Where do ( did ) you walk locally in 2024?

[Kirkie]

Here's the print version of The Tyee story. I walk in this area frequently - it's great to have a bigger picture of the landscape and how it's developed (is developing) over time!! @VNwalking and @C clearly - you might be interested as you've now walked here!

https://thetyee.ca/News/2023/06/07/Island-History-Displacement/

Thankyou, it is always good to peel back layers.

 

[Kirkie]

For a number of years work has been ongoing to develop a walking/cycling path from the North side of Dublin Bay over to the other side. A beautiful new section has just been opened. Of course, when publicity advertised it, I knew there would be hordes of people... and today I joined the hordes!
It was delightful. I met colleagues from my working life I have not seen for over ten years! Here are some photos, starting at the ferryport...

 

[ranthr]

After a very warm summer autumn has arrived. Still ok weather for walking to my local hill, Stuorračohkka.

 

[lovingkindness]

The other day...





OS Map 191 Adderbury via Barford St Michael and other places to Hook Norton. 7 hours then a deluge.


church mouse...

 

[SabsP]

First walk after my recent Camino. Always takes me a while to find my rhythm back after being away.
So an organised loop of 7 km around National Park Hoge Kempen.
Cold but dry. Gorgeous sun.

Lieteberg

www.nationaalparkhogekempen.be

 

[Tia Valeria]

Having recently been to East Sussex and Kent here are a few photos from our time away.
We stopped in Arundel for lunch on our way. Arundel Castle belongs to the Duke of Norfolk - the Earl Marshal of England, responsible for occasions such as the funeral of Queen Elizabeth 11 and the coronation of King Charles 111.
Pett Levels - a walk along the beach path. Across the road and behind a bank are the old 'Military Road' and canal.


Winchelsea - one of the old Cinque Ports. Near the church is this tree where Wesley preached his last open air sermon
The church is in the old town in Rye, another Cinque Port. Good coffee and lunches in the nearby cafe.

We were at Willesborough for a church meeting - with church members from as far afield as Walsall and Birmingham as well as Devon.
Waiting for the weather to improve here before we walk locally again!

 

[Theatregal]

A beautiful day at Terra Nova to close September.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Four different recent local walks at four different locations. The last one shows the poison ivy turning colors. I take lots of photos of poison ivy for some crazy reason.

 

[CamisMors]

I feel incredibly fortunate to live so close to the stunning Sierra de Guadarrama in Madrid. Recently, I had the chance to tackle a challenging but rewarding hike up to Pico de La Maliciosa, with breathtaking views 2,227m above sea level.

 

[Kirkie]

Well, I did not go myself, but a friend in the South of Poland went on a pilgrimage to this church: guess who is the patron? That is my excuse for sharing it, with her permission...
And I will add a link to a wiki entry...

Basilica of St. James, Levoča - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Dani7]

A little envious of all the beautiful nature paths and hikes you are able to do and see in your areas.

Just a little before dinner walk near my house.

 

[thietkenha]

Man, those sunsents are just amazing.

 

[ShoshTrvls]

The Philadelphia Chapter of American Pilgrims did a nice 5 mile hike today that was very reminiscent of the Camino - road walking, forest paths, and highway underpasses. (It was really much more lovely than these pictures reflect).

 

[SabsP]

Autumn is my favourite season.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Same for me. Four different walks from last week.

 

[GPeachy]

Between Bevagna and Foligno today.

 

[KariannNor]

After a very warm summer autumn has arrived. Still ok weather for walking to my local hill, Stuorračohkka.
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Fantastiske vakre vidda

 

[lovingkindness]

Another seven hours in mud, under leaden skies chilled by a cold North-Easterly wind.

OS map 191 -Chipping Norton via Salford and the Rollrights, through Hook Norton, then camomile tea...





Spotted Dick (trad. pud.)



Great Rollright

 

[Theatregal]

Beautiful fall fungi popping up in Pacific Spirit. My favourite time of year to walk in the woods.

 

[Annette london]

Beautiful fall fungi popping up in Pacific Spirit. My favourite time of year to walk in the woods.

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Theatregirl
Your photographs are absolutely wonderful

 

[SabsP]

All quiet and muddy.

 

[Theatregal]

All quiet and muddy.

... and with gorgeous fall colour!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Interesting profile @SabsP. Did you have to climb over a fence?

Assorted recent local walks:


A group that cares for a nearby town's conservation areas a few years ago put up junction marker poles with copies of kids' drawings. They've just added QR codes to them. The markers even show up in apps that use Open Street Map base maps, see top left and bottom middle. The odd shaped house and garage has long intrigued me.


A special treat for me this morning, dawn from our living room window. Actually the exposure is off, the clouds were the color of their reflection.

 

[Theatregal]

We travelled to the Okanagan this past weekend for a family wedding. I had two glorious mornings at sunrise, walking along grassland trails in the hills of the Lake Country area. Sounds of Northern Harrier Hawks, Northern Flickers, Savannah and Vesper Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds. Black-billed Magpies screaming at a Red-tailed Hawk and a Douglas Squirrel and a Stellar's Jay screaming at each other

 

[Kirkie]

We travelled to the Okanagan this past weekend for a family wedding. I had two glorious mornings at sunrise, walking along grassland trails in the hills of the Lake Country area. Sounds of Northern Harrier Hawks, Northern Flickers, Savannah and Vesper Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds. Black-billed Magpies screaming at a Red-tailed Hawk and a Douglas Squirrel and a Stellar's Jay screaming at each other

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Well, my first response: you are such an artist.
My second: in the goodness and beauty of created things, the Original Author, by analogy, can be seen....

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

This morning Google sent me a collection of similar shots. They were similar because they all were taken in the same field we cross to get to the hillside wooded walk we occasionally do. It is mainly a corn (maize) field as open as we get to see on our walks.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Scenes from yesterday's walk around the pond.



This is a mast year for oaks so there are zillions of ball bearings on the trails. Be extra careful on down slopes.

Why Do Some Years Produce More Acorns Than Others?

Some years are boom years for acorns. Other years, we seem to have no nuts. Why do some years produce more acorns than others?

www.massaudubon.org

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

One of our White Mountain hikes made the news this week. There is a loop hike with a huge parking lot intended mainly for ski season. There are a couple of view points along it, one with the name Artists Bluff. Here is a photo from it I took on one of our walks.



The foliage looks spectacular in autumn. There is a photo of it on this webpage that describes the trail.

Hike the Artists Bluff Trail in Franconia Notch State Park NH

Artists Bluff Trail in Franconia Notch State Park NH is

theadventuresatlas.com

You can imagine the usage the trail gets in leaf-peeping season but you don't have to; look at this:



You can also watch this segment from a Boston news broadcast.
YouTube video id: LGMsYSsydew

 

[lovingkindness]

..afoot...

 

[Kirkie]

Coming in to land at Glasgow airport, the first sight of the Clyde. Today, the trees were glorious as I went walking along by the Luggie...

 

[Annette london]

Coming in to land at Glasgow airport, the first sight of the Clyde. Today, the trees were glorious as I went walking along by the Luggie...

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Hi Kirkie,
Reading your post reminded me of one of my favourite songs…
Chris Rea ..Windy Town
“Driving down from the highland line,
We done some gigs on the Clyde and the Tyne”

Unfortunately I’m not able to post a video of the song/words
Ill have to update my skills!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I received a request this morning to embed a video into a post. This is so easy I'm going to show how to drop in a video yourself instead. I'm posting this publicly instead of just replying to the DM in case anyone else is interested.

You just copy and paste the URL as text into your post and the forum software transforms it.

As an example here are two video URLs that are identical; I copied one and then pasted it twice, each on its own line. I edited the first one to remove the "h" so the software wouldn't recognize the text as a URL. You won't see the text of second; you will see an embedded video instead.

ttps://youtube.com/watch?v=jiDAea6l6sM

It is just slightly more complicated if you are viewing the video with the YouTube app. There you have to click the "Share" button and then the "Copy link" one. Then you paste that into your post. Here is a different video and the URL gotten for it using that method (again with the "h" removed so you can see the untransformed URL):

ttps://youtu.be/Npfl4cHJbCE?si=Ny2RzsxvzRct3eQQ

Note the "?si=Ny2RzsxvzRct3eQQ" at the end. That can be removed and I almost always do that but it is optional. I suspect it is some kind of tracking tag. Anyway, here are two app type URLs handled the same way as the browser ones above:

ttps://youtu.be/Npfl4cHJbCE

 

[Annette london]

I received a request this morning to embed a video into a post. This is so easy I'm going to show how to drop in a video yourself instead. I'm posting this publicly instead of just replying to the DM in case anyone else is interested.

You just copy and paste the URL as text into your post and the forum software transforms it.

As an example here are two video URLs that are identical; I copied one and then pasted it twice, each on its own line. I edited the first one to remove the "h" so the software wouldn't recognize the text as a URL. You won't see the text of second; you will see an embedded video instead.

ttps://youtube.com/watch?v=jiDAea6l6sM

It is just slightly more complicated if you are viewing the video with the YouTube app. There you have to click the "Share" button and then the "Copy link" one. Then you paste that into your post. Here is a different video and the URL gotten for it using that method (again with the "h" removed so you can see the untransformed URL):

ttps://youtu.be/Npfl4cHJbCE?si=Ny2RzsxvzRct3eQQ

Note the "?si=Ny2RzsxvzRct3eQQ" at the end. That can be removed and I almost always do that but it is optional. I suspect it is some kind of tracking tag. Anyway, here are two app type URLs handled the same way as the browser ones above:

ttps://youtu.be/Npfl4cHJbCE

Thank you so much Rick
I will have a go at it although it might take some time!
Everything is done on my iPad as opposed to a smartphone so not sure if that makes any difference
Upwards and onwards then!
All the best
Annette

 

[Dani7]

Fall in all its glory. this past weekend.

 

[JacquelineA]

Walking a long distance path in the Netherlands. Beautifull season with changing treecolours, but we also seea lot of typical Dutch countryside of straight paths through grassland and along dikes.

 

[Kirkie]

Once more, a well beaten track. This time I paid attention to a few memorials. Every life lost is a tragedy...

The video spans the area towards the Forty Foot...
View attachment IMG_3126.mov

Forty Foot - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[lovingkindness]

through the gap...


to Hook Norton...


then back again -12 kms on yet another rather grey day. OS Map 191, Oxfordshire.


Sagitarius & Aquarious; Eve, Adam, a serpent and a tree all chasing each other round an early Norman baptismal font. St Peter's Church, Hook Norton

 

[lovingkindness]

Once more, a well beaten track. This time I paid attention to a few memorials. Every life lost is a tragedy...
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The video spans the area towards the Forty Foot...
View attachment 179698

Forty Foot - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I love the sound of the sea... it's what I'm craving this very minute.

Good morning @Kirkie!

 

[SabsP]

A grey but dry day. 15 Celsius.
Walk instead of gym.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Yesterday we took a side trail from one of our regular walks which brought us to a road that we took back to the parking lot.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Tuesday afternoon I took a longer solo walk (this year they have otherwise all been morning ones). I decided that I finally had to go see the old cranberry bogs that I've heard of for years. It isn't much more than a kilometer further from a state park that we walk regularly. I even took one of our regular trails to get there.


I was surprised at the openness; our walks are woodland.


I went back to the parking lot along a newly discovered trail running along a creek. There were rakes hanging near bridges and boardwalks with a request to clean them. I did for a long one; the others didn't need it.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Thursday afternoon I went back with Peg. She'll like walking here in the sun on the cold days approaching.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Two nice early walks this week and in between a blood check in the hospital.



Love this clock in the hospital.
View attachment 20241023_122355~3.mp4

 

[lovingkindness]

Two nice early walks this week and in between a blood check in the hospital.

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Love this clock in the hospital.
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Hi there @Peter Fransiscus
Is that a pair of white feet clambering on one of the hands of the clock? The screen on my mobile doesn't show it clearly enough. Looks like fun though... hope all's well your end.

Cheers

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Hi there @Peter Fransiscus
Is that a pair of white feet clambering on one of the hands of the clock? The screen on my mobile doesn't show it clearly enough. Looks like fun though... hope all's well your end.

Cheers

Street sweepers! I love it. I noticed nothing before on my smartphone but you got me to zoom in.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Hi there @Peter Fransiscus
Is that a pair of white feet clambering on one of the hands of the clock? The screen on my mobile doesn't show it clearly enough. Looks like fun though... hope all's well your end.

Cheers

They are two people who sweep the clock further and further with a broom.
Everything is well over here.

 

[Annette london]

They are two people who sweep the clock further and further with a broom.
Everything is well over here.

Ha ha
I thought it was a person dancing a Jig

 

[SabsP]

Day off today with November first.
6.5km around Gors-Opleeuw. Dry but no sun to be seen.

 

[ShoshTrvls]

Today the Philly Chapter of American Pilgrims paid homage to the Day of the Dead by strolling through Laurel Hill Cemetery. The oldest tombstones are from the revolutionary period, and the newest ones just a few days old.

 

[SabsP]

Some days at the Belgian seaside in Oostende. Sun yesterday but quite some mist today.
Poetry by Pessoa.
Fisherboats.
An old slipway.
Fort Napoleon.
My favourite Trappistbeer.

 

[Kirkie]

I feel at home when I see again the hills of my growing up years.
I also feel at home when I see these images, which I take often.
I have known this locality for 55 years...
This was today, around 8am, before I sat into a meeting for some hours...

 

[lovingkindness]

I feel at home when I see again the hills of my growing up years.
I also feel at home when I see these images, which I take often.
I have known this locality for 55 years...
This was today, around 8am, before I sat into a meeting for some hours...
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...familiar things & places, Oui !!!!!

I feel at home when I am eating this:

La Tarte Tatin...


et le pain croustigraine...


...and roaming the GR 652 which passes near friends...

 

[lovingkindness]

Bonjour @SabsP

Sorry about the fullsize photos in my last post. There seems to be a blip somewhere. I tried to insert the photos as 'thumbnail' but they kept coming up as full size. I had a go on both a mobile phone and on a computer... .

Cheers

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Bonjour @SabsP

Sorry about the fullsize photos in my last post. There seems to be a blip somewhere. I tried to insert the photos as 'thumbnail' but they kept coming up as full size.

Cheers

That was addressed on another thread when I made a similar comment:

@ivar has changed some settings for uploaded photos. One was to increase the size of thumbnails. They don't really need to be clicked on to view the image well and they should load faster.

 

[lovingkindness]

That was addressed on another thread when I made a similar comment:

Thanks

 

[mspath]

This morning at Chateau-Thierry, France, I attended la cérémonie de commémoration du 106e anniversaire de l'Armistice de 1918, a solemn service of remembrance.

American forces fought with the French along the Marne River during the summer of 1918. ...May we never forget.

This historic view



shows AEF forces assembling on the north side of the Marne; the island where I am now writing is on the far side of the river.

 

[SabsP]

Autumn. 4.5 k.

 

[Dani7]

Late afternoon walk. And practicing takeoffs for the big day.


View attachment 180902

 

[lovingkindness]

...a few weeks ago I went for a long walk from a village in Oxfordshire to Warwickshire then back again. Along the way I dragged my feet through a great deal of mud and took many drab photos.


Day 1...heading to Lower Brailes


Day 4...remains of an old St James Chapel, Alveston


...where William Shakespeare lays buried, Stratford-upon-Avon


...attending 'Othello' at the RSC, a ghastly plot brilliantly staged.

View attachment 20241011_140653.mp4
...the King's swans on the River Avon


Day 5 ...between fields, after Hampton Lucy


The Lord Leycester Hospital, Warwick (12th century- ) which started life as the Chapel of St James the Great..


Day 6...Thomas & Kathryn Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick, in the chancel of St Mary's, Warwick.


Day 8....then back again



..and now for the maps! They are a work of art.

For the first few nights I returned by bus to friends. After that I found places to sleep along the way.

OS Maps: following The Shakespeare Way and other trails from The Sibfords to Warwick then back again via The Dassetts and Hornton.

Oxfordshire public library has an almost complete set of Ordinance Survey Maps. I borrowed a laminated copy of OL45 (Cotswolds) and also a paper copy of OS 206 (Stratford-upon-Avon).

The rest I purchased along the way -
OS 191 (Banbury), OS 221 (Coventry & Warwick), and OS 206 (Edge Hill & Fanny Compton). These came with a mobile download map & and offline gps tracking.

Such fun!

 

[lovingkindness]

Autumn. 4.5 k.

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...mud...

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

...mud...

Yep, no one does mud better than @SabsP. I've only come close once. That was a week's hike in NZ fifty years ago. Sand flies all the way too. That probably still doesn't get me up to the misery level of a day hike in Belgium.

 

[lovingkindness]

Yep, no one does mud better than @SabsP. I've only come close once. That was a week's hike in NZ fifty years ago. Sand flies all the way too. That probably still doesn't get me up to the misery level of a day hike in Belgium.

Mud can suck the boots of your feet in NZ. Without hiking sticks to plumb the depth a tramper can just about drown in it...

 

[Kirkie]

And the mud @SabsP meets is legendary. This is the month to remember with bowed head.

 

[Annette london]

Back for a few weeks in Lanzarote
No mud
It’s hot
First view of a volcano on our way to Teguise, the former capital of the island
A cross at the crossroads
Santa Barbara overlooking the town and out to sea
An abandoned house
Teguise in the distance
15 Km on our first day, maybe a bit too much

 

[Annette london]

A section of the GR 131 the long distance path that runs along all the Canary Islands
A fierce wind blew us up to the Ermita of the lady of the snow, passing the abandoned Ermita of St Juan
As luck would have it, we met the caretaker at the top who very kindly opened the little church for us, our first time seeing the inside despite our many visits there

Then down the long winding valley, passing once fertile, abandoned terraces and little houses built into the rocks
Almost at the coast, we travelled back by bus

 

[SabsP]

Not so local walk. Hour drive from home. Province of Antwerp with the nice woods of Wechelderzande.
First 9km snow, rain and sharp wind.
After our break with a delicious croque monsieur and a beer we walked another 7km. Dry and warmer.
Rehearsalplace of the local brassband, named after a local Saint.

 

[Kirkie]

Not so local walk. Hour drive from home. Province of Antwerp with the nice woods of Wechelderzande.
First 9km snow, rain and sharp wind.
After our break with a delicious croque monsieur and a beer we walked another 7km. Dry and warmer.
Rehearsalplace of the local brassband, named after a local Saint.
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Amalberga of Temse - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[SabsP]

Amalberga of Temse - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Ah not so local then!
Beats me why the brassband chose that name. Maybe some members had pain in arms and shoulders?
Or another brassband already took the more common name of Saint Cecilia?

Saint Cecilia - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Kirkie]

Ah not so local then!
Beats me why the brassband chose that name. Maybe some members had pain in arms and shoulders?
Or another brassband already took the more common name of Saint Cecilia?

Saint Cecilia - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

And, today, in a care home, the celebrant named Cecilia as the Saint of the Day!

 

[Josep Montserrat]

Path of Battles.
Close to the Catalan Way.
It follows the path of the battles against the French invader that took place in Bruc on June 6 and 14 of the year 1808, very significant battles in the period known as the war of the French against Napoleon's armies.









https://muntanyamontserrat.gencat.cat/ca/el_parc/senderisme/itineraris_bruc/batalles/

 

[Annette london]

A walk from Maguez which turned out to be quite exciting when we saw the jagged edges of the volcano and then opening up to this wonderful shape as we got nearer
A path then led to the bottom of the crater and the surrounding walls
Then off to the Famara cliffs and the little island of Graciosa beyond
Information boards in stages all the way gave the history and diversity of the local area

 

[ShoshTrvls]

American Pilgrims, Philadelphia Chapter, did a nice 20km walk today at Wharton State Forest, followed up by flights of wine and charcuterie boards. Very Camino. Among the denizens of this forum walking with us were @CWBuff and @NadineK .

 

[Kirkie]

American Pilgrims, Philadelphia Chapter, did a nice 20km walk today at Wharton State Forest, followed up by flights of wine and charcuterie boards. Very Camino. Among the denizens of this forum walking with us were @CWBuff and @NadineK .

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Beautiful photos, thank you. And so nice to think of you all meeting up.
Now, flights of wine?
Have I been asleep for 700 years?
What is a flight of wine?
Ok, I remembered: don't be lazy, look it up

Wine Flight: Everything You Need To Know & Our 10 Best Flights!

What is a Wine Flight? Why is it called a Wine Flight? What Types of Wine Flights are there? We have all the answers for you!

www.wineomark.com

 

[Kirkie]

A recently opened stretch along by the port, allowing walkers, cyclists and runners to compete for space and the chance to admire the changing seasons and light...





View attachment IMG_3210.mov

 

[CTLawGal]

A new year. Looking forward seeing your gorgeous pictures from all over the world.

Thumbnails and resizing the pictures is always nice as not to overload the system here.

I have been enjoying these posts and I'm hoping you will repeat the question on Jan 1 2025!

 

[SabsP]

I have been enjoying these posts and I'm hoping you will repeat the question on Jan 1 2025!

Absolutely.
We have been active for quite some years. So if Ivar allows it we will continue.

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

A crisp fall morning on a 10 miler with almost no one around!

"Salt water cures everything"

 

[Annette london]

A short walk from the coastal path to the Cueva de Los Verdes, a 6 km lava tube caused by the eruption of monte Corona 5,000 years ago
In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was used as a shelter by the islanders during pirate invasions
Inside is an auditorium where concerts are held and because there is no echo here, the classical music played is clear and precise
There is also a freshwater lake which formed when the lava flow trapped an underground river
An amazing place to visit and and all with guided tours

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I was curious about the cave's name. The Spanish Wikipedia article explains it (Google translation):

The cave was used by the local population to take refuge from the attacks of Barbary corsairs who periodically ravaged the island, receiving the name of Cueva de los Verdes, because the Verdes family used this cave as a refuge for their animals and frequented the area, since then this cave has been known as Cueva de los Verdes.​

 

[Annette london]

I was curious about the cave's name. The Spanish Wikipedia article explains it (Google translation):

The cave was used by the local population to take refuge from the attacks of Barbary corsairs who periodically ravaged the island, receiving the name of Cueva de los Verdes, because the Verdes family used this cave as a refuge for their animals and frequented the area, since then this cave has been known as Cueva de los Verdes.​

Thank you Rick
That’s it
The guide did explain about the animals but I must have missed the family name bit, the shepherds name of Verdes

 

[ShoshTrvls]

Another nice long walk with American Pilgrims, Philly Chapter, this time on the Perkiomen Trail outside of Philly. The historical marker - or rather, the story it tells of the rescue of 50 Jewish children from Germany in 1939 - was an unexpected find.

 

[SabsP]

Gorgeous 12km walk around Diest.
Military domain and airforce.
Woodland.
Beguinage.

 

[Arctic_Alex]

Hi everyone ... it has been a while since I was 200% overbooked with arranging moving house, renovating and building. 9 months went like a whizz but now we finally live at the new place ... in chaos though
I have not had much time for walks ... but did one 3 weeks ago at the new place. A 6 km walk there and back again- starting just behind the house, through boreal forest and wetlands up a local hill with a view towards the arctic tundra highlands and mires in the distance.
This autumn was strange:. We had snow in early October (not unusual) which only held for a week and then it just stayed way too warm until two weeks ago when winter finally began (snow-wise).

 

[SabsP]

@Arctic_Alex : happy to see you back!

 

[Kirkie]

Just before 08.00, looking east, then looking west, at the mouth of the river as it blends in with the sea.


About an hour later, looking east, beside the ferry port building. The poor travellers were already over an hour waiting for the ferry to dock... and there was no sign of it as we were walking back around.

Just over 20,000 steps in all, 13.2km. I take small steps!

 

[CTLawGal]

I recently moved near Boston to an area referred to as South Shore - in addition to now being close to great walks with lots of coastal and salt marsh areas, I am now exploring Wompatuck Stare Park which has over 70 miles of paths and old roads - not a lot of elevation gain but great places to walk and train for my next Camino!

View of Aaron River Reaervoisr from yesterday’s 14k walk

Interesting info - named after Chief Wompatuck and the park was used as ammunition depot during WWII

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I recently moved near Boston to an area referred to as South Shore

Welcome to MA CT. If you are looking for other places nearby for walks check out the ones below. We walk some of them regularly.

I followed some links in a recent email I got from OARS, a group supporting the Concord, Assabet and Sudbury Rivers. They have created a map (using Google Maps) of spots of interests along the rivers but also of nearby hiking trails. They do miss a lot in Concord, Lincoln and Sudbury that connect to the ones that are shown in the Walden Pond area.

River Maps – OARS

oars3rivers.org

 

[SabsP]

Mistletoe and rain coming. Nice sky.
Around the block.

 

[CTLawGal]

Just back from my morning Single Lighthouse Ramble, 10k loop to neighboring Scituate for a view of Minot Lighthouse. Sometimes I add on a loop to Scituate Lighthouse over a pebbled causeway to make a 20k Double Lighthouse loop


Minot is second photo. Scituate the first. Thought I loaded them the other way around

 

[CTLawGal]

Welcome to MA CT. If you are looking for other places nearby for walks check out the ones below. We walk some of them regularly.

I followed some links in a recent email I got from OARS, a group supporting the Concord, Assabet and Sudbury Rivers. They have created a map (using Google Maps) of spots of interests along the rivers but also of nearby hiking trails. They do miss a lot in Concord, Lincoln and Sudbury that connect to the ones that are shown in the Walden Pond area.

River Maps – OARS

oars3rivers.org

Wow! Thanks so much! I spent the first couple of months exploring the coastal ways and finding walks around town. I just recently started exploring the woods and parks, so many options, all so close to home and not requiring getting in a car, always a plus. The Whitney and Thayer Woods, which abuts Wompatuck, is only 2 miles away, but makes for a long walk when I add in the 4 miles to-and-fro. So many beautiful options! A little bit, almost, like having my own Camino at home to explore, with amazing vistas everywhere, but still sleep in my own bed (and suffer a little route anxiety when ferreting out new paths), hahaha!

 

[Theatregal]

After two weeks of long work days with no time for a good daily walk, it was great to get out this morning along the paths of Panama Flats near Victoria. It began with the thrill of 38 Trumpeter Swans in full chorus flying overhead and then landing in the ponds on either side of a dyke path. Also encountered a lovely very vocal Coopers Hawk.

 

[SabsP]

Bye Fitbit and hello Garmin.
Testing the new toy. Six k. loop to the main village and back.
We had quite some rain the last couple of days.
So I stick to my loyal walking boots. Can't imagine using trainers in these circumstances.

 

[CTLawGal]

We had our first snow - fat wet flakes, followed by rain. So I stuck to roads to enjoy a coastal walk (not as intrepid as @SabsP hahaha!)

 

[LeslieC]

This is really just to induce homesickness in all the ex-New Zealanders out there ...

It's hard to walk anywhere in Wellington just now (or much of the rest of the country) without being surrounded by our lovely pohutukawa trees in full bloom (metrosideros exelsa, for the botanically-inclined). In Welly at least they seem to be hitting their peak a couple of weeks earlier than usual, but tonight's forecast gales (130 km/h) will make a bit of a mess of the flowers.

 

[ShoshTrvls]

I’m on a quick trip to Los Angeles and took a morning hike up Fryman Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains that separate the west side of Los Angeles from the San Fernando Valley.

 

[ranthr]

I ´have been in Spain for a month tryingto short down the dark time in the north of Norway. Left Norway when the time changed to wintertime and it was dark at 2pm. Returned this week and there is some daylight between 11 and o1. No sun until end of January. Had a walk on my local hill yesterday and took these pictures at about 12.30.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I have just returned from a road trip that included walking the Abel Tasman coastal track and the Milford track.

Here is the view that I had from the top of the MacKinnon Pass.
View attachment PXL_20241122_214341516.mp4


Apologies for the heavy breathing. I managed to catch a respiratory infection off a fellow tramper and so it took some effort to reach the summit but it was sure worth the effort.

It turned out to be a cracker of a day with no wind, no low cloud and no rain which is very unusual for this spot where the average rainfall is 7 metres and the hut on the summit has been blown away by the wind four times

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Te Araroa, said to be the oldest Pohutukawa tree in Aotearoa New Zealand. Age estimated to be 350 years.

Part of my recent tramping trip and on my return journey around East Cape.






There is another Pohutukawa in A Coruña, Spain of a similar size that is thought to be of a similar age and this tree is thought to be from a sample bought back to the UK by Banks as part of the Cook expedition and then it found it's way to Northern Spain.

 

[Kirkie]

I have just returned from a road trip that included walking the Abel Tasman coastal track and the Milford track.

Here is the view that I had from the top of the MacKinnon Pass.
View attachment 181994


Apologies for the heavy breathing. I managed to catch a respiratory infection off a fellow tramper and so it took some effort to reach the summit but it was sure worth the effort.

It turned out to be a cracker of a day with no wind, no low cloud and no rain which is very unusual for this spot where the average rainfall is 7 metres and the hut on the summit has been blown away by the wind four times

And the original MacKinnon?

 

[DoughnutANZ]

And the original MacKinnon?

Apparently a man who ordinarily preferred to keep his own company and as a result lived in and wandered about in the bush around lake Te Anau.

McKinnon probably came to the area as part of a group of recent immigrants who were fascinated with finding a certain yellow metal that had a special value to them. The metal was well known to the local people who considered it curious but useless because it was too soft to be of any practical use.

The metal wasn't found in enough quantity in this area and so most of the people who came looking for it moved on while McKinnon chose to stay.

The land to the east of lake Te Anau was relatively flat and so a few other people stayed, cleared the land of it's natural vegetation by burning huge swaves of it, planted grass and started farming sheep that they had also brought with them.

The land to the west of the lake was considered too steep to be of any value and so was left in it's natural state. This land now forms Fiordland National Park at over 1.2 million hectares. This park is the largest in Aotearoa New Zealand and comprises around 5% of ANZ's total land area and is one of the largest national parks in the world. As an example of it's size, the two largest national parks in the USA, together, easily fit within it's boundaries.

McKinnon, as stated, preferred his own company and so he stayed on the western side of the lake and wandered around this area.

The local people considered the weather in the area too extreme (average 7 metre rainfall, high winds and snow in Winter) for permanent habitation and so tended to visit during the summer and they had extensive trails in the area that they used while gathering pounamu (greenstone or Jade), particularly Takiwai, a translucent form of Jade. Takiwai was found near the mouth of Piopiotahi (Milford Sound).

The Scots, of course, were quite at home in this sort of weather and so they cleared the flat land for sheep.

Cook is generally considered to be the first European to visit Fiordland and spent 5 weeks exploring the fjords in 1773 and mapped the area. These maps eventually attracted sealers and whalers to the area and the first European settlement in Piopiotahi Milford Sound housed these people and others who came to service them.

The seals and whales in the area were quickly slaughtered and the people who sort them moved on but the beauty of the area caught the eye of a few people who stayed.

The steep sided, deep, glacier carved fjords form superb natural harbours and so Piopiotahi Milford Sound became a minor port and supply staging point for the sealers and whalers as they moved further south seeking their prey. An interesting (perhaps) side point is that the fjords in this area are such great, remote, natural harbours that from time to time US and Russian nuclear submarines are said to shelter within them.

As the population of Aotearoa New Zealand grew with more and more immigrants from Europe the government of the time started looking around for slightly more sustainable economic activities than the extractive activities that first drew people to the area and so tourism was considered.

At the time, Donald Sutherland and his wife owned a boarding house in Piopiotahi. Meanwhile, back in the UK the very rich (and mostly idle) upper class had developed a penchant for visiting the Great Wonders of the World.

The Sutherlands decided that there was more money to be made from hosting the rich than there was from the sealers, whalers and sundry hangers-on and so started promoting tours to "Milford Sound".

They had some success but because ANZ is close to the antipode of the UK (point of interest, Spain is the actual antipode of ANZ and nearby Arthur's Pass is the antipode of Santiago de Compostela) it is a very long way to travel for people from the UK and so the tourism venture wasn't as successful as the Sutherlands hoped.

Undeterred, Donald Sutherland decided to go find some additional wonders for the rich to see and went exploring with a friend. While exploring the headwaters of the various rivers that flow into Piopiotahi Milford Sound he "discovered" and named the Sutherland Falls which he described as easily the tallest in the world at half a mile high.

At that stage the only other European to see the falls was Donald's friend and he was disinclined to correct his mate and so Sutherland promoted the falls to the ANZ government as a sure fire, international tourist attraction. In reality the falls are 580 metres tall but are spectacular and are the highest falls in ANZ.

Sutherland, with government funding, developed a path from Piopiotahi Milford Sound to the falls. This increased custom for the Sutherland's guest house. However this also brought surveyors to the area and they quickly dispelled the idea that these falls were the highest falls in the world and so the initial jump in rich customers soon tailed off again.

However, the falls combined with the natural beauty of Piopiotahi Milford Sound did attract a steady stream of tourists to the area. Ever the entrepreneur and with the government having already sunk a considerable investment into attracting tourists to Piopiotahi Milford Sound, Donald convinced the government that having overland access to Piopiotahi Milford Sound in addition to the existing sea access would further increase tourism and so the government offered £20 to find an overland path to Piopiotahi Milford Sound and chose MacKinnon to search for the access because of his knowledge of the area.

On 17 October 1888 Quintin McKinnon and Ernest Mitchell "discovered" MacKinnon Pass and blazed a trail from there to Sutherland's track that lead to Sutherland Falls and so the Milford Track was born. Sometimes described as the "finest hike in the world".

As a footnote, it seems that various people including McKinnon chose to spell his name in various different ways, see https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/mckinnon-quintin-mcpherson