Crossing the M60 at Failsworth

Lunch at the Penistone chippy

Waiting for the train at Penistone

Altitude profile

Out for a morning cycle ride via Dinkley Bridge over the River Ribble, then to Stonyhurst and back over Longridge Fell, Ribchester and Mellor. Mixed weather with some rain.

Dinkley Footbridge over the River Ribble

Dinkley Footbridge constructed by Lancashire County Council and opened to the public by County Alderman Sir Frederick Hindle Chairman Highways and Bridges Committee October 10th 1951

Stonyhurst College founded in 1593

Hurst Green

Lady Statue at the top of the Avenue connecting Stonyhurst College with Hurst Green. Erected in 1882, and inscribed with the legend Ave Maria, "Hail Mary"

This Cross was erected in 1834 and is a memorial to a James Wells a former servant at Stonyhurst College who fell to his death in a quarry nearby. On the front is inscribed, ‘WATCH FOR YOU KNOW NOT THE DAY NOR HOUR.’ Above this is written, ‘OFT EVENINGS GLAD MAKE MORNINGS SAD’. On the left is ‘PRAY FOR THE SOUL OF JAMES WELLS’ and on the right, ‘DIED FEB. 12TH, 1834’.

St Saviours Church flying St George's flag and Ribchester Museum in the foreground.
The Roman site at Ribchester, Bremetennacum Veteranorum, comprised a fort and civilian settlement or vicus. The earliest Roman fort in Ribchester was established in the early 70s AD as part of a network of defensive forts across northern Britannia. Originally of turf and timber construction, the fort was rebuilt in stone in the mid first century AD.

Withnell Fold Sports and Social Club. I'm about to show the 'Fine Papermaking at Withnell Fold' film originally made around 1963 by Kenneth Whitehead and Hugh Howorth. It's great to give the film a showing and let people see  the working Paper Mill that is now long gone and mostly demolished. It closed in Dec 1967. The original 16mm film was donated to the North West Film Archive in Manchester and converted by them to DVD.

Waiting for the train home. The Railway Station at Skegness.

St Botolph's Church Boston, Lincolnshire. It is famous for its tall tower, known as the Boston Stump.
The church is also known as a calendar church as the roof is supported by 12 pillars (months), it is lit by 52 windows and there are seven doors. 365 steps lead to the top of the tower. There are 24 steps to the library and 60 steps to the roof.

Cycling through Matlock on my way to Newark I stopped to have a look at the impressive park in the town centre.

Newark Castle, in Newark, in the English county of Nottinghamshire was founded in the mid 12th century by Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln. Originally a timber castle, it was rebuilt in stone towards the end of the century. Dismantled in the 17th century after the English Civil War, the castle was restored in the 19th century, first by Anthony Salvin in the 1840s and then by the corporation of Newark who bought the site in 1889. The Gilstrap Heritage Centre is a free-admission museum in the castle grounds about the history of the town of Newark.
Source - Wikipedia

By Johnson's Hillock locks on the Leeds and Liverpool canal are several information plates in 3d. These were installed some years ago to show blind people how the locks work.

Bostadh Iron Age reconstructed house, Bernera, Isle Of Lewis. The reconstructed house was erected in 1998/9. It is based on a nearby excavated Norse settlement from around 500 AD

Aird Grodanais boulder, South Harris Outer Hebrides. Overlooking the Sound of Taransay.

A rainy and windy ferry crossing from the Isle of Skye to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides.

The ferry arrives at Tarbert

This afternoon out for cycle ride on my recently re-built Merlin bike. The frame is the original 1966 version built with Reynolds 531 butted tubes. All the other equipment, with the exception of the brake callipers, is modern. I rebuilt it as a fair weather bike as it has no mudguards. Since completing the cabling last year there hasn’t been any suitable dry days.

My bike propped up on the Withnell / Hoghton boundary stone, A674

Out for a cycle ride via Charnock Richard. While riding past Park Hall I noticed the Camelot Theme Park looking more like an abandoned prisoner of war camp.

Riding through Eccleston I saw The Windmill Inn with its colourful painting of local cyclist Bradley Wiggins on the side wall. Unfortunately the front of the pub was boarded up and didn’t look open for business.

I had a pleasant drive through a cold sunny and clear morning to Roche Abbey, SE of Rotherham. I’d visited the Abbey a couple of months ago when passing on a bike ride. As the grounds were closed for the winter I was only able to see it from the surrounding fence. It is now open and I thought the £3.10 entrance fee was reasonable for such a large area of remains. The original Abbey was founded in 1147 and probably of wooden construction. About 20 years later the stone version was commenced. During its first century its community was small compared with many other monasteries, probably about 175 men. In comparison Rievaulx had 600 men and Fountains with 350.

Wide view of Roche Abbey and the grounds

The tomb of Peryn of Doncaster, one of several lay-people buried in the nave.

13th century illustration of monk
and pupils at his feet

View of the Abbey around 1730

The first flight over Mt Everest 03 Apr 1933

Charles Hamilton

Alex Miller and the 1368 document

The 1368 indenture document (in latin)

Beautiful handwriting from 1719