Monthly Report, December 2025

Back in Oxford for Christmas, with occasional forays into London

Reporting Days: 31

Location: Oxford (and London)

Distance Walked: 290 km

Distance Driven: 825 km


Around Oxford

In the absence of beaches and headlands, trees, parks, churches and markets. 

Bury Knowle Park, Oxford

St Andrew's Church, Old Headington

Covered Market, Oxford

Early sunshine on a frosty morning, Bury Knowle Park, Oxford


Visiting Stations

I've been reading a history of London's terminus stations, so I thought it might be fun to visit them all - essentially walking the Circle Line.  I started (and finished) at Victoria Station, and clocked up 13 stations, 27 km and 36500 steps.

London Victoria Station

Marylebone Station

St Pancras International


In search of Dragons

Having visited all the stations around the Circle Line, I looked for another day walk around London.  There are (if you look carefully) dragons guarding the boundaries of the City of London.  

My walk started and finished on Victoria Embankment and took in 14 dragons, 18 km and 23500 steps. 

Victoria Embankment, London

High Holborn, London

Moorgate, London


In search of Fish & Chips

How far am I prepared to walk for a plate of fish and chips? From the Med to the Atlantic - without leaving Oxford.   The third picture was in Posh Fish, my local fish and chip shop, just round the corner.

Mediterranean Fish Bar, Marston

Atlantic Fish Bar, Abingdon Road

Posh Fish, Headington


In search of maps

My third December day out in London was at the British Library - always an interesting place to visit, this time for an exhibition of maps that were at one time or another considered secret.

Newton - looking at a map?

Secret Maps

British Library Gateway

And Next Month...

Well, it'll either be Oxford (with a bit of London thrown in) or the wild beaches of Shetland...



2025 - A Year in Twelve Pictures

 So, that was 2025.  

A mix of Oxford, Italy, Austria and Shetland. 

But mostly Shetland.

West Voe Beach, Shetland, January 2025

Quendale Beach, Shetland, February 2025

Sumburgh Head, Shetland, March 2025

Boario Terme, Italy, April 2025

Puffins, Sumburgh Head, Shetland, May 2025

Puffins (and a guillemot), Sumburgh Head, Shetland, June 2025 

Razorbill, Sumburgh Head, Shetland, July 2025

The Foghorn, Sumburgh Head, Shetland, August 2025

C S Lewis Reserve, Oxford, September 2025

Achensee, Pertisau, Austria, October 2025

Quendale Beach, Shetland, November 2025

Bury Knowle Park, Oxford, December 2025

Monthly Report, November 2025

A half-and-half month - half based in Oxford, half based in Shetland.

Reporting Days: 30

Location: Oxford and Shetland

Distance Walked: 210 km

Distance Driven: 1600 km

No trains this month!


Oxford Trees

The first half of November is definitely still autumn (at least in Oxfordshire), the parks of Oxford were still glowing.  And the photographs are mostly arboreal.

Bury Knowle Park, Oxford

Oxford Canal

Bury Knowle Park, Oxford

John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford


Shetland Seas

There aren't very many (big) trees around the south end of Shetland - but there is a lot of water, mostly sea water but a few fresh water lochs too.  It's often asserted that nowhere on Shetland is more than three miles from the sea, at the south end you're pretty much always within sight of the sea.  My daily routine involves a walk on Quendale Beach (although the length of the walk might vary depending on the strength and direction of the wind), usually followed by a visit to Scat Ness or Sumburgh Head.  This month there were a lot of days where northerly winds prevailed, this often meant some lovely clear air but some pretty bracing air temperatures - and occasionally some wintery showers.  The sight (and crunch) of snow on the beach never loses its novelty value!

Late November also brings both low sun and very short days (the payback for the Simmer Dim in June) -  dawn and dusk may be close together, but the 'golden hour' often fills most of the time between.


Scat Ness, Shetland

Fresh snow on Quendale Beach

Low tide (and sunshine) on Quendale Beach

Setting Sun - Lady's Holm & Fair Isle

Loch of Gards, Scat Ness

Loch of Gards & Fitful Head

There is something tidy about finishing the month watching the sun set over Quendale Bay, and then heading into Lerwick to get the Northlink south towards Aberdeen.

Calm Quendale Bay Sunset

Cabin 205 on the MV Hrossey 


Next month? 

Back down South



Monthly Report, October 2025

A travelling month - mostly in Italy and in Austria, and almost entirely by train, or by rail replacement bus service.

Reporting Days: 31

Location: Mostly on trains

Distance Walked: 310 km

Distance Driven: 25 km

Distance Trained: 2600 km


In London

Big John (Betjeman) seeing us off at St Pancras International 


Boario in the Val Camonica

This was my sixth visit to Boario (and my sixth visit to the REGEN Centre, aka the European Parkinson's Therapy Centre in the last three years).  It is entirely fair to say that without the Parkinson's diagnosis I wouldn't have ever heard of Boario - but I am very grateful for the opportunity to get to know the place and the people there (both at REGEN and at the Rizzi - our hotel of choice when in Boario).

After six visits I've pretty much settled on a preferred train route to get to Boario. An early Eurostar from London to Paris, followed by a direct afternoon train from Paris to Turin. That makes for a long travelling day, so I usually opt for a two night stop in Turin (a fabulous city to spend time in) before completing the journey to Boario, which involves changing trains in Milan and Brescia.  Yes, I know it would be quicker and cheaper by plane, but you're going to have a tough job persuading me to take to the air for short-haul European travel.  And one day there might even be a direct train from London to Turin or Milan.

Montecchio Bridge in Boario Terme

River Oglio in Boario Terme

Pisogne on Lake Iseo

Pertisau by the Achensee

After a two week stay in the gym at REGEN, we usually give ourselves a reward of spending a wee bit of time in a mountain resort either in the Italian Alto Adige / Südtirol or in one the Austrian Tirol valleys.  

This time we opted to go back to Pertisau on the Achensee (going back to see what had changed since our previous visits in May 2016 and February 2020).  The train journey to the Tirol from Boario often is a bit messy (involving a few train changes).  This time it required two long coach transfers in addition to three trains and a local bus (spread over two days!). 

It was delightful to be back in Pertisau (and back at the Wiesenhof) - the previous visits were in early summer and in winter, this time it was full-on Autumn. 

For the journey back to Oxford we opted for the 'easy' route involving overnight stops in both Zurich and Paris. The first leg included another Schienenersatzverkehr (rail replacement service) through the Arlberg Pass from Austria to Switzerland (not forgetting the Liechtenstein traffic jam we got stuck in!).  It is entirely possible to do the journey from Pertisau to Oxford in two days, but that would mean missing out on a nice dinner in either Zurich or Paris.

Rofangebirge

Falzthurntal

Karwendel Bergbahn

Sunset by the Achensee

By the river Limmat in Zurich

Back in Oxford

And it still looks like Autumn in Oxford too.

Autumn Colours in Bury Knowle Park, Oxford

Next month?

Back to the wild North.