Thank you very much indeed @joe mc donald, very kind of you to say so. If you remember with any level of fondness, nostalgia or technical interest the days of steam engine travel, then you really MUST take the JACOBITE trip. It travels through some wonderful scenery - the world famous Glenfinnan viaduct being one good example - and puts all of your senses into overdrive .... the sound of a chugging steam engine; the sight of white sand beaches, tiny lochs and running rivers; the smell of the hot oil and burnt coal; the feel of old fashioned cloth seats, brass handles and wooden fittings, and that emotional sense of nostalgia for a long-lost time! Next time - do it!
Thanks @Smilinjack . Now you've got me intrigued - I'm going to have to do some research on the two trails you mention - actually, maybe I'll just sow the seed and leave that to 'er indoors, she's the one motivating all of this long distance walking stuff! Completing the WHW in five days really is a sterling effort and worth the t-shirt! Yep, a couple of those pictures in the first post were from Conic Hill. That was my first day's walk heading south from Balmaha to meet missus and mutt! That hill IS a lungbuster and trying to maintain "social distance" was just impossible. The 360 degree views from it, though are just spectacular .....and, on the day, the weather was superb so it was worth every rasping breath and aching ankle!
Thanks @DCS222 I imagine that you've got a long distance Lakes walk or two under your belt - or is it not your thing?
Yeah, but mainly day walks... I fancy some longer stuff and camping out on route, but home arrangements kinda don’t make it easy to commit to.
I think Shakespeare said it best. "If motorcycles be the food of love, play me a tune on your shiny exhaust." Wax away, good sir. You have form!
Interesting (to me anyway!) to see Telford's Parliamentary Road in those pics. He was one busy boy. He built around 40 bridges in Shropshire, the Ellesmere Canal, the amazing Pontcysyllte Aqueduct over the River Dee in the Vale of Llangollen (if you haven't been over it in a canal boat, you should), the Shrewsbury Canal, the Caledonian Canal along the Great Glen, harbours at Aberdeen, Dundee, Peterhead, Wick, Portmahomack and Banff, designed the Gota Canal between Gothenburg & Stockholm, the London to Holyhead Road (A5), the Menai Suspension Bridge (and loads of others), and of course St Katherine's Docks in London. There was loads of other stuff as well. For all his troubles, they named Telford New Town after him. Apologies for the diversion, but he built many, many roads for motorcyclists (and others) all over Wales, so there is a (sort of) tenuous link. Cheers Beerman
Not surprisingly, we did discuss the SW Coast Path during our WHW trip and it is firmly on the bucket list! Since we can get to pretty much any part of that path within a few hours we aim to do it in stages as weather, time and circumstances permit. Some parts of it will need to be selected based as much on the prevailing weather conditions as anything else - I don't fancy walking around Hartland in a howling westerly!
I have been on steam trains in both China and Britain - wonderful experiences, and of the latter I even have a memento.. a slice of track of the Ravenglass&Eskdale narrowgauge railway... My ex FIL being the manager at the time I got several footplate rides on that... lovely.
Today’s wander... Helvellyn from Patterdale, via Striding Edge, Swirral Edge, Catstye Cam, Red Tarn and the pub. hope the link works? Added a photo if not... https://photos.app.goo.gl/ppQQVGBh22KVQGmTA
