For newcomers

At the bottom of each post there is the word "comments". If you click on it you will see comments made by followers, and if you follow the instructions you may also comment and I always welcome that. I have found many people overlook this part of the blog which is often more interesting than the original post!

My blog nick-name is SIR HUGH. I'm not from the aristocracy - my middle name is Hugh which relates to the list of 282 hills in Scotland compiled by Sir Hugh Munro in 1891. I climbed my last one (Sgurr Mor) on 28th June 2009

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Friday 11 January 2013

Memory Map 3500 and the Lancaster Canal


An iPad mini has entered my life.

Buying the Memory Map 3500 gps with Great Britain OS 1:50000 maps complete gave me the right to download to three other devices, so GB OS complete is now on the the iPhone and the new iPad mini, including gps tracking and route transfers from the pc. 

The MM 3500 has been back once for replacement, and even now the screen is erratic whenever you touch it, and in your pocket it is so sensitive it jumps from screen to screen with an irritating electronic sound. Although scrolling has improved from the 2500 it is still clunky crying out for WD40. The iPs are hugely superior in scrolling, screen brightness and definition, and they also have an efficient place name finder taking you instantly to anywhere in the country. Comparing the now, almost certainly redundant, MM 3500 to the iPhone is like  comparing Captain Cook’s telescope with the Hubble.

Armed with all this tech it was back to the canal again yesterday with Pete. It was a bit of a mud fest, but as always there was interest and pleasing photo opportunities.

We returned by minor roads and squelchy field paths. At one point Pete had an epiphanic moment as it dawned on him we were arriving at the Bay Horse Inn where he has lunched frequently with Liz over the last couple of years - such can be the novelty of approaching somewhere on foot that you normally approach on wheels.


We omitted the loop from Potters Bar - 'twill be done next time

The River Conder flowing under the canal



Galgate Marina

A path for Jesus across the canal - another for the Signs collection

Glasson Canal meets the Lancaster Canal

Ellel Bridge -  unusually fancy on a private road leading to the big house on the next photo



Ellel Grange - HQ of a Christian based evangelical organisation. I reckon they must be well endowed - 

From their website:
Purchased in 1986, Ellel Grange was the first Ellel Ministries centre to be established and it still remains the International Headquarters of the work. As well as holding Healing Retreats, Training Courses and Ellel's 9-Week Flagship Training Programme. 

Ellel Grange is an Italianate Villa, finished in 1859, in the same style as Queen Victoria's Osbourne House. It is surrounded by large grounds and pleasant wooded areas, with one of the finest collections of trees in the North of England. The Lancaster Canal runs through the estate with lovely walks along its towpath. 

Hay Carr - as far as I could ascertain still a private house, and was on the market in recent times for £4m.

Potters Brook - our furthest south

The Bay Horse Inn - a superior eating place often frequented by Pete and Liz

10 comments:

  1. Happy New Year Conrad. Trust walking will become easier and easier. With all this canal walking perhaps a canal boat is the next purchase?

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  2. I am enjoying your continued exploration of the Lancaster Canal.
    £4 Million? We'll have two.
    Mark

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  3. I find the marina terribly poignant. There's some deep-seated upwardly-mobile yearning there. ("And next year someone has promised to moor a Mirror dinghy with us.") Think of La Rochelle. Of St-Jean-de-Luz.

    After a while one gets the impression that those barges (Sorry! Narrow boats.) will grow together, reverting to their natural state, a vast log along the waterside.

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  4. Welshpaddler - A narrow boat is so long you could combine the boat experience with walking by promenading up and down the deck waving to canal ramblers as you passed by.

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    Beatingthebounds - Thanks for you comment. I strayed from the canal yesterday into the plains of the Bowland hills. A post will follow shortly.

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    RR - Some of those narrow boats can cost £50k or more which is a meaningful amount for the likes of me, but mere pocket money for the La Rochelle yacht owning fraternity who likely have an unfair wealth advantage gained from drug smuggling.

    The narrow boats are made from steel, so perhaps you should have used the analogy of a giant RSJ rather than wood?

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  5. Interesting Conrad. I only wish that I could get out and about but, unfortunately, my two days on the Ochils resulted in a visit to the doctor. I now appear to have an injury to the semimembranosus tendon at its insertion on the tibia, caused by the first injury to the MCL. Physiotherapy is underway. I assume from your walks that your knee is progressing well.

    I look forward to your views on the mini iPad.

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  6. Afootinthehills -Hi Gibson. Sorry to hear of your injury.

    I think my knee is still improving SLOWLY. After about 6.5 miles I have definitely had enough - by then it has stiffened up and become moderately painful, and I find myself being ultra cautious and awkward getting over stiles. But the big difference is that it settles back to normal more quickly, and by next day it is only its usual niggly self. It is no longer swollen, and only runs slightly warmer than the other knee. My plan is to keep on walking that kind of distance a couple of times a week. keeping on the flat as much as possible, and see how it goes.

    I will do a post about the iPad Mini, most likely when I put together my outing into the approaches to the Bowland Hills last Saturday.

    Good luck with the knee. In retrospect, although I would not be dismissive about physios and medics, I wish I had taken more notice of what my body was telling me. I’m sure I overdid the exercising in the early days.

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  7. I'm afraid {not really] that you have lost me, a signed up Luddite, with your cosy talk of iPad Mini's and MM350's. M&M where sweets a little while back!!
    Everyone to there own devices - mine's a Silva compass and OS map.
    Just hope you were able to find the Bowland Hills with your devices. Looking forward to your blog on my territory.
    Glad that you are continuing to make progress.
    Regards. JP

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  8. BowlandClimber - Hi John - we did find the Bowland Hills and I have isolated the techy stuff on the post so you won't get bogged down reading that, and hopefully not on the hills either.

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  9. Great pictures - Hay Carr looks beautiful, I believe it's recently been renovated by the existing owners, rather than sold.

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  10. Sisomo - Welcome to my blog. Thanks for the comment. Sounds like you have some local knowledge?

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