2014 is here and the maps are out. Nordkapp is this years target following our aborted attempt to get to Ljartberg in Iceland , the most Westerly point of Europe in 2013.
Thursday, 2 January 2014
Sunday, 6 January 2013
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Monday, 12 November 2012
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Crossbay Walk 2012
Walking across Morecambe Bay from Arnside to Kents try Bank. Four hours nine miles and a lot of fording rivets
http://db.tt/jby13i4f
Monday, 13 August 2012
Paddling in the Trough of Bowland
Last visit I was 15 and never realised the significance the southern start point , Dunsop Bridge, would have in my later years as the place my Dad bought me my first real pint ... so he thought... that year. Sadly he died early the following year and as a family we never returned.
I kept harping on about to Jules about the place and the pool formed at a bend in Langden Brook we used "swim" and paddle in.The stark beauty of the fells and the ancient woods and rocky stream beds to explore.http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map..
So when we saw the sign driving through Lancaster on the way back from the Crossbay Walk it was a moments decision to follow the road. One we were glad we took.
Apart that is experiencing downright hostility from what looked like an illegally parked burger van in front of the information signs at the now much increased parking area. Staffed by what looked like a pig ignorant local money grabbing husband and wife team who don't deserve any custom from anyone.
It's now a conservation area and the old naturally formed weir is now replaced by a man made one and has been moved further back to create a habitat for spawning; so the pool has gone.Of course three decades of water flow has eroded the grassy bank that my family , and the sheep, used to walk along to get to a flat piece of flat well grazed land at the bend to picnic on. We walked along the line of stone blocks and concrete making up the new river bank defences and Jules stopped to dangle her feet into the freezing water... memories flooded back as i looked around me and it was so great that the changes were so minimal and it was still the beautiful place I remembered so vividly.
Then just to make it better looking through binoculars from the parking area to a point high up on Sykes Nab, we had the great luck to see Hen Harriers. A pair with this years brood still in tow, where being harassed by Golden Plovers as they all landed in the heather and bimbled about looking for food.
Given the current attitude towards them by the landowners of game bird moorland and their gamekeepers it's a sight we may never see again in this marvellous unspoilt Pennine upland.
Are we going to take the bikes back there in the coming months... ? You betcha!
Saturday, 4 August 2012
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Happy New Year... ish...
Thanks to Jules having the lurgy our New Years Eve was a bit restrained and we decided to take a trip out New Years Day in the fresh air to see the Mappleton Raft Race and Bridge Jump near Ashbourne... but things went awry as we approached Ashbourne and saw the start time on the banner was 11am not Noon as we had seen on the link on a local site. We decided it was too late for getting there to see the bulk of the action so decided to stock up with something for lunch , just as the rain started.
Undeterred even though the weather was turning nastier by the minute we decided to take a trip to Arbor Low ;a place many consider to be the Stonehenge of the North. By this time the rain was rapidly becoming horizontal and as the bulk of the gear we had on was for standing in the cold rather than braving the elements of the Derbyshire Dales it was a brief trip. Also considering the inclemency of the elements I had decided rather than risk the SLR digital camera I would use the two cameras loaded with film that we had with us. Jules did manage to get a couple of shots with her digital compact before the rain got too bad... but macro shots...
The analogue cameras were a brace of Canons' finest, an old SLR EOS 600 loaded with Ilford HP5 and a compact AF Sure Shot 60 Zoom loaded with a roll of Lomography Red Scale XR rated as ISO 100 ... of course pictures will follow once developed!
Doncha love that old fashioned anticipation ?
Meanwhile here is an old shot from 2010 ....
February 2010, a photo by Scouse_and_Jules on Flickr.
Via Flickr:
Arbor Low
Undeterred even though the weather was turning nastier by the minute we decided to take a trip to Arbor Low ;a place many consider to be the Stonehenge of the North. By this time the rain was rapidly becoming horizontal and as the bulk of the gear we had on was for standing in the cold rather than braving the elements of the Derbyshire Dales it was a brief trip. Also considering the inclemency of the elements I had decided rather than risk the SLR digital camera I would use the two cameras loaded with film that we had with us. Jules did manage to get a couple of shots with her digital compact before the rain got too bad... but macro shots...
The analogue cameras were a brace of Canons' finest, an old SLR EOS 600 loaded with Ilford HP5 and a compact AF Sure Shot 60 Zoom loaded with a roll of Lomography Red Scale XR rated as ISO 100 ... of course pictures will follow once developed!
Doncha love that old fashioned anticipation ?
Meanwhile here is an old shot from 2010 ....
Arbor Low
Sunday, 11 December 2011
It's not a motorcycle....
... it's a chopper baby!
Haven't blogged for a while been a wee bit far too busy working... which is a pain.
However while on a dead evening with time to fill while on-call I have been trawling round looking at vids on Vimeo and things on face book I discovered these great shots.
Click on the pic to see the rest of the set.
Via Flickr:
Photo from Jokers Car & Motorcycle Meet, Tidaholm, Sweden. By Jesper bram www.pinstriping.dk
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Monday, 5 September 2011
EU proposals to restrict the future of motorcycling – latest news from Brussels
European Type Approval Regulations that would bring compulsory ABS to all new bikes, alongside anti-modification measures and road-side spot checks to enforce them, took another step forward on 30th August 2011.
Fortunately, there is something you can do about it – first though, here are the main restrictions that look set to be introduced on new bikes from 2015:
Fortunately, there is something you can do about it – first though, here are the main restrictions that look set to be introduced on new bikes from 2015:
Compulsory Anti-lock and/or Combined Braking Systems on all new motorcycles and scooters over 50cc.
Advanced braking systems add cost and complexity to the manufacture and servicing of bikes, but do not always help the rider (especially on loose surfaces such as gravel). The Commission's evidence that the costs are outweighed by the benefits is patchy and may rely too much on data from commercial interests. Consumers should retain the choice to specify ABS if they want it, there should always be an option to disable ABS when necessary.
Three new progressively tighter emissions limits to be introduced over 5 years.
Real-world trials of various sizes of bikes and comparable cars on commuting routes show that bikes offer shorter journey-times and lower fuel-consumption. The Commission's evidence relies on one source and does not adequately consider the additional costs and impacts on fuel-economy from adding pollution control technology developed for large vehicles on to small lightweight vehicles. The Commission justifies this by emphasising that bikes account for a growing proportion of some traffic pollutants, but the context is that the total generated by all types of vehicle has fallen to a very low level.
Devices to prevent modification of the engine or transmission (including restricted choice of air-filter, drive sprockets or rear-tyre).
Riders of identical bikes are not themselves identical, nor are their journeys. Bikes used mostly on motorways need different drive characteristics to those used mostly on urban streets or rural roads, these can be achieved easily, eg; by choosing different drive sprockets or tyre dimensions. The Commission wishes to add cost and complexity to vehicle design so that owners will be restricted in modifying their bikes to suit their needs in this way.
Partly the Commission wants to stop novice riders tuning their bikes to perform better than their driving licence allows. The Commission prefer to penalise riders who want to de-restrict their learner-bike once they are fully qualified, not to mention already-qualified riders who need or want lightweight bikes with good performance.
Computer chips on every bike to monitor and ultimately disable engines.
The Commission envisages basic chips on all bikes to record breaches of emission limits as a pre-cursor to requiring more sophisticated devices capable of disabling bikes and storing information about riding characteristics at a later stage.
Road-side checks of passing bikes (but not cars)
The Commission proposes all EU Member States should mount road-side checks of passing bikes as one means of enforcing restrictions on riders’ ability to modify their bikes. This iniquitous threat to the free-movement of citizens does not extend to people travelling in modified cars.
Impact on after-market parts suppliers
The Commission’s impact assessment considers the effect of changes on the manufacturers of original equipment to the detriment of alternative suppliers of after-market components and spare parts, future consumer-choice of replacement parts has not been adequately considered.
New rules to allow non- Type Approved vehicles to be used on the road
The Commission seems to expect one-off specials and custom builds, bikes built in small production runs (perhaps even bikes built before Type Approval), etc. to meet the same standards as big manufacturers who can spread the very high costs of gaining Type Approval over the whole production run of mass-produced bikes that have had millions spent on their development. Currently, ‘Single Vehicle Approval’ rules allow builders of individual bikes and small production runs to register bikes for road use provided they meet national construction and use regulations, this sensible approach must be safeguarded.
Power and speed limits to restrict development of electric motorcycles
The development of electric drive technology could see the development of low-, medium- and high-performance alternatives to fossil-fuel bikes in the foreseeable future. The Commission wishes to restrict that competition by imposing speed and power limits on electric bikes. This gross interference in the development of consumer choice may also indicate an intention to restrict the performance of future cars or other personal transport vehicles.
Last Tuesday (30th September), a meeting of 'IMCO', the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee of MEPs which is overseeing the European Commission's proposals, discussed progress on negotiations with the Commission on more than 300 amendments tabled by MEPs.
Sadly, it looks as though Dutch MEP Wim van de Camp, who is taking the lead in negotiations with the Commission, not only agrees with many of the Commission’s proposals, he sees little room for compromise on most of the amendments put forward by his fellow MEPs. The alliances formed between different blocks of political parties in the European Parliament could yet deliver a majority of votes to Mr van de Camp – unless we all do something to turn it around.
What can be done..?
1. There is a very simple way to contact the MEPs that represent you, and put forward our case against further restrictions on bike-design and use of bikes BEFORE these decisions are cast in stone. Vital discussions are going on in the next few days and weeks so please go to www.writetothem.com and tell them how you feel about the points listed above (cut and paste the seven bullet points above if you need to).
2. UK-wide protests are being organised for 1pm on Sunday 25th September - this is your opportunity to defend the riders' right to decide what they ride and to modify their bikes to suit their needs (not to mention oppose compulsory day-glo, bans on older bikes in cities, etc.). For further details of more than 70 starting points on the UK trunk road network go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/25th-Sept-2011-Action-Now-EU-Hands-Off-Biking/218514361530962
In the meantime, MAG continues to lobby our own Department for Transport, UK MEPs and MPs to oppose any further restrictions on bikes and riders. MAG will be meeting DfT officials again in a few days time - more to follow on this very soon.
Video of the IMCO meeting, as well as official papers describing the Commissions proposals and the 300+ suggested amendments, can be found on the EU website (the video shows discussion about the Type Approval Regulations from 15:54:30 to 16:26:00): http://www.europarl.europa.eu/wps-europarl-internet/frd/vod/player?eventCode=20110830-1500-COMMITTEE-IMCO&language=EN&byLeftMenu=researchcommittee&category=COMMITTEE&format=wmv#anchor1
If you do watch the video, pay attention to Mr van de Camps’ introduction – you’ll hear that he is a motorcyclist (he has a collection of bikes including an R1) but that he is working on the Type Approval regulations as an MEP rather than as a rider. Also he says he had a crash recently and that he believes ABS would have prevented it. Our Dutch speaking colleagues at MAG(NL) confirm the translation is accurate.
If you do watch the video, pay attention to Mr van de Camps’ introduction – you’ll hear that he is a motorcyclist (he has a collection of bikes including an R1) but that he is working on the Type Approval regulations as an MEP rather than as a rider. Also he says he had a crash recently and that he believes ABS would have prevented it. Our Dutch speaking colleagues at MAG(NL) confirm the translation is accurate.
Ride Free
Nich
Saturday, 3 September 2011
For everyone who was a teenage two-stroke tearaway
This article will strike a chord if you were. A guy called Jamie Morris has been documenting the end of the Japanese Bosozouko or "speed tribes" . The kids wear outrageous and heavily embroidered uniforms and many ride elaborately customised mid-sized two strokes .... sound familiar?
http://www.gaijinchannel.com/index.php/2011/09/02/sayonara-speed-tribes-a-journey/
http://www.gaijinchannel.com/index.php/2011/09/02/sayonara-speed-tribes-a-journey/
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Moving on up...
In terms of quality Youtube is getting too full of the same stuff rehashed and standards dropping. Finding Vimeo more my place these days/
Have a look below at my current album of goodies I have found there ... and when I have re-edited all my HD clips I will be posting them up as well.
Have a look below at my current album of goodies I have found there ... and when I have re-edited all my HD clips I will be posting them up as well.
My Album "Motorcycle Emptiness"
Monday, 4 July 2011
Friday, 17 June 2011
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Brittany:Kerminihy Beach May 2011
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