2014.04.12 Köln Dom

Cologne in Germany is the most famous for its cathedral. Apart from its history, it needs to offer modern tourists something to stop them before diving into shopping. One of the attractions is tower tour - one can climb over 100m up, see city's panorama and get close to the bells.
The climb is an attraction on its own terms: it is tiring, claustrophobic (narrow spiral staircase), and may trigger scare of heights, and on the way back causes head spinning. Even though we weren't in high season, the queue to ticked office was 10 minutes long and there were often trafic jams.
Views are a bit disappointing too: the platform is protected with pretty dense net, angle of view from windows is restricted rue to thickness of the wall, one can look only on the western side so against the Sun in the afternoon and most of the city is typically German well laid grid of cubical buildings.
Out of that the bells chamber seems to be the most attractive - I'm not sure if tourists are allowed to stay when they ring, but that would be truly thrilling experience.
I would recommend to try it early morning, to avoid crowd and have good light for Rhine views. Then walk across Hohenzollern bridge across the river for views of the cathedral.

2014.04.23 Cornwall

Just a couple of snaps taken on the way from recent job trip to Cornwall

Porthcothan Bay

Carnewas & Bedruthan Steps

2014.04.05 Great Wester Main Line Lower Basildon - Goring - Cholsey

I had opportunity to have most of the day all for myself, so I grabbed the camera and went for a quest for good spots at the far east of Oxfordshire. Probably those places are well known, as there is very limited number of bridges along the line, however to know the location is only part of success: convenient parking space, time to get from a car to the place as well as options of framing can give (or take) extra points. That is also part of a plan to combine these findings into decent guide (which I kind of started long time ago with Denchworth and Kennington Junction ). Thus disclaimer: these photos are only to provide reference for location and possibilities - you need better weather, time and subject to make the most. However poor they may be though, this is the last season when these places look in that way, as the electrification works has seriously started and soon on that stretch of the line a new element - catenary - will appear, with all the consequences.

Lower Basildon - technically outside Oxfordshire borders, however trying to find
a decent place to capture bridge on Thames at Goring this meadow was too tempting.

 

165105+165103 1D27 London Paddington - Oxford see from bridge on the road leading to The Leatherne Bottel

South Stoke Ferry Road

South Stoke South Bank - unusual sight of Class 150

Reading Road at Cholsey - view on both sides from the road bridge.

Thames at Cholsey

Cholsey Cutting. It takes 10 minutes walk to get here but is well worth it.
There is a fence added to the bricked barriers , but it was modified by some spotters by adding extra openings.

2014.03.30 Brecon Beacons

After first visit to the sea this season, now there was a time for the first visit to the mountains.
We actually were in that area in 2008, and last year had similar round walk nearby.
I have to admit I was overly optimistic, as even in relatively not challenging mountains 5 miles is not the same as on flat. Incline along Upper Neuadd Reservoir easy, if not boring, but climb on Craig Cwmoergwm seriously increased heart rate. The worst was the return back to the car park at waterfalls: the path was generally flooded, so avoiding wet shoes caused us to zig-zac and made the distance much longer, and then final descent from Craig y Fan Ddu killed our thighs. We were pretty lucky with the weather, as all the way to the destination there was strong haze, but when we climbed just to the car park level, it cleared.

When we set off we didn't know that in a couple of hours we would have to roll down that moutain...

I was surprised to find railway track in that area, it appeared we were there just 2 days
before Torpantau station of Brecon Mountain Railway opened after 50 years

Tho whole area was affected by strong winds - here example of trees in different positions.

For the first time I tried panoramas and the result is not bad at all

 

GPX track of our walk is here and KMZ file with map underlay (courtesy of Bing maps) here

2014.03.23 Motocross Culham

MX Nationals Round 1 at Culham circuit was annonced all over Abingdon, so as the morning seemed to start a nice day, we went to see the place I visited last year.

Unfortunately the moment we arrived, so did a big cloud, and for the rest of time there it was wet and chilly, with only couple of bright spells. The riders, protected against anything, kept flying...

2014.03.16 Boscombe

Last year we ended exploration of Dorset coastline at Christchurch, last weekend we resumed paying visit to Boscombe beach. It is sandy, wide, there is enough pebbles to keep the boy uccupied and enough shells (actually awfully lot) to entertain the woman. Along the road on top of the cliff there are free parking spaces. There is wide tarmac pavement along the beach, it is very popular with cyclists. But fear not, there is riding ban over summer months, although I suspect trying to cycle at that time would be impossible anyway: good access to so nice beach means in must be packed, actually when we were leaving there was no free parking space left, and the beach was nearly empty! I also don't think there are enough of facilities like toilets to serve the crowd. We visited the pier and although from otside not as exceptional as the one in Clevedon, nevertheless nice to walk along. I liked the exhibition shwing facts from its history very much.
On the way back we drove through Bournemouth and had a look at the main beach: few (and paid) parking spaces, funfair at the entrance to the pier, and presumably even more packed. So we will skip that for the next visit to that area. For now some memories from Boscombe: