Solstice at Stonehenge. 22nd December.
Stonehenge is not far from home here in Wiltshire and being at a Solstice gathering has been on the 'to do' list for some time. We parked a couple of miles away and walked in the dark on snowy tracks to arrive at about 7.30. Not surprisingly there was an interesting mix of people ranging from colourful looking new-agers and Druids to Japanese tourists, all enjoying the laid back atmosphere. Plenty of pungent aromas too. It was absolutely freezing but great fun and apparently the Sun did rise and the full Moon did set behind the cloud.
Womble Druid views from afar...
Womble Druid views from afar...
December 2nd - real snow at last.
After a few days of watching the rest of the country grind to a halt we have finally had some decent snow! Wishing I had some cross country skis...
26-28 November. Freezing weekend on the South Coast and a flecha amarillo.
We've been staying in Lulworth Cove for the weekend. Great walking and the temperature hardly got above zero the whole time!
We arrived Friday night and had no idea we would have
this view from our hotel room next morning, plus an inch
of snow.
There were many steep hills!!
The route was East-West from Lulworth Cove to Weymouth.
Durdle Door.
The path is the thin white ribbon near the cliff edge in the
top right corner.
Along the way we stopped at this wonderful pub, The Smugglers Inn.
http://www.osmington.info/?page_id=434
Phragmites communis etc...
The flecha amarillo.
We arrived Friday night and had no idea we would have
this view from our hotel room next morning, plus an inch
of snow.
There were many steep hills!!
The route was East-West from Lulworth Cove to Weymouth.
Durdle Door.
The path is the thin white ribbon near the cliff edge in the
top right corner.
Along the way we stopped at this wonderful pub, The Smugglers Inn.
http://www.osmington.info/?page_id=434
Phragmites communis etc...
The flecha amarillo.
21st November. A 25km walk and cheating with photoshop
The light has not been good for photography for a few days
so I've 'enhanced' some of these images.
To Santiago, from Hampshire.
New Forest ponies.
so I've 'enhanced' some of these images.
To Santiago, from Hampshire.
New Forest ponies.
Walking 6th & 7th November.
Stormy skies and warm sun.
How quickly the landscape changes! These pictures, above and below, are from
the same area and were taken 8 weeks apart - yesterday and September.
Lichen.
A genuine rainbow.
Text will accompany Camino photographs soon....
Bla bla bla...... It's done!!!
Note to self - take a laptop next time.
Note to self - take a laptop next time.
4th November. Camino de Santiago blog is nearly finished. Autumn is here.
A perfect Fly agaric.
New Forest, Hampshire, England.
Yesterday Rachel and I went for the first walk since I returned from Spain. Did about 10 miles (16km) and no great problems with my foot. Will soon be able to tackle 40 km a day, I hope.
The blog is nearly finished. I need photos for 3 or 4 more days and then I can copy the text from my diary.
I will try and keep this blog "live" with details from various walks and adventures. I'm never going to be much of a poet but it will give me a chance to sharpen my photography skills. I might even start using my SLR again rather than my trusty compact. I don't think I'll be photographing any more London riots though, as I did in the 80's.
Back in England, Tuesday 2nd November.
One of my favourite local walks.
New Forest, Hampshire, England.
So, I'm back in England. All is well and my ankle problem won't stop me from going on walks locally, with a lighter backpack than in Spain.
I badly sprained my ankle back in March and it hasn't been quite right since. Then, last Wednesday between Caceres and Embalsa de Alcantara I twisted it slightly on rocky terrain. Although not particularly disabling I didn't want to be half a day from shelter with an ankle that might get worse so I got a taxi back to Caceres to think about it. Decided on a few days in Malaga and returned to England Sunday night.
Had a great time, spent 18 days walking through a beautiful sunny landscape and met some interesting, colourful people from diverse backgrounds.
As Arnie said "hasta la vista" & "I'll be back"
Sevilla 13th - 14th October
My local.
Near the Cathedral.
So, there were no problems getting from home to Seville. Left Salisbury at 5.30 am for Bournemouth airport to Malaga then got a train to Sevilla. It´s hot here - yesterday was 27c so I´ll need plenty of water en route. I´ve been here before so no problems getting around and it´s great to dip into some familiar cosy bars for a cerveza and tapas. I´ll visit the Cathedral later and check out a few more cosy bars.
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