Wanderings

Monthly Report, March 2023

A mixed up month - in terms of seasons (Spring & Winter), in terms of place (England & Wales), in terms of paths (Oxfordshire Way, Wales Coast Path & Thames Path).

Reporting Days: 31

Location: Mostly England, but with a few days on the Gower coast in south Wales (for this months coastal fix)

Miles Walked: 233

Miles Driven: 808

Photographs Taken: Hundreds

Achievements: Thames Path Completed!

Weathers

Oxford SnowDrops

Oxford SnowFall

Floods on the Cherwell

Sunshine in the Oxford Botanics

Gower Coast

We attempted unsuccessfully to book a stay at the Worms Head Hotel in Rhossili back in January, but fast forward to March gave us the chance to walk some bits of the Wales Coast Path (and bits of the Gower Way) - and enjoy some splendid coastal scenery.

Worms Head

Rhossili Beach

Being Watched

Thames Path

I've been walking the Thames Path (in bits) for about five years - it kept getting interrupted by jobs and pandemics and miscellaneous other distractions. In 2018 I walked between Lechlade and Marlow. In 2020, from Marlow to Teddington, and in December 2022 from Teddington to the Thames Barrier. And finally (this month) the last two days from Lechlade to the Source. A wee bit wet in places - and a bit of occasional light wading was needed...

No Through Road

End of Road

And heading north

It is remarkable how often the monthly report ends with a comment about heading north - and again this time the final picture of the month was taken near Carlisle - heading for what I hope will be a smooth ferry crossing to Shetland.

St Cuthbert Without

Monthly Report, February 2023

An almost entirely Scottish month - starting off in the Cairngorms and finishing in Oxford, but with most of the intervening days on Shetland, or around Stonehaven or in Fife.

Reporting Days: Only 28

Location: Mostly Scotland. Mostly Shetland.

Miles Walked or Rowed: 188 (the rowing machine comes in to its own when the Shetland weather doesn't cooperate)

Miles Driven: 867

Gardens Tended: 1

Photographs Taken: Thousands (mostly coastal, mostly waves)

Shetland Waves

Incoming Waves, Scat Ness

Same Place, Different Waves, Scat Ness

Waves Breaking over Scat Ness

Broad Geo, Sumburgh Head

West Voe of Sumburgh

Sunrise & Sunset

Sunrise, Pool of Virkie

Sunset, Quendale Bay

Back on the Mainland / Mostly Coastal

Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire

Arbroath, Angus

St Monans, Fife

Manchester Ship Canal, Warrington (almost coastal!)

Monthly Report, January 2023

A month of two parts - firstly a gentle start to the new year (there must be some bonus to being retired!), followed by a return to the Cairngorms to revisit some old walks and to walk a bit of the Speyside Way.

Reporting Days: 31

Location: Mostly Oxford plus a few days in the Cairngorms

Miles Walked: 192

Miles Driven: 807

Gardens Tended: 2 (a little bit of labouring, plus frequent bird feeder refilling)

Photographs Taken: Hundreds (an awful lot of trees!)

Oxford-based

Cold, Clear & Flooded, Port Meadow, Oxford

RSPB Otmoor

London Day Trip

Old Oak, en route to BBOWT Sydlings Copse

The Windmill @ Great Haseley, Oxfordshire

Freezing Fog, Bury Knowle Park, Oxford

Just Freezing, Bury Knowle Park, Oxford

Revisiting Aviemore

I've lost track of number of times I've visited Aviemore. There were lots of family visits there in the 1970s, there were several student-days visits in the 80s and more recently I visited every month in 2015 and several times since to photograph the annual sled dog races and to walk in the Rothiemurchus Estate and into the Lairig Ghru. It has been about four years since I visited, so I decided to stop off in Aviemore for a few days en route to Shetland - stayed in my favourite wee hotel (The Rowan Tree) and did four walks - up into the Lairig Ghru from Loch an Eilein, up to the Ryvoan Bothy from Glenmore (both walks I've done many times before) and north from Aviemore to Boat of Garten and south to Kingussie along the Speyside Way.

Loch an Eilein, Rothiemurchus Estate

Ryvoan Pass, Glenmore Forest

On the Speyside Way, heading into Boat of Garten

Next Month

Having driven as far as Aviemore, it seemed like a good idea to head on to Aberdeen and get the boat up to Shetland - more on that next time, but it is safe to assume (not really a spoiler) that there will fewer trees in next months report and a lot more waves!

Monthly Report, December 2022

To round off 2022, time spent based in the far south (of England) - mostly around Oxford but with the additional attractions of doing a bit more of the Thames Path and a long weekend around Bristol revisiting old haunts.

Reporting Days: 31

Location: Mostly Oxford

Miles walked: 191

Miles driven: 438

Gardens Tended: 2 (assuming that keeping the bird feeders filled counts as 'tending')

Photographs Taken: Hundreds (mostly trees)

Trees

Trees are always my stand-by photographic subject when I'm in the south of England - they tell the story of the year. December took us from golden leaves to bare branches and to freezing fog.

Autumn Colours in Bury Knowle Park, Oxford

Silver Birch at Sydlings Copse, just outside Oxford

Teasels in Freezing Fog at RSPB Otmoor

Freezing Fog at RSPB Otmoor

Oxford Canal

Oxford is rubbish for beaches but it does have both river and canal.

Ice on the Oxford Canal

Thames Path

Long long ago, I decided to walk the Thames Path - I walked east and west from Oxford in 2018, I walked down to Teddington in 2020 and this month I walked through central London down to the Thames Barrier. Hopefully, I'll get to do the last bit (from Lechlade to the source) in 2023....

Tower Bridge from the Thames Path

Thames Barrier from the Thames Path

Bristol

And even longer ago I spent almost 7 years in Bristol, it's quite galling to realise that those 7 years ended more than 36 years ago. It is always good to get the chance to spend a few days back in Bristol. And given the proximity of Bristol to the sea - it seemed right to round off the visit with a wander on Clevedon Pier.

Clifton Suspension Bridge

Clevedon Pier

2022 - Twelve Pictures of the Month

I'm coming to the conclusion that every year is weird, and every year has a mix of good bits and not-so-good bits.

I'm not going to dwell on the NSG bits of 2022 - but in the good bits column I've got (i) taking yet another 365 Pictures of the Day, (ii) getting back to walking the Thames Path (I've walked almost 1700 miles this year), (iii) starting to get back to planning international travel (trains, not planes) and (iv) spending almost six months hanging out with the auks around Sumburgh Head on Shetland.

And from the 365 Pictures of the Day, I've picked 12 Pictures of the Month.