The Long Walk from Both Ends

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Windsor Great Park has a long, straight road that aligns with the castle, known as the Long Walk. We started our day out in Windsor itself and walked around the castle to the beginning of the Long Walk. I took some photos looking out into the park with the many people walking up the road. However, we weren’t going to join them yet.

We drove to the other side of the Great Park to have a longer walk (get it) around the parklands. As part of this route, we did end up at the statue of George III on his horse at the other end of the Long Walk. From here you have a great view back towards the castle. There were loads of people at the statue. Most had clearly walked up from the town and would be heading back. We were heading in a different direction, though.

The Etihad Livery is a Standout

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I posted a bunch of shots from Heathrow in an earlier post, but I saved this one for its own post. The A380 is a plane some love and some hate. If you have been a passenger on one, you probably love it. It really is a great experience on board. It does seem to make people feel better about themselves that it wasn’t a huge success. Not sure why that happens but people are strange.

I have seen a ton of them over the years, but Etihad was an operator whose fleet I had never photographed until I moved back to the UK. At first this was only from a distance too. When I saw one was coming in a little after the American Airlines special, I decided to wait for it. In an era of white planes, a colourful plane is so welcome, and I find Etihad’s livery very appealing. Here is a great looking jet.

Lines of Boats in Lymington

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The route into Lymington from the Solent involves a relatively narrow channel. Alongside the deeper water are mooring points for the local boats. As we headed back in after our day over on the Island, I was quite taken by the organised lines of boats. They seemed so perfect in what would normally be a relatively random looking scenario. Here is how they looked from up on the deck of the ferry.

A Few Quick Heathrow Departure Shots

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My weekend visit to Heathrow was focused on arrivals but, before I headed home, I did want to check out one more thing. This was not for a lot of photography, but I just wanted to see what the location offered. It was along the south side of the field and would give me a view of departing jets from the south runway. It doesn’t provide much in the way of variety of shot types, but it can provide a dynamic angle on jets just after they have rotated. In nice light, it was a few minutes well spent. Not sure I would spend too long there but it would be good for getting something specific. The fence is a nuisance immediately after getting airborne, but AI tools can do a good job of removing that since I wasn’t up high and the planes are soon clear of the fence line.

Morning in Scarborough

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In a previous post I showed Scarborough as I arrived after the second leg of the ride from Liverpool. I was feeling some pain after that section and was not sure whether I would be able to ride the next day. First thing in the morning, I got up and went out for a walk. Partly, this was to explore Scarborough and mostly it was to see how my knees felt and test them on the climb back to the hotel in order to decide whether to try the last day. (The answer was not great.)

The early morning in Scarborough means the light is coming off the water so the waterfront is illuminated. The Grand Hotel is the dominant feature of the skyline, and it was nicely lit. I am told the outside is better than the inside and was happy to stay out here.

There is also a bridge that connects the upper part of the town with the spa further along the front. This bridge did look impressive in the morning glow. I spent a little time walking around and having the place pretty much to myself. Not many people out at that time of the morning so a tranquil experience too. Then I headed back to the hotel to meet up with the team and wish them well on their leg while I grabbed my stuff to go in the van.

The Wildcat’s Pilot Must Have Had Their Mum Nearby

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While the Merlins departed for base after the arrival of HMS Prince of Wales, the Wildcat wasn’t going anywhere. I suspect that they had a film unit on board that was recording the arrival of the carrier strike group, so they were getting aerial shots from different angles. A number of times they flew out of the harbour and then turned to run back in. It is possible that this was necessary for a shot that they were trying to get but my suspicion is that the parents of the pilot were in the crowd and a few flybys were for their benefit instead. Who knows???

Hearst Castle/Mansion

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In a recent post, I had images of Hurst Castle. A friend of mine in the US mentioned the similarly named location on the California coast near the city of Cambria. Before we moved to the US, Nancy and I had made a trip to California during which we did a tour of the place. Built by William Randolph Hearst, this place is a combination of so many influences. Much of the decoration was accrued during travels around the world. You have elements of ancient buildings, parts of monasteries, designs influenced by other places and random designs that appealed.

From what I can gather, visitors now get fleeced by having the tours broken down into smaller sections, so you have to pay for each one. When we were there, it was more of an overall tour, and we got to see a lot of the collection. This was the days of film photography which means some of the shots didn’t work and I didn’t realise until long afterwards combined with a lot less pictures being taken overall. Film was also daylight balanced so the colours when inside could be quite sketchy. A little processing now tries to improve them but there is only so much you can do and only so much effort that is really justified for a holiday photo.

These images are a brief summary of what we saw during that visit. Some grandiose elements and some looted goods. Not my assessment – our tour guide was quite clear that the methods by which Hearst got hold of these artefacts was not always ethical. I believe a visit now will cost you a bunch. However, if you are already on the coast near Cambria, I would suggest you have already gone far enough to justify making the effort to visit.

Long Time Since I Saw a Rallye

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When I first learned to fly in the late 80s, I was quite fascinated by Socata aircraft. The Trinidad and the Tobago were something modern in the light aircraft space which was still dominated by some older designs that felt very dated. These looked really sleek and modern at the time and, at least in my eyes, still do. However, there was a more unusual type in their stable and that was the Rallye. It was a dumpier looking airframe with a rugged looking gear. However, the thing that really stuck out was that it had slats.

These were not manually controlled but popped out when they were needed. This resulted in good controllability at low speeds. This was ably demonstrated one afternoon while I was in the flying club at Sandown Airfield on the Isle of Wight. I was chatting with one of the instructors when a Rallye came in to land. It was a bit high and was getting slower and slower. We watched with our eyes wide as it looked like we were about to witness a stall accident. We were both shouting at them to go around. However, that slatted wing kept on working and they miraculously landed without incident. Maybe they knew exactly what it could do but it really did seem like disaster was imminent.

That is a long tangent to have gone on to get to the point that, having not seen a Rallye for a long time, one came into Solent Airport while I was there. It looked in great shape as it taxied in and the couple in it cranked back the bubble canopy as they parked up. Sure, it still looks a bit chunky but now I am not comparing it unfavourably with its younger siblings and instead appreciating it for what it is – another example of cool French engineering.

Bonfire Night Parade in Winchester

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Winchester has a large bonfire and firework display scheduled for the beginning of November. It is on the Saturday rather than the 5th specifically. It all kicks off with a parade through the town to the park where the bonfire and fireworks are. Everyone is welcome to buy a small torch to light and carry as part of the parade. I was more interested in seeing the parade than being part of it.

It was quite funny watching how many people had lit their torches as soon as they got them. Many of them were pretty much burnt out before the parade got underway. Probably a bit disappointing but I’m sure it wasn’t the end of the world. The parade came up through the centre of Winchester and there were loads of people there both taking part and watching.

The mayor was at the front of the parade, and a drum band was close behind. They brought a load of energy to the proceedings. I was playing around with lower shutter speeds to try and represent the movement of the group which meant many totally useless shots. Hopefully some of these give an impression of how things were.

An Avanti on My Doorstep!

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I have posted already about some light aircraft photography that occurred because a sailing competition never got going. What I also saw that day was something very opportunistic. I had happened to check what was due into Southampton Airport that afternoon with expectations of nothing special. When I saw a French registered Avanti was coming in from Italy, I was very pleased. Of course, I assumed it wouldn’t end up happening but, since it was coming a long way, knew I would have plenty of warning.

When I saw it was on its way, I then started to ponder where to photograph it having never done any photography at Southampton. A southerly approach was what was in use but then I saw an arrival come on from the south so now I was perplexed. Where should I go. I had an idea for a spot south of the airport that might work out so went there with plenty of time to see if it really was a good spot. It did seem to be good, so I then went back to the car to wait. I watched the track of the inbound flight to see if it did come in from the south or not.

It looked like it was coming my way, so I walked back out to my spot. Once there, I saw the plane turn right and it was now clear it was heading north for a southerly approach. I should have stayed in the car. I now sprinted back to the car and made a move for where I figured might work out at the other end having never actually checked it out. At least the process of tracking north for the descent onto the approach meant I had a bit of time in hand.

I got to the north of the airport and found a parking spot just in time to get up on the embankment that overlooks the runway. There were some regulars already there, so I knew this was not a bad choice. I had barely got my breath back when the distinctive sound of the Avanti reached my ears. There it was and I had some shots and then it was down. Back to the car and on my way! Nice result so close to home. Sadly, it departed early the next morning when weather wasn’t great and I was sleepy.