It was another very cold but beautifully blue skied Sunday so it seemed a good idea to get out and see some more countryside. I had another look on the Explore Kent website and found ‘Shorne Woods Country Park‘ that was apparently only a 40 minute drive away.
The visitor centre at Shorne Woods Country Park
We pulled into the car park at around 10am surprised to only see a few dog walkers around and as it was so frosty we thought we would have a fortifying coffee and a bun in the pleasant-looking café. To our horror we found that the café doesn’t open till 11am in the winter and we would have to struggle on without a brew.
Shorne Woods Country Park
It was bitterly cold but very pretty in the woods with the trees and path coated in frost and the ponds all iced over. The lovely golden light made everything look quite magical. The frost on the paths had the advantage of keeping us fairly mud free as it was all frozen. We walked a circuit of the edge of the park, coming across the odd dog walker, but mostly by ourselves. I imagine the park is quite busy in Summer so we were grateful for some near solitude.
Shorne Woods Country Park
Towards the end of our amble my 20 month old daughter, who I carried in a baby carrier, was getting a bit cold and fractious and we were very grateful to find the warm café finally open. A bit surprised (and a little miffed) that they didn’t serve any proper cake but the coffee and biscuit was very welcome.
A lovely little park. Next time I’d like to go on the Darnley trail that takes you out via the village of Cobham and back.
We woke up to a bright, sunny though still cold wintery day and thought – what better than a walk in the country? We didn’t want to travel too far and found Lullingstone Country park, just outside the M25, on the excellent ‘Explore Kent‘ website.
Lullingstone Country Park
40 minutes later we pulled into the car park and found a pleasant visitor centre and cafe. Lots of other people had also had the idea of a country walk and there were plenty of walkers and children around.
Lullingstone Country Park
We opted for the 4 mile ‘black’ walk that essentially circled the park and also swung by the castle and a local Roman Villa. There were a few ups and downs but nothing too strenuous. I carried my daughter Rose in the baby carrier and she seemed to love sitting up high checking out the scenery.
The centre of the park contains an 18 hole golf course and there were a few times that we had to rush across a fairway hoping we wouldn’t get hit.
Lullingstone woods
The park makes a lot of its ‘veteran trees’ which makes them sound like they’ve been to war or something. There were, to be fair, some old and pretty impressive looking oaks around the park looking quite knotty and gnarly.
Altogether a lovely park and a lovely day out. Looks like there were some mountain biking opportunities too. We plan to go back again soon.
See all the photos from the day.
Lullingstone "Castle"
In 2008 I took and published online a photo every day. How could I follow this slightly dweeby hobby in 2009? Well, inspired in part by the mega obsessional Feltron reports (worth checking out btw) I thought that I’d record some things in my life too.
Me reading a book
I started with some very high ambitions by planning to do things like recording tea/coffee and alcohol consumption but this kind of minutiae was abandoned after a few weeks. I then decided to stick to things that I either record anyway or that were not too much of a chore to chronicle:
- Films seen at the cinema
- Books read
- Number of photos taken and published online
- Exercise taken
Films
I saw 26 films at the cinema in 2009 which I think must be less than last year but is still an average of one a fortnight. There was only one film that I thought was truly awful and that was ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’. The rest were either good/watchable or very good. It’s notable maybe that I didn’t see anything that I’d rate as ‘masterpiece’. My top three in no particular order were: Gran Torino, Looking for Eric and Me and Orson Welles.
Books
I started 26 and finished 25 books (bizarrely similar number to films) this year. My top three favourites, again in no particular order, were: Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds (Sci-fi), Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (Factual) and Watchmen (Graphic Novel). The only book I didn’t finish was The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith. I’ve enjoyed the previous books in this series but just felt I’d read it all before. I’ve never thought about my rate of reading before so this was really interesting.
Photographs
In the whole of 2009 I took 5111 photographs, 3675 with my Canon 5D and 1476 with my 20D. Of these I uploaded 589 to my Flickr site. I’ve made a start at photographing my local area, Sydenham, something I hope to do more of in 2010. I also had one professional gig, a wedding, that went very well.
Exercise
The main achievements on this front were completing my first Marathon and Sprint Triathlon plus ‘Britain’s toughest 10km race‘. In total I:
- Ran for 57.5 hours
- Swam for 8 hours
- Cycled for 24 hours
- Weight trained for 4.25 hours
- Rowed for 2.5 hours
2010
Next year i’ll carry on recording these items, but I may add tv series watched, plays seen and other cultural events attended. Might be interesting?
The were rules: No touching and no talking. Look, listen, smell, appreciate and absorb the atmosphere.
For my work Christmas outing we visited the Dennis Severs House in Folgate Street, Spitalfields, City of London. Opposite the lovely ‘Water Poet’ pub was a relatively nondescript black door to an ordinary looking Georgian townhouse. Inside, however, was a treasure trove.
The rooms were decorated in styles dating from 1724 when the house was built up to the 1850s. Each room was crowded with items plus bits of real food. The idea was that the room had just been vacated by the occupier and I have to say that’s exactly how it felt.
Each room also had some subtle music or sound effects that together with the silent visitors and perfect arrangement of the rooms created a fantastic ‘presence’. I found it quite a surreal experience but quite compelling and it is something that I have thought about since.
A wonderful experience that i would highly recommend. I would say though that I found that i had to ‘let myself go’ a bit and not analyze things too much to get the most out of it. An unusual but enjoyable night.
For the last five weeks I’ve been cycling the 12km to work and back every few days. At first it nearly killed me as I have two stiff hills to get over but this week I was starting to feel ok. In a desire to take things a bit further on the biking front I really fancied doing some proper off road stuff and when Andy suggested going for a canter round Bedgebury Pinetum I jumped at the chance.
Andy zooming down the trail
Bedgebury is in deepest Sussex, near the town of Flimwell and is essentially a large wood cut by tracks, paths and a few lakes. What makes it such a good outdoor venue is that caters for all levels of ability. There is a tricky (and very muddy) single track for the more serious mountain biker but also a variety of paths for family cycling or just some nice places to walk.
Me zooming down the trail
Despite it being our first bit of mountain biking, we of course opted for the ‘difficult’ single track route. Looking back I think we were very cautious and hesitant at first, but the longer we rode, the confidence grew and the more fun it got. By half way round I was really loving it. To start with I made a point of trying to avoid the worst mud or the deepest puddles but it wasn’t long before this just became part of the fun! The course was challenging but nothing that I thought was too bad for the average enthusiast.
It's muddy out there
We stopped a few times to take photos, trying our best to look ‘action’. Getting a good exposure was difficult as it wasn’t a bright day which made for quite a gloomy forest. Next time, I may bring the flash!
The cycling was book-ended by tea and cake in the perfectly good cafe (pineatery) that overlooks the lake and before going home we hosed down the bikes at the washing station. If you don’t have a bike or don’t want to bring one the shop here has a large range (including jump bikes and kids bikes) which looked fairly good.
Overall a really good venue for a day in the country and next time I’d like to bring the family too.
It's still muddy
Studio Lighting workshop
Last year I attended the ‘Off camera flash’ photogym run by the London Photographers Meetup Group (LPMG) and found it really interesting and good value. I’ve since had a small amount of practice using my trusty speedlight (though maybe not enough) but the chance to use ‘proper’ studio lights was too good an opportunity to miss.
Eleven of us met in a small meeting room in fashionable Notting Hill and things started with a short presentation of the theory of studio lighting. This was quite handy for me as I knew almost none of it. We were warned beforehand that we should know how to use the manual features on our cameras or at least bring the user manual. I regretted not bringing mine as it would have told me the ‘flash sync speed’ of my camera. I had to guess (more of this later).
Following the theory, it was time for some practical. Each of us paired up with another photographer with the idea that we would shoot each set-up together. I got on very well with my pairing, Eric, but at least one pairing didn’t get on.
We had a model (Rosie) who posed for us and was quite happy to be directed, however, to start with at least I so preoccupied with trying to get to grips with the technical side I just left her to it. I did get a bit better at this later on.
The set-ups
The equipment was, in theory at least, very very simple. One main light to be used with a soft box and a smaller light for other angles. We did four different set-ups, the first two with black backgrounds and deep shadows (one very high contrast).
Studio Lighting workshop
We then tried a set-up with the model in front of the softbox with the idea of a pure white background. The theory here was good but the soft box was a bit small for the lens I was using and you could see the edges. Also on this shoot I failed to realise that the sync speed was incorrect and I was getting a letterbox effect as the shutter was in the shot. A bit annoying. Lastly we tried to beam a gel coloured light onto a background wall behind the model. Ths would have worked but again my sync was out.
Studio Lighting workshop *note: the shutter at the bottom of the image
Summary
A really interesting evening which has now given me at least a basic introduction to studio lighting. As ever with these things the time you actually get shooting is really small so there is really not much chance to correct mistakes. Ideally of course it would be nice to have a studio to yourself for a few hours. Having said all that it’s hard to complain when all I paid was £10. I would definitely like to have another go.
Here is the next episode of my ‘coffee of the month‘ series which documents my introduction into the world of gourmet coffees. Just to re-cap, i’ve been trying a new coffee (or two) each month since March 2009. I’ve slightly slipped behind with this latest report so it will have to be brief.
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe
Smooth and slightly fruity this was really lovely and really exemplifies what I think is my favourite type of coffee. Given the chance I could drink this all day.
Sumatra Lingtong Takengon
A great counterpoint to the Yirgacheffe this is a bit raw and full-on but I really liked that. This was a great wake-up coffee for me on a work day. The Yirgacheffe was much more of a relaxing weekend coffee.
I would definitely have both of these again.
It was a lovely autumn day, the family were at a loose end and we were keen to get some fresh air. What better than a walk round a castle and a sit on the beach? We therefore planned a double hit of Bodiam Castle and nearby Hastings as our destinations.
Bodiam Castle
After slipping through the pretty village of Bodiam, we arrived at the entrance to the Castle grounds and were charged £2 just to park the car….in a field. This gives you access to the grounds of the castle which, in fairness, are pretty stunning. The castle is entirely surrounded by a moat and for a time you wonder how you will get in. On the far side is the ticket office and causeway to gain entry. We paid our £5.80 each and went in.
The interior of Bodiam Castle
Considering that the outside looks so complete it’s almost a bit of a shock to find the inside such a ruin. Apparently it was ’slighted’ by Parliamentary troops during the Civil war. There was a Halloween treasure hunt for children while we were there which looked fun and I was a bit disappointed that my daughter wasn’t quite old enough to have a go.
Graffiti on the walls
You can go up several of the towers and along a small patch of wall which give you some super views of the Sussex countryside. Check out some the ancient and not so ancient graffiti on the walls. There is also a 15 minute video to watch about the history of the castle. As ever with National Trust properties, I find them pretty interesting but I do slightly question the value for money.
Overall, a cool place and worth a look. I’d only bother going inside if your especially keen though.
A tower of Bodiam Castle
The legend says that if you spend a night on Cadair Idris you come down either a poet or mad. Well that just sounded like a challenge!
I’ve long been attracted by the idea of wild camping and also that of sleeping on the hills so this seemed like a great opportunity to do both. I took inspiration from the route taken by V-G Backpacking in britain website. They also have some excellent advice on wild camping.
The ascent of Cadair Idris
No cooker
One of the experiments we thought we would have a go at this time was not to use a cooker, the idea being to save weight and the faff of cooking. We would either eat things cold or use some chemical heating blocks to warm up the dinner. For breakfast we made up some muesli with powdered milk that just needed some water. For lunch we pre-made some sandwiches and for dinner we had some foil packed meals that just needed warming up.
Day 1
For those not familiar with the mountain Cadair Idris is more or less one long ridge with at least three distinct summits – Gau Graig, Mynydd Moel and Penygadair (the highest). Most people go up the most direct route up the Pony path to Penygadair and down again but why do the simple route?
The fence line disappearing into the mist
We started from a campsite in the town of Dolgellau and then up a small lane leading to the mountain. This lane was really steep and no picnic! It was also a little daunting that the cloud cover was quite low and so we didn’t even have any real idea how high we had to go.
The road ended and a path leading onto the open mountain started. At first it was well waymarked but at some point signs and then any discernible path just ended. It was then just a matter of using a compass bearing and climbing up into the mist. The climb was really tough, particularly as we had full packs and slightly daunting as it got very craggy and I wasn’t entirely sure I was going the right way.
After a lot of huffing and puffing and quite a bit of sweat we made the ridge and shortly after the peak of Gau Graig. We didn’t get any views however just mist. That was the main ascent of the day over with at least. We then walked off into the mist (which tantalisingly broke for a few seconds every now and again) towards the next summit of Mynnyd Moel which we made by lunchtime. So far we’d not seen another soul on the mountain.
Penygadair
The final climb of the day brought us to the amazingly crowded summit of Cadair Idris, known as Penygadair. There was a school party and lots of other walkers, all of whom had come up the pony path. We spotted the famous bothy and thought we should check it out for its sleeping potential. Ducking our head into the slighty dank interior we found it crowded with walkers sheltering from the wind. It is a fairly good shelter and pretty clean by bothy standards but I have to say that I wasn’t that keen to sleep here.
The bothy at the summit of Cadir Idris
Basecamp
As it was so windy and miserable at the summit we decided to go with our original plan of finding somewhere to sleep on the lower slopes. We therefore made our way down the pony path and then branched off when we got to the saddle between Penygadair and Tyrrau Mawr and found a flat grassy area to set up the tent. We were not strictly on Cadair Idris here (which is why i’ve kept both my sanity and failed to become a poet) but we were still some 550m up and it was fairly bleak.
The pony path down from Cadair Idris
Day 2
The night was windy and rainy but not actually very cold and we were fairly snug in our little tent. With morning though and with the promise of continuing driving rain it was quite a wrench to leave and go walking again. Without any cooker we at least could eat breakfast in the tent. Eventually our bladders settled the argument and up we got.
The mist was even thicker than the day before but with added driving rain so the walk down to the valley was wet and viewless. I had intended to do a moderate walk looping round and back to Dolgellau which from the map looked quite pleasant but with the weather the way it was we decided to just walk down the road into town and get ourselves a nice warming coffee and a bun.
Barmouth and Scenic drive
After a welcome and fortifying hot drink we called it a day and settled on lunch at the lovely sea-side town of Barmouth before a scenic drive up to Betsy coed and then home to London. The drive turned out to be even better than we hoped as the sat-nav took us down several tiny roads (some with sheer drops) with very picturesque views. Annoyingly the skies had cleared by 1500 and there was a gorgeous sunset. Oh well.
The Cadair Idris project
See the 6 min video of the trip.
No cooking – the results
After testing the no-cooking idea in some rough, although not cold, weather I feel that it kind of worked. I always used to be quite annoyed at sitting or kneeling on damp ground round a cooker that seemed to take a lifetime to boil a bit of water. The no-cooking therefore certainly took a lot of the ‘faff’ out of eating. Another bonus was being able to eat safely in the tent whilst it rained heavily outside.
My jury is still a out on the chemical heaters as they only warmed any food they were in contact with rather than making anything piping hot. If it had been colder I may have appreciated the warmth a bit more perhaps?
The big downside on having no cooker was not having any tea or coffee which is something I really missed. I need to find a solution for this if I go no-cooker again.
Summary
Despite the bad weather I had a pretty excellent time and it’s great fun wild camping. I wouldn’t mind coming back another day and seeing the views though!
See all the pictures from the trip.
The third and final installment of the non sun-seekers guide to Lanzarote. If you haven’t already done so read Part 1 and Part 2.
A few days into the trip I think I finally got used to using a geared car with the gear stick on the wrong side. I was also really getting used to the distinct Lanzarote landscape of desert/scrub, volcano cones and white walled villages.
La Santa and Caleta de Famara
If you are an elite athlete then you may already know or have heard of La Santa as there is the famous training camp ‘Club La Santa’ here. If not then you can just enjoy the drive, which is easy on the eye, look at all the cyclists as they climb the hill and maybe enjoy a nice lunch or a coffee in town.
Caleta de Famara
Caleta de Famara seems to be the cool, hip part of Lanzarote, probably because of all the surfers, wind surfers and other sporty types who inhabit the town. It has a nice beach with the amazing view of the ‘Famara’ a 17km long cliff that is quite stunning to see. Apparently there is a path cut into the cliff that can be walked on but is probably not for those with vertigo or no head for heights. I really liked this town and would happily have stayed here.
Northern Drive: Haria, Mirador del Rio, Orzola and Punta Mujeres
We’d done a picturesque drive around the south of the island and now it was the turn of the north. One road on the island, from Teguise to Haria and then on to Mirador del Rio attracts a plethora of ‘panaramic view’ icons on maps so it seemed an obvious choice for a day out.
We started fairly early in the morning and enjoyed amazing light as we drove north through some hills and occasionally up and down some small twisty roads. We stopped at a few of the viewing spots and drunk in the vistas. Wonderful.
Mirador del Rio
Haria was very pretty and full of palm trees but despite driving in vain around town for a coffee shop we continued north. We arrived at the Mirador del Rio just before 10am and found that it was not yet open. This turned out to save us the 4 euro each that it would have cost to get to the viewing platform. We just walked down the road a little only to find what I imagine was the same views out to sea and of the island of La Graciosa. Satisfied with the view we left to have a look at Orzola.
Orzola was a sleepy fishing village and port where we had a coffee and then a short walk out across the lava, which my daughter liked climbing over. It’s a shame it was still early as it might have been a nice place for lunch.
We eventually had a lovely lunch in Punta Mujeres (in the only place open) but really liked the series of sea pools that have been constructed along the shore. We even saw quite a few of what I assume were locals having a dip.
Remote beaches
If you are slighty tired of the crowds on the resort beaches there are several isolated little patches of golden sand just off the road between Orzola and Punta Mujeres. There are parking spots to leave the car in and the only other people we saw were a few fisherman and they prefer standing on the rocky bits. We had a lovely morning here.
Chillaxing
For the rest of our holiday, after the car was sent back, we just tried to relax, swim in the sea or pool, walk along the coast and just generally chill. At least we relaxed as much as anyone can with a child under two!
Playa del Jabillo, Costa Teguise
Summary
Lanzarote was a very pleasant surprise to me. It does have the tourist resorts with the beaches, swimming pools and sun-burnt people. But it also offers some stunning scenery, some interesting culture, some wonderful activities and a potentially great time, even for those not wanting a tan.
You can see most of the areas of interest in a week and get to know them really well in 10 days. I highly recommend it.
See all the pictures from the trip.
