The Sight of a Young, Homeless, Irishman, London, 2011

Another, sorry brogue.
Blanket and dog,
Not schythe or bog,
In hand.
Isn't - Home - Grand.

Highlights from the British Museum

The range of artefacts at the British Museum is incredible - the rosetta stone, cleopatra's mummy, mayan thingys ... amazing ... here's some of the highlights:

From The British Museum

From The British Museum

From The British Museum

the rosetta stone:

From The British Museum

An easter island statue:

From The British Museum

A totem pole:

From The British Museum

A Mayan carving:

From The British Museum

Cleopatra's Mummy:

From The British Museum

From The British Museum

The West Highland Way

9 Days on the West highland way. Amazing scenery - absolutely loved it. Here's the route we took:

View West Highland Way in a larger map

some of the photo highlights along the way:

First day. Just heading out from Millingavie.

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Just before Balmaha:

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Angus Beef???

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On top of Ben Lomond:

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Inversnaid:

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An Buachaill Etibh Mor. Pretty impressive mountain and one of the rockiest I saw around here. It looks even more impressive because it's surrounded by flat valey:

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Photograph of the trip I think. Look at the way the sun reflects off the rocks:

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On the old road to fort william:

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Ben Nevis looking over Fort William:

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Ad the end:

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A Scottish thistle:

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Leinster winning the Heineken Cup

Pity it wasn't Munster, but a great game nonetheless and great to be at game live!

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From glasgow-and-heineken-cup-26-5-2009

Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle is the best preserved medieval castle in England ... I'm told. It looked pretty, but was incredibly touristy to the point of nausea.

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Glasgow Cathedral

Worth visiting Glasgow Cathedral if you're ever in Glasgow. Quite nice ...

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Mount Brandon

Myself and Rob hiked up the Pilgrim Trail to the peak of Mount Brandon (not to be confused with Brandon Peak, which is a mountain beside it!)

There's a small grotto near the beginning of the trail ... I guess part of the reason of how the trail got it's name.

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The route we took:



View Brandon Route in a larger map

Like Carauntoohil, there was a massive iron cross at the top of Brandon also.

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Roman Ruins

On the way back from Scafell Pike we stopped in a small town called Ravenglass to check out ruins of an old Roman Bath house. Amazing to think they got this far - it was quite remote around here ... although it was a port town way back, so I guess that was the way.

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Scafell Pike

This time it's England's highest mountain. By far the shortest of the hikes we've done so far. Very enjoyable and beautiful nonetheless.


View Scafell Pike Route in a larger map

Lake Wastwater, where we parked ...

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We took "The Lord's Rake" route up which was a little like a shorter version of the Devil's Ladder when heading up Carrauntoohil - Lots of scrambling, scree and loose rock - Lots of fun!!! ...

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I swear Nici didn't pose for this! ...

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At the top ...

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Then on the way down we had a massive thunderstorm - really, really massive. I've never been that close to lightening before!

The Boat Race

I went to see The Boat Race mid-course, at Hammersmith Bridge. Oxford were a good length behind when they passed. Listen out for the guy in video shouting, "Oxford you're f***ed, you're f***ed Oxford!" ... Maybe that's what inspired them on to pull through to over a 2 length win over Cambridge by the end!

"The Clink"

Ha ha, I didn't actually know that this was a real place. It where the reference, "sent to the clink" (Prison) comes from.

Clink street prison was a notorious medieval prison I'm told.

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Sir Francis Drakes ship! and the worlds first maratime museum ...

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Sculpture on the South Bank

A pretty neat sculpture on the South Bank in London ...

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The Matrix, London Style

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Tate Modern

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Players in a Tunnel

Deliberately chosen I would think - a group belting out the four seasons in a tunnel on the south bank ...

St. Paul's Cathedral

Yet another beautiful building in London. Built by Christopher Wren, the man who seems to have built everything in this city back then ...

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Monument

Ever since I got to London the Monument was under scaffolding for renovations. This 61 meter tall structure was the tallest thing in the city for quite some time after it was erected 7 years after the great fire of London in in 1666. The height of the Monument is the exact distance that it is from the bakery on Pudding Lane where the fire started. Over three hundred years of city grime deposited on it has now been removed, while still preserving most of the original stonework. To look at, it's not that special, but when you know the history behind it it's pretty amazing. Worth waiting a year and a half to see.

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From st-pauls-and-the-monument-7-3-2009

Road Trip to Cornwall

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Cornwall Beaches

Sennen Cove was this beautiful beach near lands end. There was a few other cracker as we headed up the coast too. Surfing heaven I'd say ...

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Lands End

The most westerly point in Britain. Over 800 miles to John 'O' Groats on the northern tip of Scotland. We here in March and was very obviously the low season despite the weather being lovely. They had this tasteless Victorian theme village built there, but it was all closed and abandoned looking. We were the only two people walking around and the car park was empty. Just after we took our obligatory photo at the Lands End sign a guy walked up and started dismantling it ... It was like the world fair had come and gone ... errie place - Quite different in the summer I'd say.

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