Nigel's Photo Blog

  Castlerigg Stone Circle, Keswick, England. This evening, I am posting information on Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick in the English Lake District. This location is about thirty-seven miles S.W. of Carlisle in N.W. England. Key facts and information: Situated 1.5 miles E of Keswick. Dates from about 3200 BC and may rank as one of the earliest stone circles in Europe. Spectacularly situated among the mountains. Thirty-eight stones survive out of original forty-two stones. The stones are of local metamorphic slate. The stones are 3 ft-5 ft in height and stand on the perimeter of a flattened ring. To the north a wide entrance is formed by two tall stones, 5 ft 6″ and 5 ft 8″ in height. At the S.E corner stands a pillar 8 ft   3″ high. This is aligned with the November or Samhain sunrise. Video clip of Castlerigg

This evening, I am providing a photographic record of today's small group hike in and around Inverkip.                                                   Firth of Clyde looking towards Dunoon. Inverkip is situated about thirty miles west of Glasgow on the eastern shore of the Firth of Clyde. The Firth of Clyde is a bay or estuary where the River Clyde empties into the Irish Sea and ultimately the Atlantic Ocean. Sub-tropical vegetation. This phenomenon is due to the influence of the warm ocean current known  as the Gulf Stream. Glasgow is 56 degrees north, the same as parts of Canada. Without the Gulf Stream we would have a far harsher climate. Inverkip is best known for its yachting marina. The name is an amalgam of two origins, viz: Inver = creek or river mouth  Kip = block-like landscape. The route covered 12 km or about 7.5 miles.                                                                           Hiking group                                                   Heather in bl

  Hardknott Pass, Lake District, England This evening, I am posting information on a fascinating and scenic drive in a remote part of the English Lake District. Location is N.W. England. This is a journey along a narrow, single track road going west to east from Ravenglass and Muncaster Castle through Eskdale, passing Beckfoot and Boot, up through the Hardknott Pass with potential stop at Hardknott Roman Fort.. Then on, up into the Lake District National Park and down from Cockley Beck via Wrynose Pass into Little Langdale and on to Ambleside or other destinations. From a historic perspective note that the Roman fort dates back about 1800 years whilst place names including 'beck' and 'dale' mean stream and valley respectively and date from the Norwegian settlement of the region about 1200 years ago. Drive through Hardknott Pass, Lake District Video clip of Eskdale from Hardknott Roman Fort Video clip of Hardknott Roman Fort (Mediobognum) Hardknott Roman Fort

 This evening, I am reprising a tour with emphasis on steam trains in Wales. Trip on Snowdon Mountain Railway, North Wales First deaprt lodgings at Porthmadog and drive for about 45 minutes to the Snowdon Mountain Railway at Llanberis. Here join the 10.30 am train to the top of Mount Snowdon (3560 feet) and then return via the same route. Round trip takes two and a half hours. Landscape view in Snowdonia, North Wales Summit of Mount Snowdon, Wales Locomotive at work on Snowdon Mountain Railway, Wales Steam Locomotive on Snowdon Mountain Railway, Wales Video clip of Snowdon mountain train     Snowdonia National Park from Snowdon Mountain Railway View of waterfall from Snowdon Mountain Railway, Wales Upon return to Llanberis return  to Porthmadog and visit the engineering workshops of the Ffestiniog Railway by way of an escorted tour. Next,  join the 3.45 pm departure on the Ffestiniog Railway which provides aa round trip via Blaenau Ffestiniog returning at 6.30 pm. This r

Cutty Sark, a 19th century tea clipper at Greenwich This evening, I am posting a portfolio of images taken in course of a day tour of London. I walked down from my hotel, via Chinatown and Trafalgar Square to connect with a tour boat on the Thames near the Houses of Parliament. Chinatown Rough Sleeper, Charing Cross Road. London is home to extremes of wealth and poverty. Once on the Thames I encountered a wide spectrum of sites including: 3500 year old Egyptian obelisk. Various examples of exotic and modern architecture.# Replicas of items for the 16th century. Numerous and varied bridges. Old buildings dating back to the 16th century. Walkie-Talkie building The Shard Canary Wharf financial district View from Greenwich 16th century Riverside pub, the Prospect of Whitby Tower Bridge, late 19th century Tower of London the origins of which date from 11th century. Replica of 16th century Globe Theatre. Shakespeare was connected with original. St Paul’s C

   View of Abbey  This evening, I am posting information on Rievaulx Abbey which has a long history but now extends to a set of romantic ruins near Helmsley in Yorkshire, northern England. Site is about thirty miles north of the city of York . A summary site chronology is provided below. Founded 1132 by a small colony of 12 Cistercian monks from Clairvaux in Burgundy, France.( It was just sixty-six years previously that England was successfully invaded by a Norman-French army.) Grew to become one of the most powerful and respected monastic institutions in Britain. At peak in 1160s was home to 650 men who lived  in a structured work and worship environment. Bishop Aelred (1147-67) was appointed third abbot and it was under Aelred that Rievaulx achieved a high reputation in the ruling circles of England, Scotland and France. It was under Aelred’s bishopric that most of the buildings evident today were constructed. Became a casualty of Henry VIII’s dissolution programe in the 1540s