Strongly recommended by a triathlon-organiser that we had met the previous day, we braved the cold winds and headed out to Calleva, one of the oldest settlements in Britain.
The lost town of Calleva Atrebatum was an Iron Age and Roman town which can be found deep in the north Hampshire countryside, outside of Reading. “But where once there was a busy, populous centre, now there are only green fields. All that is now visible above ground, of a settlement that thrived for more than 500 years between the first century BC and the fifth or sixth century AD, are sections of the late Iron Age fortifications of rampart and ditch, the Roman amphitheatre and, most impressive of all, the entire circuit of the late Roman town walls. Why did a major settlement develop in this location; and why is there no successor medieval and modern town? There are no certain answers to either of these questions, but trying to resolve them is one of the eternal fascinations of Calleva” BBC History. The old church, located just outside of the city walls, was built in 313 AD when Christianity was no longer a proscribed religion. Click or hover over to read the captions. Technical details: Sony a850 with Tokina 19-35mm lens.
0 Comments
Londontastic is an exciting new tour operator offering free walking tours in the heart of London - one of the busiest, diverse, historically and culturally rich cities in the world. Just spending a few afternoons walking around the West End reminded me of the abundant photographic opportunities at every nook and cranny. Even a nature lover like me who prefers fields, farms and fresh air to lively urban areas can't help but wonder around in amazement at how much this metropolis has to offer for everyone! Click here to find out more about Londontastic and perhaps register your interest in a free tour (although some parts of the website are still under construction).
Click on an image or hover over it to read the captions. Technical details: Sony a850 with Tokina 19-35mm lens. A very belated Happy New Year everyone. Apologies for the delay - I've got a several exciting 2013 posts coming very soon! Wanted to share some highlights of the year in an end-of-year collage.Actually, I've only included the second half of the year (1/2 / 2012 ?) since the blog was started in July. Looking through, I feel privileged to have had so many stunning opportunities to attempt to capture this variety of visual beauty. Click on the images to take you to the relevant posts from earlier this year. Unusually, photos are square-cropped here so not in original shape. Alternatively you can see the images in their normal form in the slideshow below. Comments / feedback welcome - just click on the "add comments" text at the bottom on this post. Slideshow of above photos. Hover over the photo and click "play". Eight centuries old and rich in both architectural and spiritual splendour, Wells Cathedral provided a beautiful setting for testing out the Sony a900.
Some photos have detailed captions - click on or hover over to read. Technical details: Tamron 28-75mm lens, all unedited and straight from the camera. Despite news warnings of further flooding, we decided to continue with our travel plans to Draycott, a small village near Cheddar, Somerset. Following a day of expected heavy rain, Sunday morning gave a chance to capture some of the unusual scenery.
Technical details: Tamron 28-75mm lens, all unedited and straight from the camera. Today we are treated to a delightful guest write-up by our dear friend Bal - with whom we had the pleasure of staying and spending time with on this fabulous Autumn weekend.
"The serene county of Gloucestershire is well known for the beauty it nurtures and what better way to appreciate this beauty than a walk in the Forest of Dean? Perfected by the most crisp and sunny autumn day this was indeed a day we will cherish for years. Friends add humour, fascination and beauty to life. They keep us humble when we get too self-righteous and make us smile when we take ourselves too seriously. Good friends are there to help us when life throws one of its little curves at us and things look worse that they really are. What wise words... it had been many months since we had all spent some quality time together and so much had happened in this time... being able to enjoy a lovely autumn walk whilst catching up was truly one of life’s near perfect moments. We had all good intentions to leave home at the crack of dawn this lovely Sunday however, sleep engulfed us and we left much later than we planned (the 2am sleeping on the night before is unlikely to have helped). Nevertheless, we were packed and ready in no time... and an hour later we were walking along the forest’s sculpture trail. The trail has along its path, various sculptures, as the name suggests, some more appealing than others. The giant chair is the most obvious and gives a spectacular view of the forest canopy. The autumn colours were breathtaking as the sun reflected the auburns, yellows and reds along the path. The most exciting part of the sculpture trail is that it keeps you searching for its well hidden little secrets – the giant chair, the deer, the rail track and the boats, just to mention a few. Several hours later and with shoes covered in mud we hesitantly headed back, having explored only half the trail. This is one of life’s greatest realities – we are bound by time and all we can do is make the most of what we have. We left the other part of the trail with the promise to come back... a promise we shall endeavour to keep. " Technical details: Olympus ZD 12-60mm lens; all unedited and straight from the camera. This breathtaking national park gains its name from the break in the cliffs, and the analogies continue - the devil's kitchen (hot and cold springs), the devil's shower (hot spring waterfalls) etc. Perhaps the most appealing aspect of visiting was that we were free to walk around, as KWS describes it "a walk on the wild side".
The harsh and dramatic scenery of the gorge has inspired much of the settings of Lion King, and Tomb Raider was shot in the gorge itself. A particular wildlife highlight was seeing some enormous birds encircling the skies: Rüppell's Vultures and Verreaux's Eagles. The former have about an 8 foot wingspan and fly over a hundred miles in order to find food in Maasai Mara and Nairobi, returning back to their nests in Hell's Gate. We were advised to take a guide as we had been warned about recent flash floods causing fatalities - the gorge can fill-up very quickly. Our Maasai guide entertained us while telling his story of a tribal boy who was more interested in nature and education than herding cows. After being outcast by his father, he grew up in an orphanage and upon reaching adulthood and coming of age he decided that he had to re-initiate himself into the society. The traditional ritual was that in order to prove his strength and bravery, he had to kill a lion. Armed with nothing more than a spear, he set-off with the men of his tribe on a week-long search for a lion. Once found, they circled it and our guide threw his spear before being given the go-ahead by the leader. Perhaps even less fortunate was the outcome - although the spear hit the lion it did not injure it and it attacked him. The rest of the group had to flee, leaving him injured but he was later helped back home (another week-long journey) and it took six months to recover using local herbal remedies. He was given honorary initiation back into the tribe in consideration of his ordeal, but he is still trying to accumulate a herd of cattle so that he can afford to pay a dowry and get married! Technical details: Olympus ZD 70-300mm and 12-60mm lenses; all unedited and straight from the camera except for some of the small bird photos. which have been cropped. Another late post - but better late than never! A Sunday picnic to Paradise Lost, a lovely getaway about 8 km from Nairobi off Kiambu Road. Although there's a little wildlife, we enjoyed the walk to the waterfall, the caves and boating on the lake. And the company of course!
Technical details: Olympus ZD 12-60mm lens; all unedited and straight from the camera. A delayed flight back to Kenya (and kind lifts from Dilip Uncle) gave us the chance to spend a few hours in Victoria, the capital of Seychelles.
Technical details: Olympus ZD 12-60mm lens; all unedited and straight from the camera. A few photos of out last dusks and dawns in Praslin, witnessing gorgeous sunsets and serious waves on fabulous beaches! A few photos have captions. Scenic flight moments (flying from Praslin back to Mahe) captured on the (slightly shaky) video below - but worth skipping through!
Technical details: Olympus ZD 12-60mm and 70-300mm lenses; all unedited and straight from the camera. |
Vote for your favourite 2013 photos here!
Archives
July 2014
Categories
All
|