This afternoon digitised a few more of my old b&w negatives. These two were taken on 5*4in neg film of underground reservoirs using the open flash technique. I set the camera up on a tripod and opened the shutter then walked round the scene to set off several electronic flashes. Because there is no other light a single flashgun can be use several times.

This morning I drove to Fort William, parked the car in Glen Nevis and walked up Ben Nevis (1,344 metres high 4,408 feet) for the first time in almost 30 years. The weather was cloudy and rain but the path was good and not much wind. I was up in less than 2 ½ hours and had a look round the ruins of the old meteorological observatory that was manned from 1883 to 1904.

in 1911 a Model T Ford was driven to the summit of Ben Nevis

the Observatory about 1900

the Ben Nevis Observatory ruins this afternoon

this photo of me was taken by Charlie as we climbed
to the summit of Ben Nevis on Fri 11 Dec 1981.
The summit is up the steep ridge in the top right of the picture!

This is one I took earlier!
A night photo taken from a summit camp on Ben Nevis on Fri 11 Dec 1981.

The Blue Lagoon reservoir at Belmont is now full again (the view this morning)

the same view a month ago on 26 Jun2 1010

I was out for a cycle ride over Belmont and back through Brinscall. The reservoir is supposed to be kept empty for safety reasons but it is now full. In Brinscall a new carved stone gateway feature has been completed at the bottom School Lane. A Church used to be on the site.

a delightful frog keeps guard

the stone gateway where the Church used to be.

The first part of the day was forecast to be dry so I took advantage of a light wind and little traffic to explore some of the lanes round Ashurst’s Beacon and Parbold. I’d not cycled on some of the lanes before.

Cycling through Parbold this is the view of the Leeds & Liverpool canal from the bridge

I took this snap of the railway crossing at Parbold Station.
It is a merge of 3 images so the rails look curved, but they are straight.

This mornings cycle route

Profile of the route. The steeper climb just over half way is Hunter's Hill

While passing along Dark Lane, Whittle-le-Woods I had a look at the refurbishment works going on in the old lodge house or Wap House. While I had access to the private grounds of the old Howard Arms I had a look at the original Lion and circular Monkey House.

The original Whittle Springs Well still issuing water in Spring Mews

The Monkey House interior

Heavy rain didn’t deter members of Chorley Historical and Archaeological Society from a conducted tour of Bank Hall and the grounds. The tour was conducted by Lionel Taylor who gave us a journey through time to explain the hall’s history and also their plans for the future. The main unexpected bonus was the tour of the extensive grounds and its many plant and trees.

hardy visitors in the rain

Bank Hall today

Bank Hall around 1860

Lancashire's oldest yew c1580

the 1832 clock mechanism

Probably the most fascinating was Lancashire’s oldest yew which dates back to about 1580. Another gem was the remaining mechanism of the clock which was originally housed in the clock tower. The cogs and wheels were manufactured by John Alker during the 1831 restoration.

Bank Hall

The garden wall was originally heated

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during the day I walked over the fells near Haweswater.
After a lot of rain this is the view I got of the reservoir.

another view of Haweswater reservoir

My son Steve had the day leave from work so at lunchtime we drove to the Chapel Café restaurant at Rivington for lunch. After the meal we walked through the old graveyard to the green where the stocks are still located. The weather was very overcast with flat lighting but it was still worth a photo.

Yes, I know its not long since I put this view on my blog (Sun 28 Jun 2010) but I thought this evening's view was better because of the more interesting sky.

This evening was the opening of the Chorley Photographic Society annual exhibition at Astley Hall, Chorley. It was opened by Norman Thompson the ex-president of the L.C.P.U. (Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union)

Norman Thompson and Glyn Davies

Further along the coast I took another photo which was almost nothing but subtle shades of blue. So I decided to convert it to black and white. This image is 2 photos stitched together.

This evening drove to Rivington to join the Chorley Photographic Society photo outing. Some late evening sunshine broke through low cloud to illuminate the hill of Rivington Pike to the left and the Winter Hill transmitter mast to the right.
It illustrates two different communication methods spanning over 800 years. The high ground of the Pike has been used for beacons since the 12th century and a beacon was lit to warn of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Since then beacons have been lit mostly as celebrations, including the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1977.

Rivington Pike and the Winter Hill
transmitter mast

The Winter Hill transmitter mast behind was erected in 1965 to replace an earlier mast from the mid 1950s. It is 309m (1,015ft) high and although not the tallest mast in the UK it is located on higher ground making it the highest television transmitting antenna in the UK. The top of the mast is 778m (2,553ft) above sea level.

The Castle ruins at Rivington. They are a replica of Liverpool Castle.

Walked to Withnell Fold then got a lift to Mellor Brook for the monthly walk with Withnell Fold Sports and Social Club. We walked across fields and through woods to the River Ribble then back via Osbaldeston Hall. The total distance was 7.5miles.

Crossing the brook in Mercyfield Wood

Osbaldeston Hall

Set off at 7am to cycle to Halifax by a different route than last Tue 29 June when I cycled over the Blackstone Edge road. This time I used the same route through Bolton Bury and Rochdale but then headed through Milnrow and followed the A640 over Crompton Moor, down in to Denshaw and then the up climb over Denshaw Moor. I stopped at the Dowry Reservoir to take a panoramic photo before continuing. The ride over Buckstones Moss is an excellent ride because of the superb views in good weather. I took the B6114 over the M62. I zoomed down a very long descent into Greetland then north into Halifax.

an impressive view of the M62 from the B6114 at Scammonden

I was checking my watch as I rode as it was 10:15am and I knew there was a train in a few minutes. I reached the railway station with about 5mins to go and bought a £9.10 single ticket to Preston. There were lots of people and children waiting at the station, presumably heading for Blackpool for a day out. By the time I reached Preston the train was packed and I had a bit of trouble getting my bike off over the prams and children.

Dowry reservoir above Denshaw

an unfinished millstone on the moors above White Coppice

White Coppice cricket field from the car park

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After a very dry spring we've had a few days of welcome wet weather. This photo was taken during my walk along Kem Mill Lane this morning. It was raining at the time.

the cricket field and St John's Church, Whittle-le-Woods