Tag Archives: hill

Jun 12 2025
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Daily Post, Landscape

3,000-foot staircase up Big Hill

Tuesday 10th June 2025, 10.00am (day 5,038)

Ben More path, 10/6/25

The lump to top right is Ben More. Its Gaelic name literally means “Big Hill”, and it can join the ranks of places that have clearly been named for their physical characteristics. On the left of this shot, the start of the path up it, and it’s representative of the whole — a 3,000-foot climb, all like this. Imagine climbing one of the staircases up the Eiffel Tower, three times in succession. Do I do these things for fun? Yes, I suppose I do. (See also the other blog.)

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Jul 13 2023
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Daily Post, Landscape

Morning run, Cromarty Firth

Wednesday 12th July 2023, 8.55am (day 4,339)

Cromarty Firth run, 12/7/23

More athleticism. Clare is in training and demanded a hill to run up. The tiny settlement of Nigg, on the Cromarty Firth, obliged this morning. The return to the Black Isle region was motivated largely by my desire to get more photographs of it, particularly of this firth thanks to its collection of old oil rigs and vessels that are either mothballed or being decommissioned. It’s proof that industry need not wreck a landscape.

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Dec 03 2022
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

World’s steepest street? (candidate)

Friday 2nd December 2022, 2.45pm (day 4,117)

Marlborough Street, 2/12/22

When I was in Dunedin, New Zealand, almost ten years ago, I saw a street, Baldwin Street, that claims it is the ‘World’s Steepest Street’. And it certainly was very steep, particularly at one end. However, taken as a whole, the gradient of the street from start to finish cannot have been a great deal more, and was possibly less, than Marlborough Street in Hebden Bridge, which I walk down (never up…) on occasion and can attest to the fact that it is very steep indeed. I have tried now and then to get a photo that really captures the gradient but before this one have never been happy enough to post one, however, today’s can make it. I do feel that the Guinness Book of Records people should really come and settle the question. Hebden Bridge or Dunedin? I pose the challenge. (I’m sure you know of a steeper one in Italy, say, but let me dream.)

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Nov 15 2022
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Daily Post, Landscape

Dull day

Monday 14th November 2022, 10.05am (day 4,099)

Dull day, 14/11/12

A dull day in every sense. The glorious sunshine that we experienced on Saturday has been replaced by grey mist and drizzle. This explains a lot about the British psyche. Don’t get used to it being nice, because within a couple of days it’ll all turn to crud again.

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Mar 14 2022
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Daily Post, Urban scene

The Mytholmroyd salt mines

Monday 14th March 2022, 3.25pm (day 3,854)

Salt mines, 14/3/22

Salt stores were once kept in order to preserve food: a matter of life and death, hundreds of years ago. Nowadays we use them to grit the roads — and not even that much, in this relatively mild winter. But I guess this monumental pile of sodium chloride will last until next year, if needed then.

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Nov 14 2021
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Daily Post, Landscape

Ladder Hill, from afar

Saturday 13th November 2021, 12.30pm (day 3,733)

Ladder Hill, 13/11/21

Sunshine has actually been at a premium thus far, and I’ve been waiting to give you more of the panorama from my place of incarceration until the light gets better. But a burst of it after lunch did today illuminate the distant Ladder Hill. So named as it is the top of Jacob’s Ladder, visible heading down to the right — an infamous 700-step climb up from Jamestown below. People run up this for fun, so I’ve been told. Rest assured that once I get out of here, I shall not be joining them.

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Mar 06 2021
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

On the hillside

Saturday 6th March 2021, 2.30pm (day 3,481)

Sheep on hillside, 6/3/21

As we approach the first anniversary of the Great Fear, Saturdays have largely become the most uneventful day of the week. My activity, or otherwise, on them has become governed by the weather. This aftenroon was very pleasant — so out I went. The local sheep population had a spring in its step, too.

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Sep 06 2020
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

Hebden hillside

Sunday 6th September 2020, 2.05pm (day 3,300)

Hebden hillside, 6/9/20

Hebden Bridge does have its verticals, and we don’t normally see the sight depicted here as our house lies a (scale) inch or so off to the left of this shot.  This was taken from the other side of the valley, on the Heptonstall road.

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Aug 20 2020
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Daily Post, Landscape

The Wrekin in mist

Tuesday 18th August 2020, 5.10pm (day 3,281)

The Wrekin, 18/8/20

This would be a nicer photo without the bushes in front, but I took it from a car, stopped in the middle of a road, in order to capture the sight of this hill wreathed in mist.  This is the Wrekin, a well-known protuberance in Shropshire, and one that Clare and I had just hauled ourselves up in weather much like this — on occasion there was mist and cloud, in other parts, clear skies. Another County Top done, anyway.

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