A couple of years ago we walked into Glencoe on the route of our West Highland Way walk and were both struck by its rugged beauty and atmosphere. In the autumn of 2021 I was lucky enough to return on a Photographic Workshop run by Sarah Howard of Image Seen Photography. Whilst Lyn stayed in…

Every year our Ramblers Group organise a long weekend of walking in the Peak District of England. We had decided not to go this year, having been for the previous three (except for 2020 when Covid was rampant) but at the last moment we had a change of mind and managed to book a small…

Barnard Castle sits at the gateway to the Tees Valley. It is an area as lovely as the Yorkshire Dales an hour to the south, but it seems less popular, judging by the number of tourists around. We were there for a week long walking break with friends from our Ramblers Group. Up until now,…

Barnard Castle is a historic small town lying on the River Tees in the north east of England. It is home to the Bowes Museum and the ruins of a Norman castle. It is a busy town seen as the Gateway to the Tees Valley which lies to the west. Barnard Castle made national headlines…

Mention the “Flying Scotsman to any railway enthusiast, and it is most likely that they would smile knowingly and start daydreaming and reminiscing about the good old days. They will enthuse longingly about the days of steam, soot and smoke, and maybe mention the Flying Scotsman in loving terms as the most famous steam locomotive…

Exmoor is an area of open moorland in the southwest of England spanning the counties of Devon and Somerset. It is designated a National Park and takes its name from the River Exe, the source of which is located close to the village of Simonsbath, which was the base for a Landscape Photography workshop I…

Those who remember the music of the 1980s may recall a song by Steve Winwood called “Back In The High Life Again”. He wrote about closed doors opening up, and we had that sort of feeling recently as we travelled to Keswick in Cumbria for our annual walking week with our Ramblers Group. It was…

Spring is done and as we stumble into Summer we can look back on a testing few months.  Nature was in an extended lockdown of its own because of the cold and dry April which delayed all the new growth. May was not much better, still cold in the beginning, but also very wet, which…

It is the first day of Meteorological Spring (1 Mar), and there is evidence all around that the dark winter days are beginning to recede. Snow drops are out in abundance, and the tiny, but lovely rich yellow, white, and purple Crocus are open, showing off and displaying their striking colours. The bird life around…

Goodbye 2020. A dramatic year of fire (Australian Bush), plague (Covid) and stay at home. New phrases have entered our language such as “Social Distancing”, “Lockdown” “Staycation” and “R” Number”. Instead of signing off e-mails and messages with Best Wishes or “Regards”, we now exhort friends and relatives to “Stay Safe”. Who had heard of…