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.
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| Bury Knowle Park, Oxford |
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| Oxford Canal |
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| Bury Knowle Park, Oxford |
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| 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.
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| Scat Ness, Shetland |
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| Fresh snow on Quendale Beach |
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| Low tide (and sunshine) on Quendale Beach |
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| Setting Sun - Lady's Holm & Fair Isle |
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| Loch of Gards, Scat Ness |
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| 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.
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| Calm Quendale Bay Sunset |
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| Cabin 205 on the MV Hrossey |
Next month?
Back down South
