Friday 28 May 2010

Day 4: The Last Day



So this was it - the last day. The downside to booking cheap train tickets is that sometimes they are a wee bit outside the time you are wanting. Our train wasn't leaving until 16:22 so it meant we would have a bit of waiting about todo. This didn't really bother us though, as all the walkng we had done already meant we were more than happy to take it easy. Check-out wasn't until noon, so I decided to head to the shops for a bit and let dad just chill out with a few coffees and a paper.

The main highlight of the last day was to find dad a proper Steak and Ale pie and none of the reheated garbage you get in chain pubs. With iPhone in hand and a wee bit of digging, I located where we would be spending our last few hours before heading to Lime Street station.



The Baltic Fleet is a local pub which does traditional home cooked meals with a microbrewery in the cellar. Located along from the main hustle and bustle of the docks, The Baltic Fleet has a steady trade in the afternoon but not sardined like some of the city centre places.



So that was pretty much how we spent our last afternoon, sampling some of the ales from the Wapping Beers' range and having good homecooked food having good homecooked food. I have to admit, not being an ale fan, their Baltic Gold was very drinkable. Fully fed and watered, it was time to collect the case from the hotel's luggage cupboard and head to the station.



And with that, we boarded our train for the long journey home.

2010-05-27 - The Baltic Fleet
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Day 3: The Cavern Club



So Wednesday was the day of the Beatles fan. The plan was to head to The Beatles Story and then The Cavern Club. We grabbed breakfast en route to Albert Dock and headed straight to the Beatles Story.



If you plan on going to Liverpool you should do this. It is made even better by the fact that we got in on a Buy One Get One Free using the Liverpool 08 card . After a couple of hours in there, it was time for daylight again. After stopping at a bench and having a rest for a bit, we headed up to Matthew Street.



The tourist element aside, the cavern is a great wee place for a pint or two. The simplicity of the brick walls and benches are what it is. There is no ageing decor that seems to hinder many pubs. So after a bit of time in there it was time for a bit of a wander and find somewhere for tea. After finding a gem of an Italian restaurant to get a pizza for tea we thought we should really head back to the hotel and pack the case in preparation for Thursday.



This didn't quite go to plan. There was nothing on the tele as a background distraction while doing the case so we decided to finally sample the drinks menu of the hotel bar.

2010-05-26 - The Beatles Story, The Cavern Club
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Day 2: Anfield



So this was the big day. I had said there were only two things I wanted to do on the holiday and then dad could pick the rest of the itinerary - Anfield and find Krispy Kreme doughnuts. After getting ready we jumped in a taxi for Anfield. £7 and a trip to see the other side of Liverpool and we were there.



We collected the tour tickets and as we were a bit early, took a wander around the block. The flame at the Hillsborough memorial is still burning with fresh flowers being laid all the time. After seeing this, we continued around the block and finally ended up back at the entrance awaiting the tour to start.



The tour was great. The guide was very informative and knew his stuff and didn't rush you along if you were wanting to take advantage of a photo opportunity. When the tour was done we headed to the museum for a bit. After browsing about there and viewing all the silverware, we got a taxi back to the city centre for part two of today's tourist trail. Our intention was to have a browse around the Anglican Cathedral and then into Chinatown and grab something for lunch.



If you haven't been there, I cannot explain how big the cathedral is. It can be seen from most points of the city and up close it is an intimidating tower. After here, we were surpised to find the Chinese Arch so close.



This was quite gargantuan in it's own right. Dad is 6ft yet does not even pass the marble foundations. From here we headed down the street and grabbed lunch before heading back to the hotel to chill out and have a bit of a rest before heading out later on.



As it happens, there was a bit of an event on in Liverpool on Tuesday night. To celebrate the 2nd anniversary of Liverpool One, the main road and surrounding walkways were playing host to the Liverpool Pageant of Power. It was basically a demonstration of fast cars, bikes and a M1 Challenger Tank. This worked out perfectly, as Wednesday's dinner venue was bascially up a flight of stairs from the paddock. This meant that we had dinner at the Gourmet Burger Kitchen and were slap bang in the middle of the crowds.



After a few photos we stayed for some of the demos but didn't have a great vantage point so just decided to head to the beer garden instead for a couple of beverages in the sun.

2010-05-25 - Anfield, Chinatown, Pageant of Power
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Day 1: The Journey Down



So the morning finally arrived. It turned out we weren't leaving for the 0:29 from the West - it was the 10:29 we were after. So that was a wee bonus. It meant we weren't rushing too much.

A routine Scotrail trip got us to Glasgow in plenty of time for the Virgin train. Fast forward two hours and it was a relatively easy changeover at Preston then the final leg onto Liverpool Lime Street.



We arrived in Liverpool about 15:00 to the nicest day of the year. The sun was splitting the streets and there was not a cloud in the sky. An absoultely glorious start to the day. For this trip, we had the luxury of the iPhone and the "Maps" app which is beneficial if you don't know your way about. So, after a quick check of our bearings we headed down the street to the hotel for check-in.



One hassle free check-in and a room change later then it was time to head out and get our first wander of the town. When I booked the Novotel, I knew it was close to the centre of town and really handy for stuff but I didn't realise how close it was. It is basically part of the new Liverpool One developement so it is pretty much a stones throw away from all the main attractions and amenities.

For our first wander, we pretty much headed straight down to Albert Dock and just really all around to get an idea of where things were. We found ourselves on Matthew Street and decided to grab dinner in an irish bar called Flanagan's Apple. On such a warm day it was great to get the first food and drink down the tubes. Once that was done we headed back to the hotel before heading up to O'Neill's to watch the start of the England vs Mexico game.

2010-05-24 - Albert Dock, Novotel
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Saturday 22 May 2010

The Birds



So Thursday was day one of my holiday, the main bulk of which will be taken up with a trip to Liverpool commencing on Monday. So, that leaves me a few free days beforehand. Usually, I would just spend these days sitting on my backside, watching movies and just passing time but for a change I decided I wanted to do something. The original plan for Thursday was to head to Balloch to have a wander about and go for a visit to the Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre. However, the weather was not good so in the end I did just sit about catching up on a few movies and tv shows.

Fast forward to Friday. The weather was supposed to be 'sunny intervals' so I decided to go for it. A train trip to Glasgow - Partick - Balloch finally saw me on the shores of Loch Lomond at about 11:45am. I decided to head straight up to the birds as that was my main purpose for the journey.

A 20 minute walk up Stirling Road finally got me there. You enter through the Home and Garden centre and then it's up the back. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect. I'd always wanted to go to a Falconry but never had one nearby. I was pleasantly suprised. After paying the modest £3.50 entry fee, you get a tour round each aviary with a talk on each species and how each bird came to be housed there. First up, you had the front of the centre with the owls. After that, you get taken to the other section which contains the birds - eagles, hawks, falcons, buzzards etc. As there is no fencing on the front of this section you are presented with unrivalled views of them.

Once the tour was over, I was allowed to wander about and take a few snaps of the birds. It was fascinating. Being from the west coast of Scotland, that average airbourne wildlife are pigeons and seagulls with not much else so it was amazing to see all these different species.

Part of my intention was to try and get a picture holding one of the birds. I was imagining it would be a gift photo and to get it appearing on the blog I would have to use the ten year old scanner and the picture probably wouldn't digitise well. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the sign advertising photos with the birds and there was an option to use your own camera. The prices for this were very reasonable. For all but one of the birds, to have a picture with your own camera was £2.50 or £3.50. The one bird that was £7.50 was Orla the Golden Eagle. So, guess what one I opted for.



Yip, the big one. What an experience. Being a tad on the heavy side, your hand has to get supported with a wooden support. So after getting gloved up, Stewart brought came round the corner with the bird on his arm. It was a big brute. It has some grip and seeing the beak and eyes wuite close to your face on the corner of your eye was quite intimidating. So anyway, it seemed to settle and I got the photo taken. Just at this point, an older couple came in and Stewart decided to keep the eagle out for a bath so it was a good chance to see it in a different situation.

After the bird centre, I headed on over to Lomond Shores to see what all the fuss is about having never been. I have to admit, it was nice just to sit and eat a cone but it was a bit lacking. I think on the weekend with sunnier weather it might be more the hustle and bustle I was expecting. After that it was time for the train to get me in for some food.

So, all in all, a great day out. The prices are very reasonable, the staff are very informative and take pride in the birds. I would highly recommend a visit. So as always, you can click the below album for more pictures. Finally, thanks to Stewart and Ross for a cracking afternoon and for letting me snap away.

2010-05-21 - Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre
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Tuesday 11 May 2010

Knockhill



Sunday was Knockhill time. The purpose of the visit was to try and figure out how to photograph cars at speed and have the pictures turn out not bad. As well as the moving cars, there was unrestricted access to the paddock so you were able to walk about in between the cars and garages while the engineers were working on them.

So after thinning out all th ephotos and sorting them out, here are 3 of the better ones. The smaller images here dont really do them justice but the original images are sharper and achieved the effect I was after.







All in all, it was a good day out. I achieved what I wanted to and came away from it knowing the techniques and how to alter it to improve on what I have learned.

As always, the below links will take you to the full web albums for the day. I have seperated then into Race and Paddock

2010-05-09 - Races
2010-05-09 - Paddock
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Saturday 8 May 2010

Just a Graze



I decided to make the most of the weather and go somewhere I ain't been since I left school - The Greenock Cut. The route of the infamous sponsored walk took us on part of the Cut and I have never bothered with it until now. Although the route is clearly marked with no maps required, I decided to have a browse at an OS map for the area. I'm glad I did. As it happens, if you deviate off the main path of the cut and go a wee bit 'off-piste' you can ascend a couple of hills which take you to one of the highest points in Greenock. The main one, Dunrod Hill, has it's trig point at 298m.

As it was me on my tod, there was no schedule. It was just a case of wake up and go when I was ready. After getting ready and putting some stuff in a bag, I reckon it was about 9:30 when I left the house and make my way up to Overton.

I kept the GPS on the iPhone on to log my route so I was able to get it onto the pc.



It wasn't long till I got to the fork in the road and took the path to the right that led up to Scroggy Bank. I was really surpised to see that there was a cairn contructed on it but what was more intriguing was that immediately behind the cairn were two giant telephone masts.



After attempting, and succeeding, to take a photo of me at the cairn, it was time to set off for the next hill.



Next on the list was Dunrod Hill. There were signs of a path for a good bit of the way up to a point. After this point, I was on my own but I headed in the direction I was going in an upwardly manner and eventually got sight of the trig point.



Unfortunately, my photo attempt on this one wasn't as good as the other one.



My plan after this one was to find the path that joins down to the Cornalees road. However, I decided to head up another hill while I was here. So a quick detour up to Hillside Hill and it was finally time to try and find civilisation.



It took a wee while to get my bearing but I eventually came across the path and followed it down. Surprisingly though, it led right into the middle of a farm during feeding time for the cows. What a racket they can make. Through the farm gate then it was a short walk along the road to get to the Cornaleees Visitor Centre. After a quick pit stop I grabbed my things and set off along the walkway. A wee while along the track, I noticed a guy atop one of the hills. What happened next took me by surprise. He jumped of with a parachute. I can honestly say I wasn't expecting that.



Following the path, I finally ended up back at Overton ready to make the long downward trip from Overton to the House.

The sponsored walk used to be one of my worst days at school. Being a fat kid, the idea of an all day hike was not appealing. how the tables have turned eh? When I was walking along today, there was one thing that I kept thinking. This is only a 20 minute walk away from my house yet is like another world. So, that was my Saturday. A 12km hike with a few local hills thrown in for good measure. As usual, you can view the full album using the below link.

2010-05-08 - Greenock Cut
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Tuesday 4 May 2010

Extreme Ironing



Bank Holiday Monday was here and it was time for another trip to the great outdoors. Today's adventure was taking us to Beinn Imne in the Arrocher Alps. I was really looking forward to going back to this area especially as good weather was forecast. It was the scene of my first walk but the weather was so bad you couldn't see much.

So, after a restless night and a mad rush in the morning it was time to head for the hills. The trip from Greenock to the car park at Succoth is just shy of an hour so including a stop in at Clydebank Asda, we were looking to start walking about 9.30ish.



The initial part of the route up the steep zig zags gives pretty good views back down to Arrocher from quite early on. The zig zags through the forst trail take you to about 300m just before you end up in the open. It is these views I was missing the last time. As soon as the trees clear, you get uninterrupted views of The Cobbler (below) and Ben Narnain.



The good thng about this route is you pretty much follow the path until you get to the fork in the road. Go left for the Cobbler or carry straight on for Narnain/Imne with another fork a couple of minutes up the path that splits the two of them.



It's after the second fork in the road that the path starts to disappear a bit. We ended up just following the stream that was there until the summit was in site.



With the end in site we pushed on until we reached the top and this was the first time the wind started to cause an issue. After a few pictures it was time to start the descent.



Due to the rockyness of the path, the descent took a lot longer than we expected. So with the sore knees and sun burnt arms, we trudged on down to the bottom and it was here we seen the sight of the day. Near the bottom, in the forestry track, we were sure we seen what looked like a guy carrying an ironing board but we thought we must have been seeing things. Until they came closer up and walked by us.



It looks as though they may partake in some form of Extreme Ironing but to be honest we were not entirely sure.

So that was that. Apart from the 3hr traffic jam we got stuck in on the way home, it was a great day had by all. As usual, if you click the below picture you can view the full album and see the views we got from the top and other pictures that were taken.

2010-05-03 - Ben Imne
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