Travel
I'm lucky enough to travel a lot but I also aim to understand a place in some depth. So I like to find out about the local history, sociology, wildlife and local arts. I prepare for a trip by looking up photos of the famous sights, they're usually a good guide both about the local visual interest and also a warning of what has already been done or over-done.
I try to use the tools of modern photojournalism and photography to communicate how I feel about a place. You’ll see that I have used Portrait, Street, Interior, Historical, Abstract, Landscape, Historical, Wildlife, Phone-camera and Selfie genres at different times for specific effects.
Last time I drive Terry’s 206. It’s a 1600 cc W-reg Peugeot from May 2000. It’s not quite a Classic but is a car from another era: dial-up modems, Tony Blair and the Millennium Bug.
I love the direct feel of the controls when driving, you push the pedal and the 1587 cc four-cylinder engine responds; there’s electronic ignition but no ECU managing the emissions and mitigating the response. No ABS or traction control. Slight power-assist on the steering but a very positive feel nonetheless and it steers true, not under or over.
Photo-journal of my day trip to Ventnor and Shanklin on the Isle of Wight.
This was a day trip as there was a sunny day (rare so far this summer) and I’ve never been to the Isle of Wight. I spent slightly more time on the island than in trains but the travel is a lot of the story of my day.
Impressions? In just a phrase, Shanklin reminded me of Key West. Less tropical and very English but I reminisced amongst the outdoor living and white-painted wooden house fronts, lush gardens and the wind-blown Cabbage Palms. And the people: families on a beach holiday, young couples, senior couples and the beach bums sleeping who knows where.
Not the first time I’ve ended up staying somewhere one day more than planned... trains south on the West Coast Main Line were cancelled yesterday afternoon so we had to bus it back to Keswick and try again this morning. Yesterday was dry in Keswick, but there was enough flooding on the track at Tebay to close the southbound rail line so there were a number of trains in front of the one we saw stuck in the station at Penrith. I decided to bring us back to Keswick although at that time there was no useful information from the train company. Sure enough our booked service made it no further than Carlisle.
So the weather has the last laugh yet again: after a week of soggy days, we had one more breakfast in Cumbria and enjoyed this morning’s brilliant view of Skiddaw (931 m.) on our way to the Three Bears bus stop in Keswick. The train arrived on time in Euston.
Magnificent, majestic, marmottes and motorcycles. Snow at the Col de la Cayolle (2327 m.), on its first day of opening this year. The route connects the valley of the River Var (which goes to the Mediterranean at Nice) with the valley of the River Ubaye in the Alpes-de-Haut-Provence. The Col de la Cayolle was one of the original cols forming the Route des Grandes Alpes, the tourist route to Nice originally proposed by the PLM railway company.
More photos: First day open on the Col de la Cayolle (2327 m.)
2024 Renault Clio Techno TCe 90 at Col du Lautaret (2057 m.)
More than 2000 km with this full petrol 2024 Clio Techno TCe 90 has been an interesting experience. A ride with lots of the impressive-sounding driver assistances, adaptive cruise control, hill start assist, parking assist with 360° view and Lidar (presumably) sensors giving stereo beeps. An electronic driver display (speed, revs, fuel etc) plus a 9.3 inch entertainment and navigation screen. A whole load of the Clio Techno’s functions can be controlled by an app if you want to. So a tekkie treat on wheels.
