Wanderings

Monthly Report, June 2023

Oxford and London, and then, when it all became too hot and hay-feverish, Shetland.

It was good to shake off May's COVID symptoms, but the heavy-duty hay-fever did at times feel like a relapse. In all, I was relieved to get back to the rather cooler fresher air on offer at the south end of Shetland and to the puffins, razorbills and guillemots!.

By The Numbers

Reporting Days: 30

Location: Oxford, London & Shetland

Kilometres Walked: 286 (henceforth I'm logging stuff in metric)

Driven: 1250 km (it's now 800 km between Oxford & Aberdeen)

Cycled: 107 km (static bike in Oxford)

Rowed: 31 km (rowing machine in Shetland)

Photographs Taken: Thousands (mostly in the last 10 days of the month)

English Orchids

Bee Orchid, Hartslock

Common Spotted Orchid, Milham Ford

Common Spotted Orchid, Whitecross Green Wood

London Waterways

River Thames at Tower Bridge

Grand Union Canal / Capital Ring

River Thames at Kew

Scottish Orchids

Marsh Orchid at Scat Ness, Shetland

Common Spotted Orchid, Roadside at Ecclefechan

Shetland Auks

Puffin in the Pinks, Sumburgh Head, Shetland

A Circus?, Sumburgh Head, Shetland

Guarding the Nest, Sumburgh Head, Shetland

Razorbills, Sumburgh Head, Shetland

Puffins in the sunshine, Sumburgh Head, Shetland

And in next months exciting instalment - auks, lots of awesome auks - and a promise to at least try to get the monthly report done a bit more promptly.

Monthly Report, May 2023

And just when it was going so well.

At the start of the month I woke up in the middle of the night shivering in a northern Italian hotel room.

After three years of sidestepping COVID, it finally caught up with me. This wasn't how I had planned to start my third week of Italian spa town pampering!

But first the numbers.

Reporting Days: 31

Isolation Days: 5

Location: Italy & Oxford

Miles Walked: 152

Miles Driven: 149

Miles Trained: 740

Photographs Taken: Hundreds

Room with a View

Italian rules, after testing positive for COVID, say stay put for 5 days, then wear a mask wherever possible for the next five. To which I would add, make sure you are staying in a nice bright hotel room with enough space to walk up and down, good room service, a sunny balcony and a decent view. And a phone with a good collection of audiobooks.

Balcony View, Boario Terme

Released

And no matter how good the view - it was good to get released and do a couple of short walks before heading back (by train!) to Oxford (via Milan, Zurich, Paris & London).

Waterfall on the River Dezzo, Boario

Back to the Old Montecchio Bridge over the River Oglio

Springtime in Oxford

Having fast forwarded through Spring as we arrived in Italy last month - it was almost a surprise to find that it was still Spring back in Oxford, with bluebells still out in force and early orchids still around.

Bluebells

Lots of Bluebells

Early Marsh Orchids

Miniature Garden, Fence Post Version

Next month: Orchids, London & Shetland (hopefully)

Monthly Report, April 2023

Four very different weeks in April - starting with a week on Shetland, then a week around Oxford before decamping to warmer parts and a week wandering the hills around Lake Iseo in Lombardy and a week being pampered in a spa town in Val Camonica.

But first the numbers.

Reporting Days: 30

Location: Shetland, Oxford & Italy

Miles Walked: 199

Miles Driven: 971

Miles Trained: 705

Photographs Taken: Hundreds

Shetland

A week is never long enough to be on Shetland - and although I was a week too early for the puffins, there were razorbills and waves and sunshine.

Razorbills, Sumburgh Head

White Water, Scat Ness

Oxford

A week is sometimes long enough to be in Oxford - but there were lots of signs of Spring around, even if it never got warm enough to sit outside.

Fritillaries, Oxford Botanics

White Water, Parson's Pleasure

Lake Iseo

Fast forwarding the seasons to full on Spring in Northern Italy, and time spent walking from hotel to hotel around the southern end of Lake Iseo (everyone has heard of Lake Garda, Lake Maggiore and Lake Como - but few have heard of Lake Iseo, the fourth largest of the Lombardy lakes). And to maintain the green walking credentials, all the travel was by train (Eurostar, TGV, Frecciarossa & Trenord).

Lake Iseo, Clusane

Monte Isola & Sulzano, Lake Iseo

Boario Terme

And having worn out our knees, we travelled north (by train, of course) up the Val Camonica for a spot of restorative neurotherapy and spa time.

Old Montecchio Bridge, Boario Terme

Balcony View (Madonna del Alpi), Boario Terme

And in the next episode, Spa Time Take Two....

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