Sea Life Manchester

Last Sunday we had the pleasure of a family gathering at Sea Life Manchester.  Not many pictures were taken, so they are all here, rather than in a separate album.

There were some scary visitors (above and below).

The tour starts in a darkened room with a chat from a nice turtle lady.  The turtles wander around, reproduce, and then the babies head off to a life in the nearby Manchester Ship Canal, which must be teeming with the little blighters judging by the five minute life cycle portrayed by the busy but nice turtle lady.

There were lots of tanks, with fish that were just too fast for my underwater camera.  (Yes, I took my waterproof camera on this trip!)

There are Black-Tip Reef Sharks and a few lazy White-Tip Reef Sharks, and loads of other stuff that was much faster than this rather ponderous Lionfish.

The jellyfish changed colour to mimic the colour of light shining into their tank.

… they must get exhausted!

Deeper down, on the canal floor, were the remains of the merchant shipping that in by-gone days had foundered in the ship canal’s locks.

Tropical fish were swimming furiously around in big circles.

The Dalmation Fish (aka Barramundi Cod) and the Seahorses were a little more sedate, so thanks to them not every picture was blurred.

After several trips around the many exhibits, punctuated by visits to a conveniently situated play area in the middle of the fishy displays, we emerged into the Gaudy Nymph zone known as Barton Square, whose other attractions include Legoland.

One small boy found time for a short nap on his way to a lunchtime pizza.

Thursday 29 August 2013 – An Evening Stroll from the Harp Inn

It didn’t look quite like this photo taken in March 2011, but the weather was fine and warm for this last ‘daylight’ evening walk of the season.  It was just that I was so pleased that Andrew and Judith had turned up for a walk on which we had expected no company that I forgot to take any photos until it got dark.

This is an area rich with history and wildlife, as described in more detail in my entry from March 2011.

Today, from the benches pictured, a bird of prey could be seen along the shore towards Neston, engaged in a contretemps with a crow.  This brought a number of complete strangers into animated conversation, and as we had brought along both binoculars and Tony Bowerman’s excellent books, it didn’t take long to establish that the bird was a Hen Harrier.  Several people scribbled ‘Tony Bowerman’ on scraps of paper – I hope their searches for his out of print books bear fruit.

I didn’t get a chance to chat much to Judith after this year’s TGO Challenge, on which she only bumped into two other Challengers before entering the ruckus at Montrose, so it was good to catch up.  Her Challenge reports are here – a good read.  Had she been on her own tonight, Judith would perhaps have been shunned, as she was sporting plasters that some may have found suspicious, arising from abortive attempts to extract blood from several appendages.

“I’ve been declared ‘anaemic’” she announced.

Later the real reason for her motivation to join us became apparent.  She is engaged in a pedometer contest with two work colleagues.

I don’t quite know how, but armed with a flimsy scrap of paper showing the route portrayed below, we did manage to follow the blue line fairly precisely, despite night descending.  One section was along a deserted old railway line.  We were hemmed in by a deep cutting, with verdant late summer undergrowth. Andrew and Sue were discussing grizzly murder scenarios. A blinding light appeared.  Hearts fluttered. 

The sound of “Good evening” as the cyclists sped past relieved any tension.  We got used to these polite encounters and slowly made our way around the 7 km route and back to the friendly pub for a second round of Holt’s Best.

Postscript: Humphrey’s Pyrenean Adventure

Some will recall or be aware that TGO Challenger Humphrey is enjoying a couple of weeks in the Pyrenees.  He doesn’t write a blog and enjoys solitude on such trips.  He is walking GR10 from Etsaut to Luchon and has managed to negotiate the serious snowfields of Hourquette d’Arre which Sue and I avoided.  “Oh Boy!” he reports.  By now he will have passed through Barèges and past the car park that houses huge piles of rubble that used to be the Hotel du Tourmalet.  He has been chatting to lots of locals – “the worst in living memory” – they say, when referring to the devastation caused by the weather during the first week of our own trip. 

The third week of June, 2013, and it's aftermath, will be long remembered in this part of the Pyrenees, in Spain as well as in France.

Hopefully Humphrey will be enjoying views like this one from Col d’Ispeguy in July 2004.

Pyrenean Friends

We returned from the Pyrenees with lots of new friends, resulting from encounters along the way.  Here are four of them – Chantal, Joël, Yolaine and Pierre.  We will see them again, though not as soon as hoped, as Chantal and Joël will be away on holiday themselves when we pass nearby their home in a couple of weeks’ time.

Hello you four, and all the others who enhanced our GR10 experience.

… Keep on trekking!

Hi-Tec Walking Boots – A Review

I’d reviewed a couple of items of Hi-Tec footwear:

Some three season boots – here;

and some trail shoes – here.

Both were extremely comfy, but they only lasted for about 500-600 kilometres hard use.

So after trashing these items I thought it unlikely that Hi-Tec would be prepared to send me anything else.  I was wrong.  I suggested some running shoes, but James Campbell at Hi-Tec was determined to prove a point.

“I’m happy to send you some of our Rainier Event backpacking boots, which really are our top of the range boots and will have no issue with durability.”

They looked pretty impressive when they arrived.

The Rainiers have now been replaced as Hi-Tec’s top of the range offering by the very similar Bernina boots, with HI-TEC’s website proudly proclaiming the following:

Features

• Full Grain leather upper for durability
• Locking hook for adjustability
• Full leather tongue for added protection and durability
• Sympatex membrane technology for protection from the elements whilst offering breathability
• Dual density midsole for all day comfort, stability and durability
• Rugged Vibram outsole for durable traction
• B1 Classification - compatible with flexible C1 crampons
• Italian made and lasted for superior yet versatile fit

The RRP is about £150, but they are currently available for £120 or less.

Here’s what I thought about the Rainiers.

Fit and Finish:

• the EU size 43 were good for my average sort of feet.  Unlike with the previous offerings from Hi-Tec, I found a need to break these boots in gently as the stiffer leather rubbed my ankles.  This gave me encouragement that James’s ‘durability’ claim wasn’t just hot air 
• the construction was fine, though not quite up to the standard of the Scarpa boots I usually wear.  The main problem at the end of the day was that the thin leather fabric inside the heels eventually gave way, resulting in a shoehorn being necessary to put the boots on.  Perhaps this problem has been addressed in the Berninas.  They were good, solid boots though

Features:

• HI-TEC’s stated features for the successor Bernina, with an emphasis on their durability, are listed above
• the boots were completely waterproof, given the leather finish and their Event membrane.  As waterproof as my Scarpa Infinities
• forgetting all the technical jargon, the boots were extremely comfortable for serious backpacking trips

Weight:

• at 1600gm, they are slightly heavier than similarly priced fabric boots, but that’s quite acceptable for a serious pair of mountain boots

Practical Use:

• between March 2011 and September 2012 I wore these boots for the equivalent of a total of about four months’ continuous hard use, including a TGO Challenge, a five week trip to the Alps, and a further two week trip to the Ecrins in France.  Only when the heel fabric wore through in the Ecrins did they cause me any trouble, but the need for a shoehorn (an improvised insole) was a minor inconvenience, though they were retired after that trip, having covered about 1900 kilometres by then
• in contrast to the other Hi-Tec products I’ve tested, the waterproofing qualities were excellent and the durability quite acceptable  
• the excellent ankle support made these boots very suitable for walking for long periods on steep ground with a heavy backpack

Here’s what the boots looked like on 16 September 2012, after about 1900km (1190 miles) of use, as referred to above.

As you can see, apart from the damage inside the heel that is evident in the top picture, and the poor condition of the leather that is partly attributable to limited maintenance on long trips, the boots are essentially intact and would have continued in use but for that heel problem.

Alternatives:

• there are lots of alternatives to these three-season boots.  My own favourites are the Scarpa Infinity boots, but these have now been discontinued, as have the Rainiers.  Hopefully the Hi-Tec Berninas are at least as good and they should therefore be suitable for serious hillwalking and backpacking.  As with previous Hi-Tec products, I was fortunate in that the boots posted to me fitted perfectly, but I would always commend users to try on boots and shoes before buying them – different products suit different feet

Conclusion:

• once they had been broken in by way of a couple of weeks’ worth of mountain days out, these boots provided me with comfortable mountain footwear for a good 18 months.  They remained waterproof more or less to the end, and were only let down by insufficiently durable fabric inside the heel
• whilst the heel problem slightly diminished my enthusiasm, I can agree with James that he has finally provided me with a ‘durable’ product.  Well done!  I wonder what the Berninas are really like, James?

Thursday 22 August 2013 – Return to Deepest Cheshire

In my absence overseas, young Notchy took it upon himself to organise a couple of ‘Deepest Cheshire’ evening strolls, the second of which took place last night.

Notchy’s marketing agent ensured a good turnout, albeit JJ’s failure to attend due to ‘Dad Duty’.

The Egerton Arms, just outside Chelford, is a good place to start such jaunts, with a friendly landlord and good beer.  It dates back to the 16th century, and the current owners do have a vaguely local connection, in that Jeremy’s granddad was Glynne Jones from North Wales who produced the first ever hay bale machine called ‘The Jones Baler’, the bright red icon of farming equipment that every farmer grew up with after the war, presumably attached to one of Alan R’s  smart grey tractors.

I like the bit of history in which the old coach house was sold off in the late 1890’s by the Egerton family to a private buyer who urgently needed to replace the old candle and gas lamps with electricity and thus he took down the fifteen or so black chandeliers. On doing so he found that they were made of solid gold, which made him an overnight millionaire, so he sold the pub on to a brewery.

Notchy did find quite a few paths, as well as these quiet lanes where I took the chance to collect a few snaps.  He’s shown below, explaining the ups and downs of high level backpacking to an itinerant gardener. Lagging behind, Bridget and Sue were preparing to sort out Richard, who seemed to have got tangled up in his own legs.

The motley group welcomed a newcomer tonight, Sandra, a Dunham Massey volunteer gardener like Bridget, who chose a good evening to come along – it was warm and summery, ideal for a chatty amble.  We’ll yearn for evenings like this in the months to come.

Anyway, Sue, Jenny, Richard, Bridget, Andrew, Sandra, Mary, and out of shot Graham managed to survive Notchy’s 8 km course, despite 50 metres of ascent and the occasional nettle – not to mention a severe deterioration of visibility, and refreshment from above, towards the end of the walk, and by around 9.30 pm we were all back at the pub and tucking into much needed rehydration fluid.

A very nice route, and a good turnout – well done to the organisers.

There’s another evening walk next Thursday (29 August), starting at The Harp (SJ 290 760) at 7.30 pm for a 7-10 km wander around the Wirral. All are welcome.  There’s also a day walk in the Peak District on Sunday 6 October, starting in or near Buxton.  More details can or will be found on our web site here.

Some readers would certainly also enjoy some of Stockport Walking and Outdoors Group’s upcoming Wednesday evening talks – details are here.

A Broken Kindle

The Kindle is 18 months old, so out of warranty.

I think this is a terminal problem.

The lesson to be learnt is ‘however good you may think your Kindle case is (my Kindle was kept between two sheets of plywood like material in an envelope), if you keep it for more than three months in a rucksack that is also used as a sitmat, it may eventually fail’.

Judging by what I can see of the screen, at least it seems to have saved the house from the litter of 11 books that have been read and a further 23 that may have been partly read or are ‘pending’ or for reference (eg ‘phone and camera manuals – the ability to keep PDF files on the Kindle is very useful).

Wednesday 21 August 2013 – Back at Home

Whilst we were away, somebody seems to have bleached the local Mallards!

Maybe ‘confit du Timperley canard’ (a local dish) tastes better with these…

Actually, we remain in the Pyrenees in spirit in that Humphrey passed through last night. By now he will be in Pau or even Etsaut, for a couple of of weeks’ walk to Bagnères-de-Luchon. He should be ok for a day or two as we gave him a ‘cake’ supplement to his freeze dried larder.  His S3 phone is the same as mine, so he has the technology to report on his progress, but perhaps not the inclination.  Anyway, if we do hear from him we’ll let you know how he’s getting on, as I know Humphrey is well known to a number of readers of these pages.

Meanwhile, our own trip will be re-lived as we plough through the massive job of editing the photos, and editing another document – more of which later.

Reading about other people’s exploits will be an enjoyable ‘aside’, especially once I’ve set up an an alternative to the discontinued Google Reader service. I’m sure that the withdrawal of that service will have resulted in a reduction of page views of Blogspot (Google) blogs, many of which sport advertisements from which Google profits.  So I don’t really understand why the service was withdrawn.

Never mind.  Hey, weren’t there six of these before…

Sunday 18 August 2013 – Shelsley Walsh

…. And now for something completely different.

A few hours after arriving home for the first time in nearly nine weeks, it was time to pop down to Surrey for Sue’s Uncle Rob and Auntie Liz’s Golden Wedding Anniversary party.  I’ll leave Sue to say more about that if she wants to – it replaces our ‘Annual Picnic’ jaunt, so readers will be spared that posting this year.

Back in Birmingham, Sue’s Dad turns out to be a member of the Midland Automobile Club, with tickets for one of the five hill climb meetings held every year at Shelsley Walsh, in Worcestershire.  So we went along.

This particular meeting was in celebration of Aston Martin’s centenary year, so was themed accordingly.  The other meetings have other themes – Jaguar, Porsche, etc.

This old Aston Martin has a long history, dating from 1918.

It’s a friendly sort of meeting, as you might surmise from the grinning stranger in the top picture. Competitors had two practice runs on Saturday and two race runs on Sunday.  Most took between 25 and 45 seconds to negotiate the twisty 1000 yard, 300 foot climb.  Some (unlike the swish car below) didn’t even make it to the start line!

The cars queue up in batches to perform, before the course car follows them all back down the hill before the next batch sets off.  Some cars have two drivers.

This Le Mans Aston did go up the hill, but not in race trim – there was a lunchtime parade of classic Astons in which it took part.

The fastest starters who complete the first few yards in less than two seconds enjoy gravitational forces in excess of 1G.

The course starts fairly gently, but by the time they reach where I’m standing, some cars are travelling at up to 130 mph.

A buzzard spent much of the day on this branch overhanging the course – a bird’s eye viewpoint, so to speak.

There’s an ‘S’ bend that those travelling at up to 130 mph have to slow down for.  It can be interesting.  Several competitors managed under 24 seconds, and the top ten in the morning and afternoon sessions get an extra run and points in a national championship.

After each ‘batch’, most of the cars free-wheel back down the hill in order to be reunited with the batteries that are needed to start their engines again.  The six wheeler car pictured below is a very fast home-made effort that symbolises the ‘fun' loving’ nature of the event.

There’s a slideshow here for anyone who may be interested.  It was a really pleasurable day out, in perfect weather.

Thursday 15 August 2013 - Pyrenees GR10 - Day 62 - Stage 1 - Back to Timperley

For the sake of completeness. ..

With flights from Perpignan being the subject of extortionate costs, I'd looked at train possibilities back at the end of May when I made the booking. 

It all went very smoothly, on another lovely sunny day.

A lift from David to Argeles station after waving goodbye to his lovely house, Maison de Foret (pictured above)

Argelès to Perpignan - €6.60 (20 mins)

Perpignan to Paris (TGV) then Paris to St Pancras (Eurostar) - all on one ticket - €94 (9 hours)

(Canigou soon faded into the distance, but we'll be back)

Euston to Stockport - Virgin Pendolino - £27.50 (1st Class - including food and drinks)(2 hours)

Stockport to Timperley - Nallo Lady taxi service. Priceless. 

A pretty quick and efficient journey, with good company from Paris to London in the form of Reuters man Harry, and a chance encounter at Euston with Phil and Carol, former work colleagues who were in good form (perhaps because Carol retired last year and Phil is doing just that in a couple of weeks' time).

It's a small world! 

Sent from our GR10 trip - index to follow

Wednesday 14 August 2013 - Pyrenees GR10 - Day 61 - Stage 50 - Col de l'Oullat to Banyuls-sur-Mer

Distance: 25 km (Cum: 953 km)     

Ascent: 800 metres (Cum: 52,300 metres)

Additional distance and ascent on rest days: 40 km and 600 metres ascent
                     
Time taken: 7.5 hrs including 1.25 hrs stops (Cum 362 hours walking including 76 hours stops)                                     

Rain: approx 26 hours spent walking in rain, 20 of which were in the first week

Weather: sunny with a cold northerly wind; hot in Banyuls

Everyone was quite keen to get going this morning, and even the Tour Aventure couple managed some smiles after I produced a waterproof jacket found on the path yesterday. It turned out to be one of theirs. I didn't see them again though - the lightest laden were the slowest walkers.

Charles and Elizabeth were first away and remained unseen until Banyuls, where I'm sure they were relieved to have finished lugging their heavy loads (Elizabeth, anyway - former paratrooper Charles could probably have walked back home to Paris in a few days).  Heiko and Anna-Marie left a little after me but soon overtook when I inadvertently descended 50 metres down the wrong path. 

Setting off through the trees above the Chalet de l'Albère gite didn't really prepare us for the strong, buffeting wind above the tree line. It was a cold northerly that tore into us all morning, only relenting after we dropped into the shadow of the hills below Pic de Sailfort. My fleece was donned for much of the morning - very unusual on this trip. The Tilley hat strained on its straps until replaced by a buff. If gloves had been handy they would have gone on. 

Early on we were toiling against this buffeting wind whilst being blinded by the glaring low sun in a meadow of Harebells and Fringed Pinks. The sun got higher, but the wind continued to nag. I wasn't particularly looking forward to a night on the dusty campsite at Banyuls. 

We were up at 1250 metres, with the Spanish coastline seemingly just a few kilometres away (pictured - bottom).  Eventually the shelter provided by some wind-blown trees enabled me to hunker down and enjoy some brownies from Le Perthus. 

Puig Neulus was reached, then an unmanned CAF refuge where the four French boys may have stayed last night. It was a very clean and tidy bothy sort of place, with an overpowering aroma of wood smoke.

Battling onwards to the final summit of the trip - Pic de Sailfort - past cattle and clumps of rockroses, dandelions and eryngo (perhaps the cattle eat everything else), I enjoyed the views to the north, along the coast to Perpignan (pictured - top), and, eventually, the views south east to my destination (pictured - middle). 

A message of encouragement arrived from Pierre and Yolaine. They were near Le Perthus, just a day behind me, in line with their schedule. They are memorable fellow travellers. We will stay in touch and they may even have a go at the TGO Challenge walk across Scotland. 

I lunched in a sheltered spot on Pic de Sailfort, near where Sue and I enjoyed our final brew nine years ago. I couldn't help but reflect on this crossing - the wet first week with David and John, followed by dryer weather but with leaden skies under a low cloud base that was driving people away from the HRP route. After that, two weeks through flood and mud devastated areas, and the upsetting sights of Hotel du Tourmalet being demolished and the mud in St Béat. Sue leaving from Luchon and a period of tent carrying with Graham, often stopping mid-afternoon to avoid storms. The pleasure of walking alone after Vicdessos, set against the frightening descent into Andorra. The final couple of weeks in superb weather apart from a cloudy day on Canigou. New friends met along the way on this latter section, especially Peter, Uli and Nathalie. The last day off in Amélie, and nice meals there with David and Jan, and Nathalie. The last few leisurely days with a very light rucksack, feeling almost as if I was cheating! 

The bleep of the phone aroused me from these reminisces. Probably Orange - border walks always seem to generate a barrage of text messages.  But no, it was David - "fancy dinner, B&B in Argelès?"  A dream scenario.  So I hastened down through herbally scented warm vineyards to Banyuls, stopping on the outskirts to discard a few items that had served their purposes - boots, socks, empty bottles of sun tan cream, toothpaste and water, etc. 

Then it was into town. Beer o'clock had  been brought forward to 3.15pm and was enjoyed outside the Hotel de Ville with David and Jan. Nathalie was there - she had overcome her calf injury to finish the previous day. Charles and Elizabeth also said their goodbyes and Heiko and Anna-Marie were busy being photographed beside the GR10 Start/Finish sign. My own finish was in the sea, after which I burnt my feet on the pavement. It was hotter down there.

The champagne shop in Argelès provided an excellent quaff, and David demonstrated his barbecuing skills. Wonderful hospitality from Jan and David provided a fitting end to the sixty days of walking since we had set off from Hendaye. Thanks you two, it was great.

Sent from our GR10 trip - see here for our itinerary - this was the last day of walking

Occasional Pyrenean Flowers (21)

Frequently seen in woodland and shady places in the Pyrenees - broomrapes, which are parasitic on the roots of other plants and lack green pigment. 

One of the commonest Pyrenean varieties seems to be Clove-scented Broomrape, of which this appears to be a fine specimen. 

Sent from our GR10 trip - the final flower (for now)

Banyuls-sur-Mer

Finished - 3.15 pm, Wednesday 14 August 2013.  In the Mediterranean. Unable to proceed further. 

Picture courtesy of David Roberts Photography. 

Delay courtesy of David and Jan Roberts Hospitality. 

Full posting to follow tomorrow. 

Sent from the end our GR10 trip.

Tuesday 13 August 2013 - Pyrenees GR10 - Day 60 - Stage 49 - Las Illas to Col de l'Oullat

Distance: 25 km (Cum: 928 km)     

Ascent: 1020 metres (Cum: 51,500 metres)
                     
Time taken: 7.0 hrs including 1.5 hrs stops                                     

Weather: sunny but with cloud and storm building over Canigou

Heikel and Anna-Marie joined me for breakfast and I encountered them for periods on today's amble, including lunch on a bench in the dreadful 'tax free' border village of Le Perthus. What qualifications it has to be 'tax free' I don't know, but that status certainly seems to attract swarms of shoppers. 

Hostal dels Trabucayres (pictured-top) is a bit of a blast from the past. No en-suites, no TVs, no Internet. Just a few rooms with balconies, above a restaurant. Lovely original panelling,  separate shower and toilet - just one of each for all the rooms. If this was in the Basque country it would be full of diners every night. 

The route to Le Perthus was much as I remember it from nine years ago. Pleasant tracks undulating past beehives, mainly on the French side of the border, then through an area of cork trees that continued for most of the day. 

"Heat will be a problem." The wise men had assured us. It was over 30°C, but a cool breeze made conditions quite pleasant today. 

The conditions were probably appreciated by certain unseen people as well.  We encountered a 'no camping' 'dogs on leads' 'naked people' area. It was definitely not a 'no naked people' sign, but there were no naturists on our path today. 

Before Le Perthus I yet again passed Fort de Bellegarde without visiting it. I suspect it is very similar to the forts in the Maritime Alps with which we are familiar. 

Typical woodland from today is also pictured. This continued beyond Le Perthus, when to my delight I found the route that we took nine years ago to have been superseded by a much better path. Instead of following the road through St-Martin-de-l'Albère to the col, GR10 now takes paths along the border, skirting the village and all the water points mentioned in our guide book. It's an excellent route, and not too steep. I met a heavily tattooed couple on the way down. They had a cat and a dog on leads. The tiny cat looked absolutely terrified. What ordeals some people put their pets through! 

I reached the gite before 3.30pm and have spent a pleasant afternoon here, watching the storm over Canigou and socialising with my fellow travellers. The 'other couple' are also here. They are indeed 'Tour Aventure' and have a separate private room. The rest of us are in a large dormitory. 

Sent from our GR10 trip - the penultimate day of walking - doesn't it go quickly! 

Occasional Pyrenean Tractors (6)

This special bonus edition may be the last of this series. Proper tractors seem quite rare in the Pyrenees! 

By the way, Alan, the steel foundry I worked in used a Massey Ferguson rescue truck that doubled as a tug...

Sent from our GR10 trip - see here for our itinerary