Travel
I'm lucky enough to travel a lot but I also aim to understand a place in some depth. So I like to find out about the local history, sociology, wildlife and local arts. I prepare for a trip by looking up photos of the famous sights, they're usually a good guide both about the local visual interest and also a warning of what has already been done or over-done.
I try to use the tools of modern photojournalism and photography to communicate how I feel about a place. You’ll see that I have used Portrait, Street, Interior, Historical, Abstract, Landscape, Historical, Wildlife, Phone-camera and Selfie genres at different times for specific effects.
Hadrian’s Wall and VALLUM ditch system
Hadrian’s Wall Tourist Trail
It was a fine clear morning, the sort you get in the North. I landed on time in Newcastle and headed for Keswick. I diverted off the A69 direct route to take the Hadrian's Wall Tourist Trail and seek the Roman stones. I stopped a couple of times around Housesteads VERCOVICIVM and enjoyed a short hike on a section of the Wall around Caw Gap, also a view of VALLUM, the ditch system to the South of the Wall. The stones in the ground are impressive as are the commanding views of the topography.
Boarding ATR72 at Roland-Garros airport, La Réunion. Cargo at the front, self-loading freight (passengers) to rear.
Tropical fair weather clouds
And so back to the UK, my first leg was on an ATR 72 turbo-prop plane, pressurised cabin and flying up to about 4250 m. to Mauritius. Cramped and noisy compared to a jet. Amazing to think that before jet travel to La Réunion it was planes more basic than this which forged the routes.
Big engineering at Clifton, Cumbria, just south of Penrith. A mainline railway bridge over the M6 motorway was taken out last weekend. Motorway and railway both closed. Despite heavy frosts and technical hitches the M6 reopened on schedule after the weekend. As expected, the railway line has a big gap of about 130 m. ready for the new bridge: this will be moved in to place next weekend when the M6 will be again closed all weekend.
Sunrise on the A69 at Warwick-on-Eden
So a 2025 battery/petrol hybrid. The 1197cc Suzuki Swift convinced me as a driver and I did a double-take when I saw the fuel consumption display, which showed 63 mpg on my run from Newcastle to Keswick, that’s 88 miles using the A69/M6/A66 route.
Postcard from Menton in the French style to introduce my set of photos of Menton, the “Pearl of the Rivera”. Menton is a Mediterranean town both French and Italian, a favourite of the British for many years. Fantastic light, fabulous gardens and free beaches.
