BRIAN REID PHOTOGRAPHER
Olly's 425th Birthday
I was not aware that the 425th was a major birthday but in Huntingdon it is. The Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell was born there in 1599. He was unable to attend the celebration in person. The town time machine was used to bring a few people and horses from the time of Cromwell and the council put out some nice imagery which made for an interesting Sunday afternoon. It was cold and damp so the numbers...
Back Home
It has been a slow return after my dash home from Toulouse but all is going in the right direction so I took a quick walk at Old Warden yesterday. It was nice to be back in the Swiss Garden with its ever changing flora. It was also a pilot training day providing distant glimpses of the DH-88 racer and Avro 504k. I’ll finish with one of the dedicated engineering team working on th DH-60.
France 2024 Day 16 Go North Young Man (Part 2)
I have just been watching hardy kite surfers from the hotel window, see headline picture, which confirms I have reached the channel ready for tomorrow morning’s crossing back to Portsmouth. It has been a pretty easy day but Sunday seems popular with Tesla drivers as the chargers in Le Mans and Ouistreham had applied restrictions due to the high rate of usage. A maximum recharge to 80% unless you...
France 2024 Day 15 Go North Young Man (Part 1)
As noted, my trip came of the rails, yesterday, when the tummy bug did not settle down after a day resting in the hotel in Toulouse. It was clear that I had three options. First wait out another day in Toulouse, second head off in hope to the Atlantic Coast or third cut my losses and, assuming I felt up to it head north back to the channel. By late afternoon it was clear that the least worst option...
France 2024 Day 13 Stormy Weather
Yesterday was not a great day. My plan had been a jaunt up to 7000ft in the Pyrrenees to look at the solar furnace at Font Romeu but a look out of the window immediately cast doubts as the rain was lashing down. A check on the weather radar showed bands of heavy rain sweeping south and the forecast confirmed 2ºC and snow at Font Romeu. Not a sensible idea to stick to my plan. The back up was to look...
France 2024 Day 12 From the Moutains to the Sea
A few of the upcoming days, including this one, are driving days with a few interesting places along the way, Today I kicked off in Millau with a look from below at the Millau viaduct before giving my toll tag a run while crossing it with a howling crosswind requiring a truck driver to have Louis Hamilton class reaction. It was also a little drizzly which was forecast. There is a viewpoint of the...
France 2024 Day 11 Catching up with one I missed in the past, the Gorge du Tarn
The early part of the day could have been any place as I rolled along main roads, bypassing all of the interesting places with a stop for electricity at a Supercharger near Rodez, serenaded by the sound of frogs on a nearby pond. I was able to do my civic duty helping a local Peugeot e208 driver get his car charged. He was looking for a way to use a bank card and when he asked me how the system worked...
France 2024 Day 10 "Lots" to See
Time for a nice gentle day exploring the Lot and Célé valleys just east of Cahors. Both rivers meander through valleys with steep cliffs and the Lot drops through a handful of locks and weirs. The highlight was expected to be St Cirq Lapope and it was not disappointing but a surprise was the Célé valley around Cabrarets including a super little boulangerie/patisserie/sandwicherie opposite a mill...
France 2024 Day 9 Ups and Downs and Rocamadour
After intensive sightseeing over the past three days, today was planned as an easy day with just two locations en route between Brive and Cahors, the heart of no-Tesla-Supercharger country. The two locations included one of the highlights Rocamadour and a quaint one near Brive a garden of the imagination. I should have been prepared as it did not start well. The garden showed ticket office open at...
France 2024 Day 8 Vinyards, Chateaux and Big Rivers
Today could have been hard work and a little stressful based on the distance travelled. I chose to base myself at Brive-Le-Galliard for two reasons. First I like to spend a few days in the same place, at least two, and second there is a Tesla Supercharger station with 18 chargers very close to the hotel. The furthest west I planned to go was Monbazillac just south of Bergerac about 125km from my...