Ravensdon

Ravensdon

Distance - 6.59 Miles (10.9Km)
Time Taken - 2Hrs 26mins
Ascent - 91m

Second walk in 4 days?  It's almost like I'm in training!  Ok so I am making a concerted effort to get out and about (and to write about it).  I was a bit late getting out, so I had about 2.5 hours of daylight left, which was leaving things a little tight.  In the event I took longer than I wanted due to a couple of areas on the path being overgrown.  Shorts and nettles do not mix well.

Typical Bedfordshire landscape

 

For the first mile I felt a bit achy, which is a poor effort really.  The path is easy to follow along field boundaries and pretty flat.  Even the 'hills' are not much more than long slopes.  The wet and warm weather has led to an eruption in nettles and thistles.  These often cover the whole field edge forcing the walker along the edge of crops (harvested recently so not an issue today).  Walking along the 'stubble' gives a satisfying crunch, though I'm not sure how good it is for rolling ankles.

Night Time

Working nights sometimes has advantages, you have no bosses annoying you, no general queries, can wear shorts, write blogs and delve into night time photography.  Oh you can work too, which I obviously do, lots.

I recently got a Panasonic Lumix G3, and it's my first 'real' camera, by which I mean I can do more than set it on intelligent auto.  I now have to think of shutter speeds, ISO's and F stops.  It has intelligent auto as well so all isn't lost!

The Moon

I'm lucky in that I work in a fairly dark location, it's not the best but it's probably the best area for miles.  On a good night the milky way is visable and the nature of the workplace gives some interesting pictures.  It also has the advantage of multiple air-con units to sit next to, whilst noisy the warm air is a bonus in winter!

 

The International Space Station

 Hopefully the tricks I am learning will get me some good pics in the USA, startrails over the Grand Canyon?  Could be a good plan.

 

Startrail





Old Familiar

Great Barford - Roxton Locks - Great Barford

Distance - 5.28 Miles (8.5Km)
Time Taken - 1Hrs 40mins
Ascent - 5m (really!)

Summer finally coincided with a few hours of spare time and it was off to the River Ouse. I only had 2 hours to get a walk in and and get home to get ready for work (lovely 12 hour night shift).  The walk to Roxton has become a bit of a go-to walk, I don't need a map, it's flat and the parking is easy and free.  I really need a dog to gain the full advantage but it serves for now as a way of getting a few miles in.



Roxton Locks