Andy's Travel Blog

Highlights from the British Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:41:00 +0000

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

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

The West Highland Way

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:31:00 +0000

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

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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

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:45:00 +0000

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

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

Warwick Castle

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:28:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:26:00 +0000

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

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

Mount Brandon

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:42:00 +0000

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:

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

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Roman Ruins

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:22:00 +0000

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.

From scafell-pike-22-4-2009

Scafell Pike

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:15:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:11:00 +0000

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"

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:11:00 +0000

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.

From another-day-out-in-london-20-3-2009

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:10:00 +0000

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

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Sculpture on the South Bank

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:08:00 +0000

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

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The Matrix, London Style

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:07:00 +0000

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Tate Modern

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:07:00 +0000

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Players in a Tunnel

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:41:00 +0000

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

St. Paul's Cathedral

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:31:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:13:00 +0000

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.

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

Road Trip to Cornwall

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:04:00 +0000

View Larger Map

Cornwall Beaches

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:03:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:19:00 +0000

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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St. Ive's

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:16:00 +0000

This was a nice little spot. The town became a big artists haven early last century and still is today. Lovely beach (as is the case all over Cornwall) and a really cool little church up on top of a hill looking out onto the Atlantic.

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Buckfast Abbey

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:14:00 +0000

We just had to stop here - Buckfast Abbey - the stuff of college legend when monk brew their legendary tonic wine. Sure enough , tucked away in the corner of the monks shop was the Buckfast Wine. I think that they're a little embarassed about the popularity of the wine.

From devon-and-cornwall-1-3-2009

Salisbury Cathedral

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:53:00 +0000

Passing through Salisbury we stopped at the very impressive Salisbury Cathedral. It's massive and I'd to stand well back to take a photo. Inside they have one of the original copies of the Magna Carta in the chapter house. I'd to be satisfied to see peer through the window at it as they closed by the time I got there. Great anyways though!

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Stone Henge

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:42:00 +0000

Not far outside Salisbury we visited Stone Henge - the ancient stone circle of monoliths. I've probably got the historical terminology wrong there but you get the idea and it's very famous. You do get to go fairly close but you can't touch it. Pretty impressive nonetheless.

From devon-and-cornwall-1-3-2009

Vancouver, Whistler and British Colombia

noreply@blogger.com (Andy Le Gear) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:22:00 +0000

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We went on a holiday to visit our two friends from college who had moved to Vancouver. Quite a nice city. It near every kind of outdoors activity you could imagine. I loved it. Myself an Nici did a whole load of hiking that week. We also visited Whistler where the next Winter Olympics will be held. Normally when you think of Whistler you think of Skiing, but we were there at the wrong end of the calendar, just before the winter. Lehman Brothers went bankrupt that week, which was a bit weird and I thought I was jobless! Although being on holidays was probably the best at the time :-)

From Holiday in Vancouver 12-21.10.2008

I took a picture of these (Mapel??) Trees - Look how red they got in Autumn - I assume this is something you get in a country with real seasons :-)

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