Tag Archives: Calder Valley

2nd December picture of the day…

02 Saturday Dec 2023

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I can’t quite believe that we’re in the final month of 2023 and the festive season is just a few weeks away. Where’s the year gone? Admittedly, part of me is impatient to see the back of 2023. It’s not been a vintage year and 2024 offers the possibility of getting rid of this corrupt, shambolic Government once and for all – before they do even more damage. Sunak’s had his chance. He had the opportunity to prove he wasn’t like Johnson. Problem is, he was more like Truss! The Tories are staring into the electoral abyss but all Sunak can do is listen to the wrong people whilst showing he doesn’t really give a damn about the UK or its future. It’s all an egotistical game to him. His levels of posturing and game playing are off the scale whilst he ignores the real issues that matter.

Political pondering aside the vast majority of my day has been spent wearing my (metaphorical) nurses uniform as Dawn’s once more fallen foul of the lurgi that’s bedeviled her for the past few weeks. So, today’s been a day where I’ve been occupied with shopping, cooking and being on-call to supply a stream of hot drinks, snacks and suchlike to Dee whilst she’s been in her sickbed. Mind you, it’s been a good day to be confined to barracks. The snow that arrived the other day hasn’t really gone anywhere due to the freezing temperatures. A day of sunshine has helped clear some of the pavements but many are still treacherous. More snow is on the way according to the forecast, so I’m glad I’ve spent time cooking and topping up the freezer with a variety of spicy delights – just in case.

Now, having kept myself busy with all manner of tasks it’s time to wind down with a glass of wine and select today’s picture. What to choose? How about this, from my brief visit to London earlier in the week.

The Caledonian sleeper sits at Euston station on a rainy Sunday night before beginning its journey to Scotland. This is 1S25, the 21:15 from London Euston. The train divides at Edinburgh where it splits into separate portions to Inverness and Fort William. The train’s hauled by a Class 92 locomotive. 46 were ordered by British Rail to haul heavy freight trains through the channel tunnel but were always sadly under-used, Many have now moved abroad to Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania. A few, like this one, have been bought by GBRf to provide traction for the Caledonian Sleeper.

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If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

12th November picture of the day…

12 Sunday Nov 2023

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The end of another week here at Bigland Towers and it’s been one of my most inactive for quite some time. By inactive I mean spending more time indoors at home than being out and about. I’ve problems with an elbow which has been cramping my style. I’ve no idea what I’ve done or how I’ve done it but it’s restricting my camera arm. Hopefully, now I have a physio appointment booked I can get it sorted out.

The awful weather we’ve been having hasn’t exactly encouraged me to get out much either apart from a couple of brief forays. Instead, I’ve been catching up with paperwork and picture editing in the comfort of my office. The only occupational hazard here is risking developing corns on my bum from all the sitting I’m doing. I’m not used to being this confined at all. To add to the ‘fun’ the Met Office has issued a new storm warning for this neck of the woods. Apparently, storm Debi is on its way, bringing high winds and (surprise, surprise) yet more rain. Just what we need when it’s hardly stopped all day! Getting to Nottingham tomorrow for the annual Community Rail Network conference may prove interesting…

In the meantime, here’s a picture of something I’ve not been able to see at all today. The other side of the Calder Valley and beyond – and certainly not with skies like this!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

10th September picture of the day…

10 Sunday Sep 2023

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We’ve had a mixed weekend here back at Bigland Towers. Much of the time’s been taken up with catching up on daily chores that have been neglected after a week away. The one item missing from our accommodation was a washing machine, so ours has been working overtime to process a weeks work of dirty clothing. Thankfully, the sunny weather continued over Saturday, which was probably the hottest day we’ve had here in the Calder Valley this year. The pair of us were too busy to venture far but we did manage a wander into Sowerby Bridge to pick up some shopping, stop for a quick drink, then wander back along the canal. I even managed to nip out for a few games of pool and catch-up with friends before returning to evening cooking duty when I experimented with a new Thai recipe.

Today’s been in similar vein with the exception that Dee’s been out most of the day at a relaxation and meditation course whilst I’ve stayed at home to wade through more washing and get stuck into editing the hundreds of pictures I took whilst we were away but which haven’t (yet) made it onto my Zenfolio website. I’m making good progress and many of them will appear by tomorrow.

I still managed to get my daily constitutional in and 12.5k steps but it was a close run thing as the weather really has turned the afternoon. I’d hung around until late in the afternoon before getting out and just managed to dodge a heavy shower. That said, we’ve escaped the storms that seem to have hit to the North and South of us. all we’ve had is a few mild rumbles of thunder, but (disappointingly) no lightning – otherwise I’d have had the camera out as I love a good storm. Today’s picture is an illustration of all the weather offered us, hardly dramatic compared to some pictures I’ve seen.

Here comes the rain again…

Now I’m typing this listening to more distant rumbles of thunder as storms are moving through our area this evening but they’re still failing on the pyrotechnic front. Tomorrow’s going to be another day stuck at home as I’ve a load of eBay sales to dispatch, pictures to edit and stuff to sort out for later in the week. It’s the National Rail Awards on Thursday, so it’s time to dust off the Tuxedo…

See you tomorrow!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

14th August picture (and video) of the day…

14 Monday Aug 2023

Posted by in Calder Valley, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, West Yorkshire

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Another soggy week begins here at Bigland Towers atop the Calder Valley. Today the scanners of seaweed and tappers of barometers got it spot on – although I wish they hadn’t. The rain’s been persisting down and for most of the day we’ve hardly been able to see the other side of the valley apart form the odd break when the sun’s toyed with us for a few tempting moments. August has followed July in the path of being an extremely wet month. I’ve no ide how much rainfall’s fallen so far but it must be getting on for a record.

I’d already planned accordingly so I had plenty to keep me occupied indoors. First job was so complete updating my Zenfolio website with the hundreds of new pictures I took last week. You can find which galleries they’re in by following this link to the ‘recents’ section. Having all the pictures captioned and filed I could concentrate on writing for a living, researching and scribbling my next RAIL article on the Blyth and Tyne railway. I enjoy writing these articles because – despite them needing extensive research, that investigation means that I get to learn things too. I also get to discover old videos that sometimes divert me, like this one of Blyth Cambois loco depot on the day it closed in 1994.

Here’s how the depot site looks today…

Oh, that’s not today’s picture by the way – I have something better to offer than a flattened depot – honest!

Having spent most of today type-swiping I did get in my daily constitutional – even it has to be broken up into several short walks in between heavy showers although I do enjoy walking through our local woodlands after heavy rain. There’s a wonderful freshness in the air which is combined with the smell of wet leaves and damp earth. What’s not so wonderful is wading through the torrents of water running down the road. Due to repeated Government cuts to council funding nearly all the grids on our road are silted up as they’ve not been cleared out for years, leaving the drains blocked and unable to cope. There’s a downhill run of around half a mile past our cottage to Scarr woods so that torrent’s almost a river by the time it hits an even steeper hill and road to the valley floor.

Now it’s late and time for me to call it a day as I want an early start tomorrow to fit in everything I need to do. All that remains is to leave you with today’s image which was taken earlier this evening as I was watching more stormy weather approach us from across the valley. Our vantage point up on the valley side offers fantastic views like this which I never tire of as they’re constantly changing thanks to the weather and the change of the seasons.

Who knows how the valley will look tomorrow morning…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

18th July picture of the day…

18 Tuesday Jul 2023

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It’s been another varied day here at Bigland Towers – well, apart from the weather – which has stayed uniformly awful, leaving the valley sodden and the skies leaden. Not that it impacted on my morning as a lot of it was spent on a Community Rail Network webinar where myself and many of my fellow awards judges were available to discuss next years awards and how people who wanted to compete could maximise the impact of their entries. It was a very good session with lots of people taking part, which is always good to see. Having direct access to the judges and being able to hear from them first hand on what makes a good application is something few organisations do.

Webinar over and with the rain having abated I walked into Halifax to pick up my new glasses. I must admit, I was rather excited, mainly because I’ve deviated from the style I’ve worn for some time. I’m finding the new, rounder glasses really good as my upward field of vision’s improved. I’m looking forward to trying them out with the camera – oh, and playing pool at one of our local sessions. I’d found my old-style glasses restricted my vision on long-shots so I’m curious to see if these new ‘bins’ help. Those of a certain age and interest may remember the 1980s snooker player Dennis Taylor who had glasses made especially so they sat high on this face to allow him to see the far ends of snooker tables. I’ve nothing that extreme (thank God!) but the principle’s the same. Of course, if they do help that’s the end of that excuse for a lousy shot!

My foray into Halifax also allowed me to get my full complement of exercise steps in today, a feat the recent weather’s make very difficult some days – unless one wants to resemble a drowned rat. Hopefully, I may be able to sally forth with the camera tomorrow when the weather improves and begin to tick off some of the locations requested by a client. I have a choice – East or West. At the moment to forecast is suggesting West may be the better option and camera capers always end up with me clocking up the footfall miles.

For now, I’ll leave you with today’s picture. I don’t often post pictures of yours truly, but today’s an exception. Here’s the new look which will be complete just as soon as I’ve had a haircut!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

9th July picture(s) of the day…

09 Sunday Jul 2023

Posted by in Calder Valley, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel, West Yorkshire

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Following yesterday’s less than athletic day this morning we decided to make the most of Sunday by walking from Sowerby Bridge to Hebden Bridge along the Rochdale canal – a walk we’ve not done together for ages. I packed us a *teacake lunch to take with us and we set off in gorgeous weather but in the knowledge thunderstorms were predicted for later in the day.

It was a lovely walk but the bizarre thing was that we didn’t see a single boat movement along the entire stretch of the canal. There were a few hired narrowboats around that were making their way back to the base at Sowerby Bridge, but there wasn’t a single boat that wasn’t moored up. The only action the canal saw (apart from one family in a canoe) was on the towpath which was busy with walkers and cyclists. Oh, and a bat. We couldn’t believe it when we first spotted the little critter on a stretch of the canal surrounded by woodland. But there it was – bold as brass – in the middle of the afternoon, circling and pirouetting over small section of canal as it chased and caught insects for lunch. I’ve seen Fruit Bats in Asia out during the day, but I’ve never seen British bats feeding like this. I couldn’t get any decent pictures, but I did manage to capture this video on my phone. Not easy!

Having stopped to eat a sandwich and watch the world go by at one of the locks East of Mytholmroyd we wer fortified enough to continue the walk into Hebden which was busy but not oppressively so. We explored some of the shops and main street before stopping to buy a drink at the White Swan pub then sit outside on the banks of the Hebden Beck to indulge in a spot of people watching.

Time flew. Before we knew it the weather had turned and the sky had darkened as the Thunderstorms predicted earlier headed our way. We’d already walked a fair distance so rather then getting soaked retracing our steps we decided to catch the train back to Sowerby Bridge and walk home from there. It was a good move as we managed to get ahead of the weather front and make it most of the way home without getting soaked. Well, on the outside anyway. We did make a minor detour into the Wainhouse Tavern where a group of friends were playing pool. I joined in for a few games whilst Dee provided the supportive audience!

Now the pair of us are back at home and it’s time to end the day – and week – in relaxation mode. But first I’ll leave you with a few pictures from the day. See you all tomorrow…

The canal can be quite spooky at times, especially when you come across abandoned mills and places like this at Luddendon foot.
Not a bad place to sit whilst you eat your sandwiches…
Hebden Bridge…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

8th July picture(s) of the day…

08 Saturday Jul 2023

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After yesterday’s travels I’ve not moved far today – not that the weather’s encouraged me to do so. As I type this I can head the sounds of thunder in the background, although it’s mere bluster at the moment as we’ve had little rain today. That said, it has been warm. The Mercury’s hit the low 20s today which has made for a sticky time thanks to the lack of wind. It’s a shame, I rather enjoy a good thunderstorm and they’re great to play around with the camera in. Well, as long as there’s waterproofing!

Today’s planned walk went out of the window for various reasons, so I’ve spent the day catching up on picture editing and preparing more stuff for sale on eBay. All yesterdays pictures are now on my Zenfolio website in various galleries. There’s too many to past links to, but if you follow this link to the ‘recent’ section you can see which ones have had pictures added to them. The next tranche of eBay sales ends on Monday, so if you want to put in bids on stuff like this, you’d better hurry.

You can find it via this link.

The weather’s meant to improve tomorrow so maybe a walk will be had. If not, expect more stuff to be uploaded to eBay! In the meantime, here’s today’s picture which shows you how the weather looks in the Calder Valley right now…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

26th June picture of the day…

26 Monday Jun 2023

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It’s another working week back here at Bigland Towers. The holiday and the weekend flew by all too quickly. Now my focus is centred on work, although parts of the holiday were very much the proverbial busman’s. Sunday was in similar vein as I waded through pictures I needed to get out to clients or just place on my website. It wasn’t too much of a problem as the pair of us had no great plans for the day. The weather forecast predicted thunderstorms so there was little point in planning a great outdoors adventure. In the end the predictions were false. Oh, we had some moody skies- but no pyrotechnics – much to our joint disappointment. What we did gate late in the day was some very heavy showers, which saved me the job of watering the gardens so I’m not going to complain! In the evening the pair of us sat down to watch the finale of the Glastonbury festival with the appearance of Elton John, who was excellent. It certainly took me back a bit. I’ve not been to Glastonbury since 2000 and the last time I saw Elton John live was in 1975!

Today’s been another day where I’ve spent much of my time glued to a computer screen. I needed to finish penning my net article for RAIL which is about the ‘3 peaks by rail’ marathon from the other week. You’ll be able to read all about it in RAIL 987 which will hit the newsagents on the 12th July. Tomorrow my work moves online as I’ll be taking part in an online seminar for Community Rail Network as part of my role as one of the CRN awards judges. Hopefully, on Wednesday (weather permitting) I’ll be out and about looking at the latest work on the trans-pennine route upgrade (TRU) before I’m back to online work on Thursday.

In the meantime, expect more blogs to appear as I’m free to write about other stuff just as ‘me’. O, and there’s plenty of pictures to look at too. You’ll find recent railway images from the Anglia network here, travel images here and social issues photography here. There’s more to come when I’ve finished editing other categories later in the week.

I’ll end with the picture of the day which comes from last weeks outings. I found these old wooden-bodied railway coaches just down the road from where we were staying. These were once a common sight around the country from the early part of the last century as railway companies sold off old vehicles to be used for a variety of uses, from chicken coops to holiday homes. Few remain, which is why I was surprised to find these two still in use as part of someone’s home.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling (ish) blog. Poets day…

09 Friday Jun 2023

Posted by in Calder Valley, Community rail, London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Surrey, Travel

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15:15.

And relax! I’ve has a busy morning working ‘cross-border’ for the new Community Rail Partnership (CRP) in the Calder valley – which meant two separate gigs – one at Rochdale and another at Halifax. The idea was to launch the new CRP and the excellent route guide that it’s published which details the attractions and amenities along the line.

The first gig took place at the restored Rochdale station subway where a disused area has been converted into a community garden with some solid (very solid!) wooden planters and seats. It’s a great space that could be used for all sorts of events in the future. There’s also some fabulous artwork from a local artist that hides some of the more bare areas opposite. I’ll post more pictures later but here’s a few phone pics for now.

The event was well attended and a great success. The line guide was given out to passers-by along with some tasty cupcakes.

After a couple of hours we moved on by train across the Pennines to Halifax. We didn’t have a garden but we did have a rock band! Students from Calderdale college came along to belt out some number outside the station building whilst yet more cupcakes and route guides were distributed.

Job over earlier than expected (hence the title of this blog) I’m now on my way south again, this time heading for Surrey for a weekend with Dawn (who drove down yesterday) to house-sit with her, niece and nephew whilst her brother’s away. The weather in the Pennines was warm but the degrees move up for every few dozen miles I move South. We’ve just left Peterborough and I can feel the heat of the sun through the window.

18:35.

I’ve covered some ground! I’m now on my way from Woking to Farnham after crossing London care of Thameslink and with photographic stops at London Bridge and Waterloo East (pics later). The weather here in the South is certainly a lot warmer than ‘oop North’ and I feel distinctly over-dressed wearing brogues and Chinos – even though I’ve ditched the shirt for a singlet. I’m looking forward to sunning myself in the garden for an hour or so – or perhaps a quick pint outside the local pub…

One random observation from today is this is the second train I’ve been on today where the guard has been both female and foreign! The young lady on my Northern service to Leeds was of American origin whilst (judging by her voice over the PA) the conductor on this South-Western Railway train is French. It’s lovely to see/hear the railways becoming more diverse.

21:45.

And finally…

I’m now ensconced in Tilford and semi-relaxing as I begin the process of editing todays pictures si I’m going to bring this blog to an end with a trio of images from the capital.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

24th May picture(s) of the day…

24 Wednesday May 2023

Posted by in Calder Valley, Community rail, Community Rail Network, Manchester, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways

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Yet another day when (thanks to the glorious sunshine) it’s been anything but grim up North! T’was even cracking the flags in Manchester!

My day started pottering around at Bigland Towers before catching the train from Sowerby Bridge to nearby Mytholmroyd station to join in the Community Rail week fun with our old friends Geoff and Sue Mitchell, some of the other members of the station group plus visitors from the Calder valley Community Rail Partnership, Transport for Greater Manchester, Network Rail and others who came along to enjoy a guided walk from Mytholmroyd to nearby Hebden Bridge.

The event was meant to kick off with tours of the restored station building, but that nearly didn’t happen due to one of those black comedy moments that we can laugh about now, but at the time could have been far less funny. Since the building’s been restored it’s always been assumed there was no water supply. Today that turned out to be untrue, as when some protective coverings were being moved a pipe was exposed which then blew its plastic coupling to release a high pressure jet of water across the ground floor. Poor Geoff and Sue and another of their colleagues got absolutely drenched trying to reattach the pipe to stem the deluge, but if you’ve ever tried such a maneuver you’ll know it’s next to impossible. In the end, all we could do was open a drain in the floor, dam and divert the flow into it and wait for the water company to come and access the stopcock buried in the pavement outside. Thank God it was a bright sunny day and not January!

The irony? The door in the picture is equipped with flood protection – but only from the river outside…

Still, it provided some amusement for the visitors, who were still able to have a look around the upstairs of the old building. Tours over, everyone assembled for short welcome speech from Geoff before Sue (who’d dried out somewhat) led the walkers off on their exploration of the valley. Poor Geoff was left behind to dry off in the sun and wait for the water company!

“Can anyone hear running water”? The gang gathered outside the station building in Mytholmroyd before setting off for Hebden Bridge.

Having done all I could to help, and taken pictures of the event I headed off into Manchester for the rest of the afternoon to do some shopping and grab a few pictures. In many ways I’m still a city boy at heart, so it was lovely to be able to spend an afternoon exploring and people-watching, as well as stocking up on bits I needed that are hard to get elsewhere. I wasn’t the only one enjoying the weather, the city was very busy with many people taking advantages of the centre’s open spaces to relax or work outside.

Manchester’s old Midland Hotel basks in the sunshine.

Now I’m back at home ready for a day with a very different focus tomorrow. It’s someone’s birthday…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!