which was above the bunker. This was a stipulation of the planning consent and although the stipulation as run out they sill keep the pumps going to get the water out and pay for the lighting.

Once the tour was finished I suggested we went to the RAF museum at Hendon for a cup of coffee at the cafe there. It turned out to be a popular idea and a cheap one at that the parking cost £3 but the entrance to the museum was free so we had a bit of a look around while we were there. I took the opportunity to take a few panorama sets of photos before we left for the highlight of the day Elvis Presley’s false tooth.

Again Ian Visits tipped me off that there was a once in a life time opportunity to see Elvis Presley’s false tooth (or crown as they say in dental clinics). I set the sat nav and after 30 minutes in London traffic we pulled up outside a house in an Victorian housing estate in Bounds Green which had been pebble dashed and converted into a dentist practice. There appeared to be nothing happening but on the door was a poster suggesting an Elvis tribute would be there between 1200 and 1400. On entering we entered into a strange situation, there was an Elvis impersonator singing songs whilst the practice staff milled about with fancy dress on. On the reception counter was a clear perspex box containing a tooth moulding and a bright white crown, the object of our mission.

There were a couple of press photographers taking photo’s, some Cancer Awareness representatives and Virgin Active sales people apart from that we seemed to be the only people there at that moment. A woman approached us and asked if we wanted a free mouth cancer check we said yes and filled out the forms. As we waited we made sure we got selfies with the tooth and were interviewed by the Mouth Cancer awareness people. We both declared clear so we left with our sugar coated cup cake!

We headed back via the super market and endured a very violent hail storm on the A41 and were back home to good time, after a bizarrely interesting day.

Beyond the Watford Gap

My brother lives in the grim land north of the Watford gap and we are off to visit him this Saturday. We would normally drive up on a Friday but were glad we decided to leave it till Saturday morning as the weather on Friday was driving rain.

We were up a a reasonable 07:00 and left the house at about 08:40. The usual route was taken over to Milton Keynes then up the A5 for a few miles before joining the M1. The weather was really great the sun was low and bright in the sky so the views from the motorway were stunning. We saw quite a few buzzards, and two very large flock one of wood pigeon and the other lapwing. I have been doing photo of the day on facebook and decided a stop at Watford Gap services to grab a coffee and take a picture were the order of the day. The services have a sign out the front a bit like the one at lands end but with only two arms, ones points to the south and the other the north.

We made good time on the motorway and the driving was a breeze. I may have mentioned before the cruise control on the VW golf that I have, it allows you to set no only the speed you want but the distance you want to be from the car in front then the card maintains the speed as best it can, but always keeps you a certain distance from the car in front. It means that you hardly ever need to touch the accelerator and so all you need to do is keep your eyes. The road and steer the car in the right direction. We did the journey in roughly the time the sag nav had suggested at the beginning of the journey.

The weather took a turn for the worse after we had had some home made courgette soup for lunch. So we chilled out with my nephews for the rest the day. Kev made a foret noire gateau, and prepared a Chinese feast for us to eat in the evening. The feast included springs rolls, steamed buns, and steamed and deep fried dim sung. We also watched France trounce England in the six nations rugby match.

Sunday we lounged around for a few hours in the morning drinking coffee and playing on the Wii, then we had some cake and headed off to the Yorkshire Sculpture park for some fresh air and exercise whilst taking in some culture. If you are ever in the area the YSP is well worth a visit, it is a large open park land with lots of works of art scattered here and there, as well as one off temporary exhibitions. We saw an unusual installation Roger Hiorns: Seizure, which was a metal crate which had had copper sulphate crystals grown within it some of them very big, it was very dark and very blue inside. We then went for a walk around the ground where we spotted quite a few birds including cracking views of a nuthatch despite no binoculars.

We went our separate ways Kev back home and us back down the M1 home but not before stopping on the other side of the Watford Gap services.