Monday 21 April 2014

Consett To Broom Park - Cycle Ride

Later this year the people who volunteer for the sustainable transport charity Sustrans in the north east are getting together for a weekend away. This "Festivol" will include a number of organised cycle rides. My wife, Carol, is the coordinator of the local Coast to Coast (C2C)  group of Sustrans rangers, and we agreed to lead one of the rides.

Prior to any organised Sustrans event you have to recce the route and note any possible hazards, before completing a risk assessment.

Accordingly, this weekend we rode the proposed route, from Consett towards Langley Park along the Lanchester Valley path, over the ridge there and down onto the Deerness Valley path to Broompark, near Durham, and so back along the Lanchester path to Consett.

The route, designed by fellow Sustrans Ranger Doug Ridgway, can be seen here


Coffee stop at a recently opened and very nice cafe in Langley Park - a place coming up in the world


The route climbs high above Langley Park and this photo shows a view across the town, with new houses in the foreground. Carol's uncle was a miner at the pit in Langley Park, he would be very surprised to see what has happened here, were he able to return.

The route follows the Deerness Valley path to beyond Broompark, where there was a complex railway intersection, Relly Mill Junction. Traffic free paths now occupy most of the old lines, but the East Coast Main Line still passes through near to this point.


We had come down the Deerness Valley from the rear centre of this photo, and would be continuing along towards Lanchester. The path off to the left goes to Bishop Auckland, while that to the right leads through a car park and into Durham City via Neville's Cross. Later on there is a better traffic free route into the city. 

The disused railway lines in north east England  provide a wonderful network of safe cycle paths.

The scenery along the Lanchester Valley path looks lovely when the sun shines. Not everyone likes the strong yellow colour of oil seed rape, but I think it makes an attractive picture.


Lanchester is the place to live in these parts, never a pit village and with an adjacent Roman Fort, it is one of the nicer spots in Co. Durham. 


We returned along the Lanchester Valley path to Lygett's Junction ( another old railway intersection), just outside Consett.


Nothing now remains of the once extensive steelworks at Consett, save two old bogie ladle wagons.


Terris Novalis a stainless steel sculpture depicting a level and theodolite, complete with obliging resting cyclist, Consett.

Sony NEX 6 16-50 Sony lens









Wednesday 16 April 2014

Great North Steam Fair - Beamish Museum 2014

I try to get along to this annual event every year, and look out for new things to photograph, so not many steam machine shots this time!


Four different varieties of steam wagon.


Tried my hand at panning - need to use a slightly lower shutter speed - despite choosing ISO 100 and f8, the background blur is not as pronounced as I would have liked. Probably needs to be sub 1/100th for these relatively slow vehicles. I believe that this is a 1903 Ariel motorcycle.


Hold on to your hat, 1927 Star Motors car


Smiling lady cyclist on vintage bicycle, my favourite shot of the day.


Meccano models of the locos that competed in the Rainhill Trials by Fred Thompson

Sony NEX 6, probably Pentax 28mm f3.5 K and (Samsung) 35mm f2