The view of Halifax from its northern districts (Illingworth, Holmfield) is as good as one could probably expect of the place. The kids attending Trinity Academy school get this all the time, in fact. Wainhouse Tower, the world’s tallest folly (official), makes at least its fourth appearance on here.
The Pennines are, definitely, the vertebrae of Britain (supporting the large, shaggy head that is Scotland). And today I, definitely, walked from one side of them to the other, starting a hike in Greenfield on the west and ending it in Marsden to the east: with the town seen in the background here being Huddersfield. Today, therefore, I definitely crossed England, in watershed terms anyway. The two guys seen here may or may not have done the same.
Can I note, though, that a lot of England’s spine is comprised of peaty, boggy shit. Get it cleaned up, England!
It’s been over a month since I categorised a post as ‘Landscape’, which may suggest I’ve not been getting out much, but I did find an excuse to hang out in Rochdale on this pleasant, bright evening. As might be obvious, this is taken with a very long zoom, and I like the way the shot suggests a random collection of objects kind of poking out of various bits of land (note the antenna skulking around at the very back hoping nobody notices it). The tower on the right is not that of a church, but of Rochdale’s magnificent Town Hall. What the red-and-blue arrangement to the left is — you tell me.
Today marks the end of the 12th full year that I have been doing this blog. In that time I have engaged in plenty of travelling, though there’s been less of that in recent years, for various reasons. But the attractions of my local area are still just about enough to sustain the interest. For now, I’m carrying on…. year 13 starts tomorrow.
Buxton is the highest town (as opposed to village) in Britain, parts of it being over 1,000 feet up. Which, I know, is not high by (say) Alpine standards, but the latitude is a factor — in June 1975, snowfall was recorded here. Not today though, fortunately. The famous, and now-restored, Crescent has appeared on here before: the dome is that of the Opera House.
Taken from the early stages of a walk that was finished fifteen or so miles to the west, in Macclesfield — more to come later on another blog…
An abstract, really; going monochrome also disguises a main feature of the shot, the impressively blue skies, reflecting another day of pleasantly Mediterranean weather. But this one is about the shapes and the textures.
A walk around the Todmorden area today gave me the chance to see from above the railway line on which I travel frequently to Manchester. The settlement is certainly packed into this narrow valley at this point, isn’t it. But the railway somehow dominates, like it’s the thing that really controls the transport here.
This is the fourth shot in a row taken outside of Hebden Bridge. The last time that happened was over Christmas, in Norfolk — and the time before that, early October. This says a lot about the last few months.
Pecket Well is one of the little settlements up on the hilltops above town. Architecturally, it probably hasn’t changed much in a while. Though if that fire was not kept under control it might have lost a barn yesterday.
Of course, this is not a model, it is a real landscape above the (awkwardly-named) town of Penistone, in South Yorkshire. But though there area actually two large turbines to the right, it sure looks to me like one is the shadow of the other, cast on the backcloth of a diorama built in a shoe box, or something. And the patchwork of frost and field, the general graininess of the picture…. seems fake to me. Perhaps there is a model railway below, just out of shot.
This ersatz life continues. Walking is about the only entertainment available — at least, the only one that should be depicted on here. The monument on Stoodley Pike has featured several times on this blog (follow the tag); the houses are the northern end of Heptonstall; and last week’s snow has all gone, for now.
Being 42 