Extremities

We have now travelled to the northern- and southernmost extremities of the UK rail network.

Two years ago we started our North Atlantic island-hopping trip by travelling by train from London to Thurso in the far North of the mainland Scotland - Britain's most northerly railway station. Today we returned from a pleasant break in St Ives, Cornwall, via Penzance - the most southerly station in the country. The two are some 600 miles (966km) apart as the crow flies, or 870 miles (1,400km) by train via London. 600 miles is about the same as the distance between London and Copenhagen, or Berlin, Prague, Milan, or Marseille.

We don't think of our country being that big. In fact, within Europe (excluding Russia), only Norway, Sweden and France have larger "tip-to-toe" dimensions (Norway being about 1,100 miles from far north to south, Sweden about 970 miles, and mainland France about 670 miles from Brittany to the Cote d'Azure). These days we sometimes think of ourselves as a small island off the coast of Europe, but we share latitude with 14 other EU countries, including the capitals of 12 of them (more than any other EU country).

On our 2005 North Atlantic trip we also visited the UK's most northerly inhabited place - Skaw, on the island of Unst in Shetland. A profoundly remote but attractive place, by surface transport you need to take three ferries to get there from mainland Britain. But it is worth the effort for the stunning coastal scenery, empty beaches, and the eerily deserted settlements on the surrounding hillsides.

Of course, having tested the limits of the rail network, and pushed on by road to the northernmost extent of the UK, we feel bound to do the same southwestwards - to the Scilly Isles. In fact, Andrew has been there once before, in the '70s, and still has clear memories of approaching the islands on the Penzance ferry, exploring Tresco Abbey gardens, and bumping into then Prime Minister Harold Wilson on the beach near St Mary's. Of course, the Scilly Isles will also be another addition to our islands collection, and we can get there by surface transport too. Although I think that we will have to arrange it so that we go at least one way by helicopter, as that is one of the few modes of transport that neither of us has experienced so far.

Across the Heart of England

Thanks to six days of uncharacteristically glorious weather, our 100 mile canal trip across the Heart of England from Birmingham to Tring was highly enjoyable. Although the midday sun can become somewhat opressive when working a long flight of locks for several hours, and we did get a little sunburnt, despite lashings of sun cream and obsessive wearing of hats.

Everything (mostly) went according to plan, and we met-up with the "Chelonian" by the drawbridge at Shirley, where, conveniently, there is a pub - the first of several canalside hostelries we sampled. 5 days, 92 miles and 110 locks later we arrived at Tring in good time to get the train home. This was the longest trip we have done so far on the waterways. Thanks to Dave McI for giving us such a good time.

I have not really been to this part of the country much before, and travelling by canal is a great way of both experiencing the countryside and getting a different perspective on the towns and villages that you pass through. I particularly liked the Stratford Canal, with its small, attractive single-width locks, and the Oxford Canal section of the Grand Union Canal, which has a more peaceful rural feel that the main section. The Grand Union itself s bigger and more functional and industrial in feel (in a 19th century sort of way), but still has a great deal of charm (and some great pubs).

We are looking forward to the next trip on the "Chelonian".

An Amazing Sight

As we were criusing along the Grand Union Canal through the outskirts of Milton Keynes we looked up and saw the most amazing sight in the sky - at least ten gliders all swooping around in the same thermal - high up, but still (apparently) incredibly close together. I don't think that I have ever seen more than two gliders at any one time before, so it was truly incredible to see so many together in the same small area of sky, circling like brilliant white vultures.

(There are six gliders in this photo, which is the best I could manage with my compact digital camera. There are a couple more pictures in the linked gallery - click on the picture to see a larger version and access the galleries.)

Lock, lock, lock ...

As mentioned before (see Canals and Locks (2 August 2007)), I quite like working the locks, and am aways ready to leap off clutching my windlass ready operate the next lock. Which is just as well, as we had 110 of them on this trip, although we managed to arrange it so that there were not more than 29 in any one day. However, locks have a habit of coming in packs (or "flights"), and there were several long ones on this trip, which was going to mean a lot of hard work.

Today was the biggest challenge - the Hatton flight, just outside Warwick. It is a very attractive setting, with a great view of Warwick from the top of the flight, but 21 locks in the space of 2 miles is a bit daunting, particularly as we started the day with the last six locks of the Lapworth flight (we did the first 13 the previous evening). However, we teamed-up with a very friendly crew from a hire boat (they were just coming to the end of their 2-week holiday), and we had picked up an extra crew member at Hatton, so there were six of us and six of them in total. We got a good rhythm going (one pair walking on to prepare the next lock each time etc.) so it took us less than three hours to complete the flight (about 8 minutes per lock). It was tough in the sun and heat (we started the top lock at 12:30), and the hydraulic paddle mechanisms on that part of the Grand Union are heavy going, but we had a good time.

After completing the final lock, we said farewell to our co-crew and continued into Warwick for a well-earned drink (or three) at the excellent canalside pub The Cape of Good Hope. We then continued on (through two more locks) to moor not far outside Leamington, and an excellent fish 'n' chip supper (onion rings not withstanding).

Canals and Locks

At last we have another holiday planned before the summer is over. Our rather expensive trip to Norway in May had heightened Dave's current sense of inpecunity, and so we have done without a "proper" holiday this summer. However, our friend Dave McI has come to the rescue by inviting us on his 300 mile canal trip from Macclesfield to Reading.

Dave McI owns a 60-foot traditional style British narrowboat (the Chelonian), and we have spent a number of long weekends on the boat with him, but this is the first time that we will have joined him on such a long trip. Actually, the current plan is for us to do the middle section across the Midlands between Birmingham and the edge of London: six days, 103 miles and 114 locks. It is going to be hard work - particularly as the second day will involve 41 manually operated locks - but it should be good fun as long as the weather behaves.

Actually, I quite like the manually operated locks. They can be very hard work, particularly on the smaller, older canals, but it is good exercise and quite satisfying. Last year we joined Dave McI on a couple of trips on the Thames between Oxford and Weybridge. There all the locks are hydraulically operated by resident lock-keepers, so there is really not much to do other than holding the lines to keep the boat steady as the lock fills/empties. I ended-up getting quite chilly, sitting around not doing very much, and was really relieved when we finally turned into the River Wey navigation, which is improbably old (completed in 1653) and had lots of quaint, attractive, and labour-intensive locks to operate.

The most locks I have operated in one day is 15 (plus 5 swing bridges), and that was quite knackering. So I don't know quite how I'll feel after 40 or so in one day. I am beginning to wonder if it is a good idea to go straight back to work the day after we finish.

The full itinerary is here, and there are links to maps on Google Maps and Google Earth too.

It doesn't get much better than this

Now we are back from our trip to north Norway there are going to be a few postings like this as we go through our photos and other memorabilia. Please indulge us!

This is Reine in the Lofoten islands. In fact, this is the view from the living room of the "rorbu" (fisherman's cabin) where we stayed for a couple of days. Fantastic, isn't it?

Actually, I nearly cried when we arrived. It was perfect - the weather was bright and sunny; the scenery was stunning; the village was as picturesque as you could wish; the 'cabin' (think 'chalet' really) was spacious, comfortable, very nicely furnished, and wonderfully sited; the rorbu manager was exceptionally friendly and welcoming; it was quiet and peaceful. We had had a lovely day driving through the Lofoten islands, and I just felt very, very happy.

Cross ref: Blog Holiday!!!!!! (Wednesday, 9 May 2007) on what we were expecting.

Holiday!!!!!!

To counter Dave's rather negative post below (which largely belongs on his own blog really), I'd just like to mention that we are actually going on holiday. To somewhere we've talked about visiting for ages. Two hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle actually (which I think qualifies it as being "the arctic"). So it's a nice little adventure, like we normally do, but with a little bit of extra "edge" (which I think maybe Dave is just a little bit nervous about).

It will be cold, and it will probably rain alot, but I'm really looking forward to it. OK, so we will have to endure the world's worst airport (believe me, we did try to find an alternative), but at least we get that out of the way right at the start. A necessary evil perhaps - but lets not dwell upon it. I'm looking forward.

Looking forward to visiting interesting places out on the periphery - there are going to be lots of "most northerly" whatevers on this trip. Looking forward to sailing on the Hurtigrute; to taking the train through the mountains; to visiting places only Norwegians have ever heard of. And hopefully we will get some fantastic scenery too. And good food!

We are bound to meet people who will ask us "why would you want to come here?" - we always do - to which our usual answer is "its not London", which only seems to generate more bemusement. Well, we know why we are going, even if we can't quite explain it adequately (see Islands in the stream of conciousness, below). And maybe, if we get up one morning and look out of the window to see the view pictured here, we won't feel the need to justify it to ourselves or anyone else.

Post script (23 May 2007):
Well, we got exactly what we wanted on the Lofoten islands! This is what we actually got to see from our fishermans cabin in Reine. See blog It doesn't get much better than this. However, nobody asked us "why would you want to come here?". But maybe that is not that strange. After all, it was perfect.

Island moods

I am in an island mood tonight. I've just been reviewing the photos from our 2005 trip to the Faroe Islands. What a great trip that was. I'd only ever met one other person who had visited the Faroes, and he had described them (and the capital, Tórshavn) as a fish-stinking dump. Our exprience was rather different. OK, so we might have been blessed with exceptionally good weather - which was great when we were driving around the islands, but we were also very pleasantly surprised by the friendly and almost cosmopolitan nature of the tiny capital. With only 19,000 inhabitants, Tórshavn must be one of the smallest capitals in the world - rather less than 0.3% of the size of London. Nevertheless, we spent three very enjoyable nights there, eating good food and enjoying good (if rather expensive) beer. We even went to a late night bar and a nightclub (but that is another story!).

There are fewer than 50,000 Faroese - which is pretty small, even by small country standards, but they seem to be doing reasonably well stuck out there at the far extremity of the shipping forecast. I think we will be going back there sometime.