Taking a little latitude
The Puppini Sisters! Bill Bailey! and More!
That’s the weekend of 13-15 July spoken for, then - I’m off to Latitude.
Poor planning
Being unwell yesterday I didn’t eat. Well, just a nibble.
<digression>Went to visit Dad today and watched him eat his lunch (soup, roast beef dinner and a rhubarby thing with lashings of custard, if you’re interested). Left him to watch the rugby - still don’t know where this interest has suddenly come from - and popped in on A Woman. We went for a spin in her new car, although she turned tail when we were heading towards black clouds.
Competition Entries
‘im oop nawth: 2,222 miles
Murph: 2,300 miles
Andy Bantock: 2,375 miles
The Bishop: 2,450 miles
Tall Andy: 2,495 miles
Lyle: 2,600 miles
Anyone else? Leave your guess here.
I love it when a plan comes together
The plan for the Grand Tour are coming together. The plan so far:
- 10th: Aaalburgh - Lyme Bay
- Visit the most easterly point at Lowestoft en route
- 11th: Lyme Bay - Tintagel
- Visit the most southerly point, The Lizard, en route
- 12th: Tintagel - Torchwood Town
- Saves the cost of one night’s overnight accommodation
- 13th: Torchwood Town - Lancaster
- 14th: Lake District
- In and around the Lake District - if fine, I’ll visit the Ravenglass & Eskdale railway.
- 15th: Lancaster - Skye
- 16th: on Skye
- Visit the most westerly point, near Milovaig
- 17th: Skye - Inverness
- 18th: Inverness and parts North
- Up to Dunnet Head (the most northerly point) before returning to Inverness
- 19th Inverness - Edinburgh
- I’ll hopefully get to meet up with the elusive Croila and Wee D - although something will come up to prevent this if previous attempts at a rendezvous are any guide.
- 20th Edinburgh - York
- I like York
- 21st York - Aaalburgh
- There’ll be a pile of washing to do and a fortnight’s blog posts to catch up on on the 22nd before I go back to work on the 23rd.
“Plan” is overstating things a little, I admit, as this schedule will change based on the weather and/or driving conditions. I won’t be pre-booking any accommodation and the locations mentioned are only approximate.
With so much up in the air, then, I feel it’s a perfect opportunity for A COMPETITION.
Your challenge is to guess my mileage for the whole trip. Here’s the overall map.
I’ve told you my approximate route and I can give you the following pointers (the two mileage figures are the shortest and quickest routes according to http://local.live.com):
- Aaalburgh to Lowestoft is between 37.1 and 45 miles
- Lowestoft to The Lizard is 411.4 - 424.9 miles
- The Lizard to Tintagel is 61.6 - 64.4 miles
- Tintagel to Ravenglass is 401.6 - 405.6 miles
- Ravenglass to Milovaig is 353.3 - 385.3 miles
- Milovaig to Dunnet Head is 229.7 - 235.0 miles
- Dunnet Head to Aaalbugh is 622.1 - 650.5 miles
Excluding my two days’ of pottering around in the Lake District and on Skye, then, my poor Sirion’s going to have its odometer increased by a minimum of 2,100 miles.
There will, of course, be a fabulous prize of some description for the closest estimate. Mileage will start and end outside Aaalburgh Town Hall, as per the map.
Put your guesses in the comments. As I’ll be offline from the 10th to the 21st, entries must be in before I arrive home.
Not The 59th Street Bridge Song
I’ve been feeling decidedly ungroovy today - feverish and sickly with a blinding headache - although it does seem to be lifting now. It could be that pre-symptoms were the cause of last night’s trip down being such an ordeal (especially when I realise that it only actually took me five hours). Yep, must have been that.
I’m hoping that it does clear up as I’ve not felt well enough to drive. It’s just as well this is a long weekend as I’ve not actually been to visit Stalag Pentwyn.
The slightly irritating thing is that today has been (according to the forecast, at least) the last day of fine weather for a while.
Did I mention I start two weeks’ holiday on Thursday? I can imagine the photos now:
- “The Lizard as seen from inside the car through a wet windscreen.”
- “Tintagel Castle as seen from inside the car through a wet windscreen.”
- “The Isle of Skye as seen from inside the car through a wet windscreen.”
et cetera.
I’d go on but the screen is making my eyes scream.
Disenfranchisement - about time too
I don’t know why there’s such a fuss about the volume of spoiled papers in the Scottish elections on Thursday.
I’m sorry, but if you’re not bright enough to read and follow the instructions on your ballot paper, you’re not bright enough to have a say in the political make-up of your parliament.
Must. Update. Before. Sleep.
So. Tired.
Bad. Idea. To. Drive. On. Bank. Holiday. Weekend.
What. Idiot. Decided. To. Close. A14?1
Lots. Of. Birds. This. Morning: Greenfinch. Blue. Tit. Others.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
1 Oops - see comments