BRIAN REID PHOTOGRAPHER
Off to Iberia Day 5 - San Sebastian
San Sebastian, classic Basque city around a bay of golden sand. Imagine what it would be in sunshine. Just joking. The day started drizzly but cleared pretty quickly. My plan was to take a bus ride to the Monte Igueldo funicular to start the day and then focus on the old city. The train was surprisingly busy for 9:45 on a Sunday morning and swept me into Amara-Donostia station in half an hour, a...
Off to Iberia Day 4 - Viva Espagna
“What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours…”, sing along! I must repeat something I say, that is, I will never complain about the weather I just observe it. Yesterday, bright sunshine and a brisk wind, today complete overcast and some very heavy showers. The good news, it was not a sight seeing day but a 7 hour run from La Rochelle to Irun in the Basque country of Spain to start the core element...
Off to Iberia Day 3 - Across the Vendée to La Rochelle
The reason that these first couple of days have included only cursory stops is that I have explored these areas on previous trips and the focus is on getting to Spain quickly but still enjoying a little French hospitality along the way. So today was the run to La Rochelle with a loop through the Vendée to enjoy a couple of coastal resorts where I have spent time in the past, namely St Gilles Croix...
Off to Iberia Day 2 - I was Quiberon Bound
It was a gentle but not very exciting run across the Brittany peninsula from the Normandy coast at Ouistreham to Quiberon on the north coast of the Bay of Biscay. A compulsory stop for coffee and a madeleine while looking at the Mont St Michel was required. I have visited the biscuiterie a couple of times and the fresh warm madeleines and excellent coffee make a slight, very slight, detour justified....
Off to Iberia Day 1 - Ferry from Portsmouth to Ouistreham
So it is off on a road trip down to Spain. An outline map is here. I am always excited to be on the road in the opportunity to encounter unexpected sights and sometimes unexpected people. The Brittany Ferries service from Portsmouth to Ouistreham has served me well over the past two years and seems to be doing fine as I write this while crossing the channel again. The ferry is not busy and when I...
Clearing the Data Cards
Time to clear my data cards for my off on a road trip down to Spain. An outline map is here. In fact there has been a variety of things to see over the past week. The biggest set of images is from Anglesey Abbey yesterday where “Wild in Art” statues are in place again for a month. This time the theme is the “Wind in the Willows” with four key characters represented. Another recent location, this...
Moggerhanger 1 April 2026
Welcome to the monthly music session in Moggerhanger Village Hall. The evening was incredibly well attended and quite a challenge for Richard to manage. No tech problems and no missed performers this month although we had to postpone the end of evening thrash till next month. I have edited the video in two parts, as on the night, and they can be found here. I have added a couple of photos below to...
Mainly Gardens
My walks over the past few days have been largely in gardens. The great-crested grebe is nesting in the Swiss Garden in a very accessible location as are the greylag geese at the Lodge. The cherry tree by the stable block is a treat at this time of the year. As an aside, my first location at the Lodge was by the windows below the clock. The remainder of the post contains images from the Cambridge...
I Do Like to Be Beside The Seaside!
Time for a visit to a new place, for me, at the seaside, Dovercourt in Essex. I have been close by when taking the ferry from and to Harwich which is essentially the same location but on the other side of the peninsula. My pal, Paul Langshaw, and I talked about a visit at the end of last year with a specific focus on the ‘leading light’ pair of lighthouses, built in the 1860s and used up to 1917...
Around and About
I’ve had a very enjoyable few days visiting some of my less visited locations, benefiting from the spring weather. The photos are from Wimpole Estate to start where the parterre is bare. A notice implied it was being ‘attacked’ with a herbicide, indicating to me that there has been problem. Still the view to the folly meant it was not a completely wasted trip. Next up are some of the riverside cottages...