A cloudspotter - it's official!

Last year I stumbled across the website of the Cloud Appreciation Society (I don't know how, it just kind of happened, and yes, they really do exist!). I guess there are worse sites to stumble across whilst surfing the web, and any case, I admire their stance against 'blue-sky thinking'.

But anyway, their devotion to, erm, clouds, means they actively encourage people to submit their classy cloud photos to their gallery.

Although clouds weren't intentionally the subject of this photo, taken whilst on holiday last year in Northumberland, it seemed to fit the bill, so I sent it to them. It's taken them a while to upload it, but it's now online here.

Steve and Claire and baby Leia

Our friends Steve and Claire became proud parents six weeks ago when little baby Leia was born, and we'd arranged to pay them a visit once they'd got back into a routine.

We don't get to see Steve and Claire very often so it was great to catch up and see the baby, and also to see their new house too. Leia wasn't especially keen to smile particularly for the camera but I did manage some shots of her with Mum and then with Dad:

A good effort, but not quite

I had some disappointing, if not entirely unexpected news today - the two pictures I'd submitted into a magazine competition (of Darwen Tower and of the Wainwright Bridge in the centre of Blackburn), had not made it through to the final stages.

The feedback slip was encouraging though, the pictures hadn't been rejected because of "poor interpretation of the the theme" or "Poor camera technique, ie poorly exposed or out of focus", or even "Technically good but lacks impact". The ticked box said "Excellent entry but not quite good enough to be shortlisted" - some praise given that the standard is undoubtedly high.

The successful pictures will be in Practical Photography next month and it will be interesting to see the winning pictures. Better luck next time!

Exploring Glasson

The weather on Good Friday spoilt our plans to take a walk around the reservoirs in Roddlesworth Woods, between Tockholes and Abbey Village near where we live. It's a popular place for walking and we were keen to go and stretch our legs there, but the rain arrived at just the wrong time, so we stayed indoors instead. Fortunately the weather on Easter Sunday, particularly on the coast was much improved, that's where we headed.

These days Glasson is popular with tourists, especially when the weather is good. The boats in the marina are always colourful, there are a number of shops, pubs and cafes on the quayside and there are plenty of options for walks if you want to stretch your legs. We arrived just before noon and the car park was already filling up.

After lunch on a picnic table overlooking the water, we headed off away from the boats by following the route of the old railway line, which curves alongside the Lune for about a mile or so to a bridge over the water at Condor Green. The railway connecting Glasson to Lancaster was built in 1883 and carried cargoes of china clay, molasses and timber brought into Glasson from across the Empire. The railway closed in the '60s and the old track bed is now part of the Lancashire Coastal Way path and cycleway.

Our route took us past the Stork pub at Condor Green, an old coaching house dating from 1660. These days it's very popular with walkers and bikers, and there were plenty folk outside today enjoying refreshments in the sunshine. From here we crossed fields to eventually reach the canal for the walk back to the marina.

The canal came to Glasson in 1826 and it quickly boosted trade at the docks, which peaked in 1840 whe over 180 ships used the canal*. The canal is a spur from the main line of the Lancaster Canal and is around 5 miles in length. Although trade declined considerably in the 20th century, there was still plenty of shipping using Glasson right up to the 1970s. Nowadays though, the canal branch is used by leisure boats, and today we watched the Loie Fuller, a barge registered in Watford, navigate the two sets of locks between Galgate and the marina.

On our return to the marina, we took a stroll down to the commercial part of the docks, where tucked away behind the Dalton Arms is the well respected Port of Lancaster Smokehouse, which sells a range of tasty smoked produce such as fish, bacon, cheese and garlic, as well plenty of preserves and biscuits. Before heading back to the car with our shopping, we walked round to the seaboard side of the docks, where upon climbing a very gentle hill, the views across to Sunderland Point and beyond to the sea are superb.

A lovely day out in great weather, and we had our smoked treats to take back home with us too!


* Taken from a small booklet "Glasson Dock Through the Ages" published in 1980 and available from the cafe in the village.

Clitheroe in the sunshine

The old market town of Clitheroe is always a pleasant place to visit, set in a fantasic location not far from the river Ribble, with views to Pendle Hill on one side and the Bowland fells on the other. We weren't there for a walk today though - instead Carole wanted to take a look at the shops and just generally chill out.

Whilst Carole was checking out the clothes, I took a stroll to the park by the castle, and looked for a view of the main street.

Later we both explored the park some more and I persuaded Carole to take a (rare for this blog) photo of me.

A walk on the Wyre side

The fair weather today allowed us to embark on a Sunday afternoon stroll with Mum & Dad, but instead of jumping in the car we decided to take a stroll around the area local to where they live.

The River Wyre flows down from the Bowland hills to Garstang, and after this it meanders slowly to the sea near Fleetwood. This last stretch is very flat and ideal for a less-than-strenuous walk.



The church of St Helen in Churchtown was, according to Wikipedia, known as 'the cathedral of the Fylde' and is noted for having a lepers' window as well as a grave marker for the village's only Black Plague victim. Pity we didn't know all this beforehand - we might have got the photos!

Churchtown also contains the Horns Inn, who serve excellent food which we regularly check out. There is another pub in the village though, the Punchbowl, which is quite close to the church, and it looked especially inviting to four thirsty walkers.







On the way back, we again encountered a heron (we saw one on the Ribble the other week), who was happy to pose for the camera whilst he was looking for a meal in the river.

Exploring some history in Lancaster

The final day of our break from work took us to Lancaster for no other reason other than a stroll around the city. Lancaster is a historic city but doesn't get much attention nationally these days. Nonetheless we found our walk interesting and relaxing - a combination of historical buildings and waterside strolls.

We started by walking up to the castle, which is also stiill a crown court (the oldest working courtroom in Britain) and prison too. The Pendle witches were imprisoned here in the 17th century and the cobbled surroundings and Georgian buildings make it easy to imagine days of old. The Priory which sits alongside dates largely from the 15th century, although there's been a church on the site since perhaps 200AD.



From the Priory, we descended some steps down to St Georges Quay, which was built at the time Lancaster was becoming the country's busiest port. Soon after, the river began to silt up, and other ports such as Liverpool took most of the trade away.

Nowadays, the Millennium Bridge is a striking addition to Lancaster's riverside, and is a popular crossing for walkers and cyclists with it's unusual Y-shaped deck.

The tall supports were designed to remind people of the tall ships that used to frequent the quayside.






Another important trade route for Lancaster was the canal, which allowed slate from Kendal and the Lakes to be transported to Preston and Liverpool, and coal from the mines around Wigan to make the opposite journey. Our walk took in a pleasant stretch of the canal before we headed back into the city centre and to the car park.

Getting the outdoor habit at Bolton Abbey

The second day of our break from the office took us to Bolton Abbey over the border in Yorkshire. The ruined abbey is in a beautiful setting on the banks of the River Wharfe, and the extensive grounds offer a number of possibilities for walks catering for all levels of fitness.

Our short walk firstly took us across the river near the priory. The row of stepping stones accross the river looked firm enough to cross, but a couple of them were submerged and there was a notice explaining that others needed re-setting, so we took the sensible option and crossed via the nearby bridge. From the other side of the river, the priory still stands defiantly, but must have been an even more majestic sight before Henry VIII ordered its dissolution nearly 500 years ago.

From here, the walk follows the river, undulating through the woods before eventually returning to the riverbank near the pavilion. Although this is a good place to stop for refreshments, we'd brought our lunch with us and foolishly braved the cool breeze to eat it on the picnic tables by the river.

After lunch, we unpacked the kite, thinking the breeze would be enough to let it fly. However the breeze wasn't consistent enough, but at least it meant we kept ourselves warm retrieving the kite every time it crashed!

Before returning home, we headed into Skipton for a look round before the rain eventually came. That was the end of our outdoor activities, but on the way home we turned off the A59 at a village called Worston to visit the Calf's Head, a smashing village pub serving delicious food. A great way to round off the day.

Lytham Green

With some time off ahead of us this week, we were keen for the morning rain to clear so that we could head out in the afternoon sunshine. The Lytham coast is one of our favourite places for a day out, and whilst the strong breeze kept the temperature down, it was still a pleasant afternoon.

After a walk around Fairhaven Lake, we returned to Lytham for a coffee and a look at the shops before visiting the windmill and the old lifeboat station. The sun was getting lower in the sky by this point, and the light was great for some photos.

A round of golf at Henlle

Although the weather at home had turned dull and murky, in complete contrast to the previous week, the forecast suggested it would stay dry – good news for the golf I’d been invited to the other day.

I had a long journey to make though to get to the course at Henlle, near Oswestry, Shropshire, and I managed to make it even longer by missing the turn off the M56 near Chester, which meant I found myself in Wales a lot longer than planned! One good thing about the journey down was that the sun came out long before reaching the course, and it seemed to be set fair for the day.



After meeting Stuart and Rod at the course, we had enough time for a coffee and a bacon buttie before teeing off at lunchtime. The golf was reasonably good, considering how long since I last played, and after a competitive round I even managed to emerge the victor!

Rod managed the best shot of the day though, his tee shot on the 184yd par 3 12th was a fantastic effort which landed only 4 feet away from the hole.