Tag Archives: uk

Can I Sneak In Another Hovercraft Encounter

Our trips to the UK that involve some time on the Isle of Wight also are likely to include me trying to get a little time with the hovercraft. On our most recent trip, we didn’t go to the Island. However, we did pick up and drop off my mum when she came across and what form of transport did she use? Yep. I had a reason to be hanging around at the hovercraft terminal.

I did get some photos of the hovercraft but, this time, I decided to focus on some video of them coming and going. Not only were they running the regular service but there was also some training underway so we got an arrival that didn’t come up on the slipway but instead headed back out to see. Here is the video I edited.

Take Your Car With You

Leave a reply

I have seen countless RVs on the highway with a small vehicle hooked on the back. Having something more usable when you get to your destination makes a lot of sense. What about if you have a boat? How are you going to get around when you reach your next port? Why, bring a car with you of course! This ship was in the harbour at Bristol while we were visiting. The car was sitting on the deck, ready for use whenever it was needed!

Wood Pigeons Own the Place

Leave a reply

During our UK visit, we stayed in the village of Longparish. The gardens outside our place had a stream of wildlife coming through. By far the most common visitors were the wood pigeons. They were always wandering around the garden looking for snacks in the ground. They are so plump compared to normal pigeons, and you could see why eating pigeon might have been a big part of people’s diet. They seemed so confident in themselves. We felt like we were intruding on their space as we came in or out. It was really their place, not ours.

SS Great Britain

Leave a reply

Bristol Docks are the home of the SS Great Britain. The first iron hulled ship with screw propulsion, the Great Britain ended up in Port Stanley. It was rescued in the 80s and brought to Bristol where it was restored over many years. Now it is in something like its original condition. It was not open to the public on the day we were there but it was visible from the opposite side of the docks as we walked down and then, as we came back up the other side, I could get a quick glimpse through the fence.

Venue for a Great Wedding

Leave a reply

The whole point of the trip to the UK was the wedding of Chris and Sam. It was taking place at a venue called the Pear Tree in Purton. We got there the day before the wedding itself. Ahead of the wedding, I took a stroll around the building and grounds to see how everything was laid out. Without all of the guests, it was very quiet but you could see how it would all fill up quickly. The place was a lovely venue. It was very picturesque and you didn’t fell like you would be lost within it. It suited the event perfectly.

The wedding itself was such a great time. The location proved to be the perfect match with the event and we had a most excellent time.

Anatomy Of A Special Weapon

Leave a reply

Many moons ago, I was walking around the RAF Museum at Cosford when I was taken aback to see a “special weapon” on display. I didn’t realize that they had been declassified so, to see an inert one on display was rather a shock. Now they crop up all over the place. The Boscombe Down Aviation Collection at Old Sarum has one on display. It has been cut open to reveal the various elements of what turns a small amount of metal into a large amount of energy! Amazing to think so much destruction can be done wrought with so little!

Roof Replacement – Old Style

Leave a reply

A previous post included some shots of the village of Longparish in Hampshire and many of those houses were thatched. As we walked through the village, we came upon a house that was in the process of having its roof replaced. The thatcher that was working on the roof was gathering more material together while his apprentice was up on the roof itself.

He chatted to us for a while as he worked. He talked about how long it takes to replace a roof and how everyone wants to do his job when it is a sunny day but not so much when the weather is less appealing. The roof can have a life of about 20 years, so it seems to last as long as roofs do here in the Pacific Northwest! The ridge section has a tougher life, and it needs replacement about every ten years. Apparently, some customers will spread the cost by having one side of the roof done at one point and the other half in ten years time.

The new thatch is quite light colored and, as it weathers, it turns a lot darker to give the finish that is more familiar. There are little stakes that are upset to hold the material in place. He was preparing a few of these as we talked, and he explained just how many thousands of them were needed for a whole roof. It is a substantial job to replace. Given how many houses in the area are thatched, I wonder how many craftsmen can be supported. He had come quite a distance so maybe there aren’t that many thatchers left or else he does such a good job that he is demand far and wide!

Red Kites Hunting for Food

Leave a reply

The reintroduction of red kites in the south of England has been very effective and they are now widespread across the south. While were were visiting recently, I was initially excited to see one but rapidly got used to them being around. We didn’t have to go far before we saw one. The forked tail makes them easy to identify compared to the longer established buzzards. Getting a good shot of one was a different story.

While we were walking through Longparish, we saw one hunting near the river. The conditions were rather overcast so, while I got a few shots, they weren’t as clear as I would have liked. However, the next time we were walking that way, the sun was out, as was the red kite! It was just a case of getting lucky and having it come around to the side where I could get some good light on it and then I was able to catch some shots. There was actually a buzzard circling nearby but it didn’t come very close. I guess it was camera shy.

Birmingham Sunday Stroll

Leave a reply

Our UK trip was focused on the wedding of Chris and Sam. Chris had his stag do (bachelor party for the US readers) the weekend before the wedding and we timed our arrival so I could attend. I won’t cover any of the events that were organized by the best man but it was a bloody good time and being twice the age of the rest of the attendees might have been a touch tough, but I held my own. The whole thing was based up in Birmingham and that is the point of this post. It is a long time since I was last in Birmingham and even that was a brief visit. It is a city I didn’t know at all.

During the festivities, we were out and about in the center of Birmingham, and I was quite impressed by the buildings in the city both old and new. The following morning, after the crew had finished breakfast and before we needed to head home, I decided I was going to take a quick trip back around the surrounding area. Things were a lot quieter on Sunday morning than they had been on Saturday night when the place was absolutely buzzing.

There are lots of new buildings that have been developed while lots of the older buildings have been well maintained. There is also a lot of development along the canal with shops, bars and restaurants providing a ton of options for visitors and residents. There are several squares throughout the center with a variety of monuments and sculptures. One is in the process of being rebuilt and, while it was behind screens, it was possible to get the phone over the fencing to get some shots.

Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by the center of Birmingham. When I was last there twenty odd years ago, I don’t remember it making any impression on me. Either I didn’t see the right parts or it has been improved a lot. Either way, it is really a pleasant city center and well worth a visit.

Bristol Docks

Leave a reply

When I am chatting with my sister, she often mentions her trips to Bristol for work. While talking with her one weekend, I pulled up the map of Bristol to see where the office is that she goes to. As I looked around the area, I realized that the docks area of Bristol looked really interesting and is somewhere that I haven’t explored before. When it seemed that we would have one free day while in the UK and the Bristol was only about 90 minutes away, we decided to pay it a visit.

The weather was not as cooperative as we might have hoped but it was just about okay and we headed off. We parked up right in the middle of the docks area so were able to start exploring straight away. There was a ton to see and there will be more blog posts that cover some of the specific aspects of the area. This is more of an introduction post. The docks are connected to the River Avon but, as I discovered while we walked around, the river is very tidal and the docks are only functional because the access is via locks. This allows the maintenance of a decent water level in the port.

We wandered around the docks for quite a while. There are commercial vessels, some small remaining boatyards, lots of pleasure craft and all of the ancillary businesses that support them. The docks boomed in the 1800s after the construction of the current configuration at the beginning of that century. The docks are along the original Avon course but, once the locks were created to maintain the water level, a new cut was made for the river south of the docks to connect up with the river course upstream. Consequently the river flows normally without the docks being affected.

The housing up on the hills overlooking the docks might be similarly old but they seem to be painted up in a variety of colors to provide quite a cheerful appearance on what would otherwise be rather dull architecture. One thing about Bristol that you can’t ignore is the terrain. There is low lying ground near the river and docks but the hills rising up are steep and you certainly notice it when you start walking around. This means that rows of houses are visible from the docks as they are layered up the side of the hills.