Walk – Page 12 – Neil Baldwin's blog : Warning contains walking, technology, photography, holidays.

A very nice lunch at Wisley RHS

We had a Sunday to ourselves and following a recommendation from my parents, I suggested Wisley RHS might be worth a try. The weather forecast was overcast with a promise of some breaks on the could and it was the middle of winter, not the best time to visit a garden, but we threw caution to the wind.

I picked Helen up after church at about 1020 then we headed off around the M25, the road to all venues. I missed the turning off of the A3 so we had the pleasure of visiting a plane called Burpham! The detour was slight and we were soon parking up. Given the time of year the car park was surprisingly busy we were in the last few rows of the third and final car park.

I had checked out the membership options on the RHS site, and enquired whether the single membership which allowed for a “family guest” would stretch to letting the wife in, it did so £42 later I had one year’s entrance. Given that adults pay £12 all I had to do was to visit twice on my own or once more with Helen and we were quids in.

We took a look at the map and decided that the cafe at the far side of the entrance was the place to head for as it was more or less coffee time. The cafe was heaving by the time we got there it seemed like every Londoner had decided to have coffee or lunch at the Wisley RHS cafe. We did however manage to find a table inside amongst the screaming 5 year olds. The coffee and walnut cake was great shared with Helen and the cappuccino was good.

Our next stop would be the glass houses where they had a special feature for the winter, butterflies from exotic lands were in one section. The queue sign suggested a 20 minute wait did not seem like too long, so we waited and it did not. The man controlling the entry said the sun had made the glasshouse hot so people were moving though quite quickly. Once in it was great there were lots of different types of butterfly, most of them much larger than the British varieties. They seemed quite tame too, sitting on leaves and allow me to take their photos.

From the glass house we headed up hill towards the apple tree collection, at the top there is a great view over the site. From there we headed kind of back towards the entrance. We looked in on the alpine area and I took a pan of the small glass house. The bonsai were interesting nearly all were over 50 years old and one was 150 years old, clearly not a hobby you should start a when you’re tire if you want to see the results of your efforts. The veg growing area was impressive and almost inspired me to sort out my two metre square patch at home.

We headed toward the restaurant and cafe for some lunch, it was about 13:10 and the food hall was Ramos but once we had got some food we found a whole courtyard in the the sun where no one wanted to sit, we had the place to ourselves then shared it with another couple. The food we chose was Parmesan butternut squash baked in filo pastry with a celeriac and beetroot coleslaw and a couscous salad, it went down a treat.

After lunch we wandered towards a bird hide in a far corner of the site, where the pines and heather collections are. On the way I suggested that we might see a ringed neck parakeet and would you believe it about a minute later one flew over and perched in a tree ahead. For once I had my binoculars with me and we got a good look. I have seen enough now to be able identify them was they fly over, with tree long tails and fast fighter jet like flight. There is a public footpath that runs through that part of the park and the park path goes under a bridge to allow the path to be bordered by chain link fence and barbed wired, then strangely at the other end you can get into the park with just a sign suggesting you should not and a couple of CCTV cameras as a deterrent.

We had to exit via the gift shop which was very comprehensive, and had a good book department which along with all the other tut meant that Helen spent some time browsing then spending (ed: Helen was ushered too fast out of said gift shop!). I did buy a device that allows eggs to be decapitated. The journey home was smooth and without traffic issues, we chose the M40 Beaconsfield route just for a change. I will look forward to visiting again throughout the year to see how the plants and flowers change throughout.

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.

Activity number three sea kayaking near Ilfracombe

Mr T fancied some sea kayaking and C was up for it, I threw myself into the mix we had the minimum of three people required for a couple of hours paddling along the coast. The rendez-vous was at 12:30 in a car park at Helle Bay just the other side of Ilfracombe. We had a leisurely start with the late appointment and took our time over breakfast. I filled some of the time taking some local panorama photo sets.

The drive to the Helle Bay took only 30 minutes compared to our estimated 40 minutes so we were very early. The guy taking us for the paddle was a bit early too. We were soon into our wetsuits but I had managed to leave my car keys in my shorts pocket, so a partial wetsuit removal was required. We had a fairly long walk to the waters edge carrying kayaks which made the arms burn a bit a good preparation for the paddling? Once there we had the obligatory safety brief and instructions on what to do in the very unlikely event that we were to fall out of the kayaks, and that a clenched fist means I need help.

We jumped in the kayaks and headed out to sea, the water was a bit choppy compared to the mill pond we had left over in Croyde. We were about a hundred yards out when C decided enough was enough the kayak seat did not suit her hip and could not last two hours on discomfort. We paddled back in then Mr T and I then shared the double and headed back out again.

The seas was quite choppy and paddling was hard again the wind and out of the bay to the north but once around the corner and in the lee of the wind it was much calmer. We kept close to the shoreline and worked our way in and out of the rocky shore. The guide also took coasteering parties around the area so knew his way in and out of the inlets. After about 45 minutes we turned around the plan was to head across the bay and south towards Ilfracombe. The sea was now more choppy but with the wind behind us we were soon across the bay, and into the rocks. The wave direction and currents between the rocks meant were were whisked along just passengers. I remember thinking it is going to be hard work paddling back against the current and wind. We did some more looking at the rocks and visited a couple of caves one with an interesting circulr poo which was called the washing machine, then headed back.

We had to paddle hard to get through the worse bits and then turned around and landed on a beach for a rest while the guide explained how the rock arch we were near had partially collapsed during the severe winter storms of 2013/14. The break was welcome I had not realised how much of a strain sitting and paddling was on the core, my upper leg muscles were glad of the 5 minutes rest. We got back in the kayak for the final push to shore we had to cross out into the middle of the bay to avoid the waves crashing on the rocks to the south of the bay, but this mean that we had to paddle against the swell, which when you are low in a kayak seem much higher than the are, they looked about 5 foot but probably more like 3 peak to trough. We obviously survived and being back on dry land was welcome.

We went back to the hut and then had a leisurely rest for the remainder of the day. We had pasta cooked my myself.

Stand up surf boarding SUP

Against my better judgement I agreed to have a go at SUP (stand up surfing), which is basicslly standing on an over sized surf board with a a paddle. I imagined that I would spend a considerable amount of time climbing back on to the board then, attempting to stand up followed by falling off the baord and starting the whole process again.

The lesson was booked for 10:30 which was arounf high tide which was very convenient as the seas would be closer to the top of the beach and therefore less of a walk with a large surfboard to get to the water. They booked us in and got us to sign our lives away using the insurance indemnity form, issued us with a wetsuit of roughly the right size. Getting the wetsuit on was a bit of a struggle as I am not a regular user but despite it being damp and clod I managed to get the thing stretched over my body.

Next was the obligatory briefing where they explained that we were about to stand on a surfboard and use a paddle to move about, and that the sea was a dangerous place and should be respected, in fact it was like a mill pond. We carried the boards down to the sea which take quite and effort there is a handle at the center of gravity of the board, so basically you can only use one arm to carry it. I had to stop a few times to rest my arm.

Once at the waters edge we had a another brief this time on the techniques, i.e. how to get on the board (we knew how to get off) how to use the paddle how to steer etc, eventually we were allowed into the water. It was not long before we were stood up on the board which turned out to be not that difficult, but it was also not long before we learnt how to climb back on the board when we were out of standing depth. The wind was blowing off shore and because our technique was poor meant we were soon quite a way from the shore. Andy out instructor encouraged us to practice the turning technique he had show us and head a bit closer into to the bay.

We spent some time paddling, falling, standing up and I was soon glad they the lesson was only for one hour, as towards the end it was becoming a bit of an effort climbing back onto the board, as the falling in became quite frequent as I was attempting to use the small breaking waves to “surf” towards the shore, but mainly failed to do. Luckily we only had to carry one of the boards back to the surf school building as there was one guy on the next lesson.

Back at the hut we had a coffee and a sandwich then Helen and I headed across the bay to do sme ook pooling and panorama photo’s. John was on cooking duties and we had giant stuffed butternut squash, veggie sausages and green beans which was very tasty.

Springwatch pub to springwatch pub and back

The Eelsfoot is where the 2014 Springwatch crew stayed as it is close to Minsmere RSPB, the presenters stayed at the Ship Inn at Dunwich, which was apparently to keep them apart after having worked together all day. today we set out to prove that it is not far enough by walking from the Eelsfoot to the Ship Inn and back again.

We headed off at 0930 there was a bit of a chill in the air and a jumper was necessary. We headed towards Minsmere but then headed off the road up the track that goes past Hangmans New Wood, which was a mistake which we figured out later when we got back. We were hoping to the take the path that leads to Saunders’ Hill and then cross the road at Scott’s Hall Farm but we ended up heading towards Westleton so had to veer off before we got there. Then we found that the “open access” area was closed, so we had to walk to Scott’s Hall Farm anyway, not a great navigational start to the walk we have done quite a few times!

We started across Westleton walks and came across a guy watching a Tit flock, the usual suspects were present Great/Blue/Coal/Marsh/Long-tailed tits and for a bonus we spotted Treecreeper and an almost certain Goldcrest. The weather was starting to get quite warm I had to take the jumper off. We carried on passing Grey friars, then the Friary at Dunwich and finally the chip huts down at the beach. My grand mother thought it was the best fish and chips in the world and I got taken there more than a few times when I was at school. We had coffee and shared a bowl of the chips. I’m not sure they were as good as I remember but a welcome snack all the same.

Sat on the beach in the sun for a while the walk was a long one so we wanted to take our time. We shared a Snickers bar for an energy burst then headed back up the hill destination the National Trust Coastguard cottages for coffee and cake. Once on Dunwich Heath we scanned the heather for Dartford Warbler but although we had fleeting glimpses I would not add the to the holiday list. We did get great views of a Wheatear but they have a habit of sitting on on prominent perches and their sand colour makes then easy to spot.

I had coffee and a very nice apricot and almond cake, and Helen had hot chocolate and cheese scone. I took a panorama set and managed to get the same bloke in the pictures who was in the one I did at the chip hut he probably thought I was stalking him. We headed down to the North wall at Minsmere and noticed that a twitch was happening in the field to the west of the north bushes, we theorised that it would be for a Wryneck and we were not wrong. We stood around for about 10 minutes but being impatient birders we soon got bored and moved on to the visitor centre for a quick fruit juice before the final push back to the pub via the Island Mere hide, where we hoped for a final chance to see Bearded Tits.

We had quite sore feet and were quite tired by this point we had probably walked about 8 miles and had another two to go. There were quite a few people in the island mere hide, but we found a seat each at the new windows, which seem to have replace the traditional lift up windows you find in most older hides. We saw a marsh harrier and some ducks in the distance, then a kingfisher was hovering but the Bearded Tits were elusive as the dartford warblers, although a lady nearby claimed she had seen some but despite scanning the area she pointed out we dipped out.

Rather than taking the direct route back to the Eelsfoot along the reserve approach road, we climbed the hill to Scott’s Hall Farm so that we could take the cross country route which is a much more pleasant walk and you don’t have to give way to cars every minute as they leave the reserve. Doing the route that way round enabled us to understand where we went wrong on the way out in the morning, we had left the reserve road too early.

Back at the pub we freshened up and relaxed for and hour then enjoyed Sea Bass and chips and Goats cheese salad. All washed down with the obligatory Adnams bitter. After a long day on foot we retired early to bed.

Jam yesterday jam today

With two weeks holiday to look forward to we eased into it slowly. R and L had a welcome party for J round at his parent house. It was great to catchup with some people we had not see for quite a few years.

R was showing off his Ogle car and K was showing off his immaculately restored Land Rover convertible I thing it was number 62 off the production line. The Ogle is the only one still on the road.

Sunday as a short drive got see H&N in their countryside residence on the Essex Cambridgeshire Suffolk border. They lurcher puppy call Wilco which was as made as a bag of badgers. We went for lunch at a pub where Dick Turpin was born one of many pubs in Essex which have claims to the highwaymans heritage. After lunch we watched the start of the Grand Prix then headed further east to Southwold where we had a room booked at Sutherland House.

We could not check in to the hotel till 18:30 sort we wandered down to the pier and I took a few photo’s as the sun was low and the light was that special Suffolk light. Helen won 78 tickets on the slot machines and cashed them and gave the receipt to a young child who was on the premises.

We walked back to the car then drove to the hotel where we managed to find a parking space nearby which would mean that we did not need to move the car till 10. The room was big well furnished and has an ornately moulded ceiling. We had a table booked for 19:00 and it was a good job that we had booked a table as the restaurant was full after we had sat down for 10 minutes.

We were given complimentary amuse bouche as while we waited for our starters, smoked salmon, caper berry, and horse radish on a shaped piece of toast. Helen was given a veggie one after refusing the salmon, it was cucumber and onion marmalade I think they may have put it together in a panic, but hHelen said she enjoyed it.

The starters were crab tian for me and goats cheese pannacotta with walnut pesto for Helen both very tasty. For a main I had skate with potatoes soufflé and Helen had goat cheese (again) on potato soufflé again both were very tasty. We had eaten at lunch time so we forewent desert.

Then it was early to bed the real holiday would not really start till Monday and everyone was at work. Bring it on!

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.

Le Tour de Yorkshire

When they announced that the Tour de France would be in Yorkshire this year we immediately arranged with my brother to stay with him, and were cheeky enough to arrange to stay for more than just the weekend. We decided against a rushed trip on a Friday night in preference of a relaxed drive on the Saturday morning. We arrived before lunch and spent the rest of the day chilling out. An old school friend joined us late afternoon with his wife and we spend a relaxed evening eating and drinking. The school friend is a professional commercial photographer and was interested in the panorama techniques I use as he had a commission that required such photo’s.

We were up early on Sunday as we had an appointment with the Tour de France. We had breakfast and made a picnic and headed out down the hill towards Holmfirth the plan was to dump some food for a late afternoon picnic at ones of K’s friends and then head out to find a spot to to get a good view of the race. In all there was about twenty of us who headed out of Holmfirth on the Honley road, about 50% adults and 50% children. We headed for a field owned by one of my brothers friends. By the time we got the the filed we had probably walked 5 miles so were quite welcome of the chance to sit down and wait for the race. There were lots of people lining the roads at the point we chose.

The anticipation of the race to come was fuelled by the odd official car that would pass through the crowds. Slowly the frequency of cars increased and eventually the caravan publicitaire came past and threw the odd free gift. From that point of view we had chosen the wrong spot perhaps being just outside Honley and Holmfirth the staff were probably told to stop in the towns. There were enough of us to warrant a couple of the tshirt vans to stop for the opportunity to purchase an umbrella and tshirt. We knew that there would not be a three quarters of an hour gap before the race would pass.

We went back the field to eat our picnic the warm weather had made the cheese taste particularly cheesy. Back at the road side the crowds were getting more and more cheery every time a police or official car went past we would move out of the way then some of us would move out into the middle of the road. At one point a Gendarme van very aggressively pushed the crowd further and further back towards the edge of the road. I was surprised that no one got hurt, perhaps it was the same car that knocked someone out further down the road.

Eventually the team cars hurtled pas followed by the red car where the main referees travel, and the neutral service vehicle then quickly followed the race itself. We were all forced back the the edge of the road and the cyclists gesticulated and swore in foreign languages about the lack of road space that they had. It was all over in a moment but well worth the wait. We sat around for a little while and then packed our picnics away and walked back into Holmfirth. As we got into town the heavens opened but luck would have it there was a garage with a gazebo with a TV showing the finish of the race. The rain stopped at about the same time and we headed back to to K’s friends to eat and drink some more.

At about 19:30 we were thinking about leaving when I checked the bus time table on google maps, only to find out a bus was due in 4 minutes. We rushed out and stood at the bus stop, then someone told us that the service we wanted was not running. We started walking home and annoyingly a bus went past where we were 100m from the stop. We were resigned walking home which was not good because it was about and hours walk and involved two steep hills. Luckily after the first smaller of the two hills we came across an friend of K who offered a couple of us a lift home, then I drove down (I had only had one bottle of beer all day) and picked up the rest of the party.

Once home we relaxed with a glass of wine and then slept very well after having walked about 8 miles and been on our feet for most of the 10 hours we had been out and a about. Certainly a day to remember.

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.