Tag: Landscapes

Corsica Road Trip Part 5

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

Part 5 of the Corsica Road Trip covers day 7. It could be my favourite day. It’s all about history and seeing a whole different aspect of the island. If you follow my route please respect the monuments.

Filitosa

Today I continue south with Bonifacio my resting place tonight. It is a day of prehistory. I leave the main roads and cross small rivers and head to Filitosa. This has been a home to humans since 5800 BCE, some 8000 years. One of the longest periods in Europe. The site is well maintained and has a small entrance fee. There are facilities on site. They have a website, which will open in a new tab.

Palaggiu

Google helped me find this place, and it has so many different spellings one could imagine that Corsica is covered with menhirs. Its about 13km south west of Sartene and on the wrong side of the river for me but I’m on holiday. There is almost no help in finding it, just a hand painted “menhir” on a rock and that road is blocked off. So again google, which can get me into trouble in the car, sent me down a track to approach it from the north. There are 258 monoliths dating from 1900 to 1200 BCE. The largest concentration in the Mediterranean basin. Most have fallen over, but as you can see there are still some upright, and aligned. 7 groups, six of which are north/south. The site is to all intents and purposes abandoned, very unusual.

Tizzano

One of the beaches on this route is Tizzano, but it’s not really beach weather today. Having got so close to the coast it is impossible not to drive to the coastline. However having crossed the river this morning I am driving down the wrong side of the river to continue south so I then have to head all the way back inland to the T40. I stop in Roccapina to get some images before driving, and stopping in Vintilegni to watch some kite surfing, to Bonifacio.

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  • Previous parts of my Corsica Road Trip are available : Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4
  • A short walk along the Normandy cliffs at Etretat
  • The walk along the Sentier des Douniers in Toulon

Corsica Road Trip Part 4

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Corsica Road Trip continues, now on day 6. This part covers the drive southwards from Ota to Ajaccio. If you are just joining us on our journey you might want to start at Part 1 which is here. However you could just continue here with today’s first stop. We are only doing a short drive up the hill to the Calanques de Piana.

Calanques de Piana

The Calanques de Piana are not far from Porto and are huge red granite rock structures hanging over the sea. I stopped on route several times, the first to say goodbye to Porto and then shortly I stopped at a busier area. Here was the start of the walk to the chateaufort, a rock formation that is part of the park. I have the time and the boots so off I went for an easy 30 mins +70m up and down to a spectacular scene. Same thing to come back. Once again you will be impressed by my bravery on cliff edges and scrabbling up rocks. Well worth the trip though. Back to the car and, again, several stops to try and capture the environment. Especially the little heart shaped hole, to show how much we care, ideal for a snap to send home to family and friends.

Ficaghojola

The beach comes first after all that rock. The well recommended plage de Ficaghojola is my destination. First 3 photos show the final approach to the beach and the beach itself. It’s a dreadful road down to the car park, followed by a short but steepish walk to the beach. It’s a busy place really and small but I agree with the recommendation. It is a long way away from tourist beaches with hotels and cafes. The weather is beginning to turn today but I persevere and have my dip. The beach drops away very quickly and it’s over 2m deep 10m away from dry sand. The waves are strong too. Not a place for poor swimmers.

I decide that’s enough swimming for today and head to Ajaccio. One stop on the way at Coggia, and the beach at Sagone. Today this was another dangerous looking beach with big waves. On another day in different circumstances it should be lovely.

Ajaccio

No matter how much I prepare and read up I invariably get caught out at some point on a trip. I don’t mind as the unexpected is part of the fun of traveling. Ajaccio was my trips gotcha. Ajaccio is a big city and don’t I know it. Sometime after 2025 there will be a cable car linking St Joseph, where I ended up sleeping, to the north of the city at Mezzavia. However, today, as I stay, there is nothing and I am definitely in the wrong part of town near the future terminus.

There’s one of those unprotected railway lines and OMG a train right next to me. Modern trains are so quiet. Anyway, shock over I grab some photos of the port with nice light, a spot of takeaway Thai food and go home to sleep. I shall think about coming back and seeing the real town another time.

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Corsica Road Trip Part 3

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

It’s day 5 and 6 of my Corsica Road trip. If you missed the start and are looking for part 1 of this Corsica road trip , it’s here. Did you miss part 2 ? Don’t worry it’s here. I have managed to work my way round the north quiet slowly and for my Corsica Road Trip I am currently in St Florent. Over the next 2 days I will be heading from St Florent to the gulf of Porto via Calvi. I am looking forward to this part of the trip as it includes, potentially, the desert, the mountains and the coast. 4×4 vehicules are needed for the desert so I’m going to skip the desert which needs more time, planning etc than I have.

Ostriconi beach

The wind is still blowing this morning, but the sun is out. This changes considerably the look and feel of the mountains either side of St Florent. The first stage today is to travel along the southern boundary of the Agriate desert. The area is not accessible to normal cars. Take a guided tour, there are plenty of options, if you feel you need to visit it. You will pass 3 beautiful beaches in this area, the third is just at the end of our road so I’m going swimming there before lunch. Another thing to note is the fairly long, but not too challenging walk from the car park up the hill, then sharply down to the right across the river in the valley. If you carry on the main path you end up out on the headland which I don’t think adds much to the trip.

I leave and continue westwards a short distance for a view of the beach and a Corsican sandwich from the hillside just after the beach. There is parking here and a lovely view and a tasty food choices.

L’Île-Rousse

After lunch I leave for l’Ile-Rousse continuing along the coast westwards. By chance I stumble across a car park with a space on the beach at the extreme east end of the beach. And a very nice beach it is, totally protected from the wind and the waves of my earlier swim. A good family beach. Continue to the other end of the beach to reach the town, so I head for that. Nice historic town with a busy centre. They have 2 statues by the port, and in particular a mermaid. As I photo the mermaid I realise the ferry will be docking here too. Makes this port another possible starting point for the road trip. I finish here and head for Calvi; where I will be sleeping. On arrival straight out again for a brief walk to the citadel.

Speloncato

Change of plan. I picked a handful of villages up in the mountains; and in the end visited them all, to see a more rugged side of the island. It’s a lot of driving and it’s on the side of mountains separated from death by dust and tiny walls. I saw my target villages of PIGNA, SANT’ANTONINO, SPELONCATO and MONTEMAGGIORE amongst others. These are all in the mountains around the plane behind Calvi and the Codole lake. And another thing, that is predictable and hadn’t happened so far, was to bump into a herd of goats who seem to think they own the road. Keep your eyes open.

Ota and Gulf of Porto

Once the villages have all been done, it’s 70km and 2 hours more driving and risking my life to take us through the mountains to the town of Ota and the UNESCO gulf of Porto. A breath-taking route that leads to isolation and beauty. What a reward. This was a candidate for best bit of the trip. Parking in Porto is limited and many spots change to limited parking at 9am each morning.

A lovely place to end the day.

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Corsica Road Trip Part 2

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

If you are looking for part 1 of this Corsica road trip , it’s here. If you are looking for part 2, carry on. I stayed in Macinaggio ready to head off on my Corsica Road trip in the morning. Get a good start as there is plenty to see. I will be heading from :

Macinaggio to Saint-Florent

The first place to visit is Ersa and the Mattei Mill. It’s a short drive across the Cap from the east to west coast. It’s not a sunny day but boy is it hot. Already 33C. Remember it’s June as I visit. I take a few stops along the route and notice how remote it is getting. Interestingly there is a desert on the island but it’s not on my trip this time. In the distance is the island of Capraia. There’s a new wind farm on the same hill as the Mattei mill as testimony to its suitability to wind power for many years. The wind is getting stronger as the morning progresses to reinforce that notion.

Port Centuri

I continue along a twisting road down to the sea. The sky is getting more threatening. But the port of Centuri is lovely and packed with restaurants, and 1 place selling pain bagnat more suitable for my schedule. I ate that overlooking the sea just outside of town. I leave in very strong wind.

Belvedere d’Alisu

I continued down the west coast road. It was by far the windiest part of the day. I parked and couldn’t open the door on the windward side. The parked car was moving like it was on a channel crossing. The belvedere isn’t marked and doesn’t have a proper parking area but the view is lovely. Be careful, soak up the view and move on. Because lovely as it is here, there’s better to come.

Saint Florent

I will be staying in Saint Florent tonight. So plenty to do. Driving is slower than you think, roads narrower and walls protecting you from death lower than you’d like. The sand on the beaches here is distinctively coloured. I came across the beach in Albo, and it was grey slate like. Here I had the first big rain drops of my trip, not manly but oddly full of sand. I continue to Nonza. This town has a tower which you can see from the road and also another dark grey beach. Parking is busy and not free. I continue on to St Florent. It’s still windy and hazy, quite dark along the drive but it gets brighter as I head to the port and citadel. A nice town. A good choice to rest.

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Corsica – Road Trip Part 1

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

Corsica has been on my must visit list for a very long time and at long last I’m doing it. And I’m going to do a road trip. I chose to fly to the island and hesitated a while before deciding on which airport. Eventually, I chose Bastia, and driving anti-clockwise around the island to try and see it all. I am giving myself 12 days.

This post and the next few should give you an idea of what I saw, and how beautiful the island is. I traveled in June. This is more or less the target route.

Bastia to Macinaggio

On this first part I was able to visit the wild and protected east coast in the North of the island after spending a lovely time visiting the old city and port of Bastia.

I headed to the citadel and the cathedral to start the visit of old Bastia. Plenty to see including a lovely view down the coast back towards the airport.
Then I went down the hill to the old port. You, like me, could spend several hours here. Apart from the obvious port and boats, there were lovely streets perpendicular to the rue des zephyrs. I had dinner, sheep cheese starter followed by a local sardines main, looking out over a balcony towards the port. A balcony that was very much in demand in the Restaurant L’Epica Bastia Vieux Port

Erbalunga

I continued northwards to explore the fairly undeveloped east side of the cap. It’s not a long drive but you will stop often. The first major stop is Erbalunga which has a 16 century tower that was damaged by a storm. It’s a small place but nice enough. I continue northwards to Pietracorbara where I decide it’s hot enough to swim. A nice break.

Tamarone

I parked just north of Macinaggio, where I am staying tonight. This was as rough a road as I was prepared to take a hire car. I was walking the sentier des douaniers, along the coast. You can save yourself 60-90 minutes by continuing up the track to the first way-point at Tamarone beach. This walk is correctly classed as classed intermediate level. Be prepared to scramble up loose rock. Over the top, up and down, eventually I see the Finocchiarola islands which give their name to my destination beach. All this area is a nature reserve. Foot is the only way to get there and we were few and far between. 15 minutes rest, it’s on 28 C before turning around and do it all over again back to the car. My Corsica road trip is off to a good start.

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Iconic Etretat cliff walk

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

The French coastline has an abundance of breathtaking views. The Iconic Etretat cliff walk along the cliffs in winter gives a breathtaking view of some unbelievable natural rock formations. It is no wonder that impressionist painters came here to capture the view in 19th century. The Iconic Etretat cliff walk runs both sides of the beach and both sides are worth the effort. This is one photo of many I took. There many more just below.

Getting to Etretat

Public transport would be my normal choice but there’s no train from Paris to Etretat. The trains goes part of the way and then you have to finish by bus. Far from ideal. If you are motivated enough this link has the information about the L504 bus. This link also has details of the various other bus and coach services from nearby towns like Le Havre and Fécamp.

So in the end car is the easiest way to get here. And many people do this. And this leads to a town with paid car parking every day of the year from 9h00 to 19h00. Parking prices are provided by the town here. The further out of town you park the cheaper it will be.

My photos

In no particular order some of the photos I took on my walk. When it was possible I got people in the image to give you some idea of the scale. You will also see the same image taken as the sun moves around the sky. Finally a few cliff shots to try and give you an idea of the height, the sheer drop and the fact that there are no fences. That’s right, you can walk to edge and put your life in danger for a selfie, something I strongly recommend you don’t do. On the subject of unnecessary risk. You are also not allowed within 50m of the foot of the cliffs. You will probably see evidence of recent collapses during your visit. Stay away and follow the advice of the plentiful signs. The cliffs are made mainly of chalk which doesn’t last forever. Take care and enjoy an Iconic Etretat cliff walk.

My walk

If you want to follow the same route then here are the details.

First of all I decided to focus on the north side of the beach for my walk. That is not to say ignoring the south side. So in fact you have to climb both sides to get the best of the Etretat cliff walk. That will be over 500 steps up and 500 down. Better make sure your knees are up to it

The 4 sections of my walk

  1. No matter where you park, or how you arrive you will end up on the sea front and you can walk along it to the cliffs. There is a path that takes you to the top of the Falaise d’Aval, the Aval Cliff, and the nearby Aiguille, the needle of Etretat. There are fantastic views here, not least of the beach, Plage El Karivis, the other side of the headland.
  2. I then returned to town and on the other end of the seafront are the steps up to the museum, the Gardens of Etretat and the cliff, La Falaise d’Amont. Aval and Amont are simply the French words for downstream and upstream. The gardens are open Wednesday to Sunday, and I have heard great things about them and you should find time to visit (by ticket). There is also a monument to the first aviators who tried to cross the Atlantic by plane.
  3. I recommend that you continue along the coastal path, passing the path that heads perpendicular in land, and at least up to the second bench. The first bench is by the town by the chapel. The second is on the cliff edge. Approximately 3km along the path. Along this path, the GR21, you can see the Aiguille de Belval, Belval needle, and the Roc Vaudieu, Vaudieu rock.
  4. That’s the end for me and I headed back to town along the same route. You could take the chemin du milieu, the central path, which is perpendicular to the coast around the Roc Vaudieu. It is signposted and easy to spot. My preference would to walk back along the coast, more interesting to see the sites from another angle in a different light.

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  • I went for a Spring walk with a macro lens around my home town, the images can be seen in this post.
  • I went for a walk along the river in Pitlochry, Scotland

Walking with a macro lens

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: < 1 minute

The bright sunny days in Spring are ideal to go walking with a macro lens. The sun is relatively low, the air clear, the plants all nice a new. I took all the following buds, flowers and seeds in a radius of a few kilometers. The fact that I was walking with a macro lens meant that I saw more. I was looking for original seeds and new growth. Unfortunately it meant that my walk took a little longer than expected.

This local park is typical of the scenery this time of year in the Yvelines in France. It is the only photograph that wasn’t taken with my 100mm macro lens.

There are new flowers and buds in the garden in Spring alongside the leaves and seeds from last year’s growth. There are more photographs of flowers and plants in my gallery.

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End of the day – the Eiffel Tower

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

I was not very quick getting out of the house today. However a short trip into Paris and I realised I could take some photographs of the most iconic tower at end of the day – the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was late in the day and I thought as I walked around the site I could capture the tower in different lighting.

In the evening bring a tripod

I had brought my full kit bag with me fortunately. It contains spare cards, batteries, objectives and 2 tripods. A classic tripod that attaches to the outside and a small one with bendy legs inside. It was the latter that proved most useful. The Eiffel tower is well known and very busy. The small tripod allowed me to easily use walls, statues and the ground for my shots. With the advantage of not bothering too many people.

The light

The glorious light of a winter’s day gives way to various stages of light as the sun sets and the light has to pass through more of our planet’s atmosphere. I discuss this further in another blog post. The phases for these photos are:

  • Golden hour
  • Blue hour
  • Twilight
  • Night

The route

I started at the Alma-Marceau metro station. This is on the right bank of the River Seine and allows me to approach the tower via the pont de l’Alma. I then crossed the river Seine and walked towards the tower along the Quai Jacques Chirac. Once at the foot of the tower I walked away from the river towards the Champs de Mars. Then across the gardens to walk back to the river and back to the foot of the Eiffel tower. Then back across the river Seine via the Pont d’Iena. Up the pathways via the Trocadero gardens and finally back into the metro system and home. This short walk took me to the end of the day – the Eiffel Tower was definitely the star of the show.

Also along the route

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Explore underground Paris

Late evening sunlight

Low light needs a tripod and patience

Visiting the Arc de Triomphe and the business district La Défense

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Winter walk around Pitlochry

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

I want to share with you my winter walk around Pitlochry, Scotland. I was lucky enough to have a few days in Scotland in November and wanted to see some of the beautiful countryside. An additional constraint was that I was travelling by train and foot. I wanted to make the most of my time and was looking for places where there was easy access to walks and tourist activities, by foot, from the train station. In the end I chose Pitlochry, Perth and Edinburgh. I took a winter walk around Pitlochry on one of the days.

Getting there by train

It was very easy with direct trains from Edinburgh and hotels in the town centre which is only a short walk from the station. To get there I took the direct train. Going home I stopped in Perth, which gave me the opportunity to take the train to Edinburgh around the coast, via Dalgety Bay, over the iconic 1.5-mile long red railway bridge, opened in 1890 & crossing the Forth estuary.

The river Tummel and Garry walk

There are a few proposals for local walks on the town’s website but they seem to miss a trick by making walkers spend too much time on the roads. The closest the site offers is the Faskally via Garry Bridge walk. If you download the map from this link you will see that large parts are on the road. The portion between Coronation Bridge and Garry bridge is in the woods and follows the nature trail. I feel that if you are able to do this portion then its only a small step to take the decision to follow the trail along the Tummel river bank and through the Faskally woods.

Starting point – the Power station and salmon ladder

I wanted to take my time and capture the beauty along the route so no rushing about. I estimate it was about 13km and with a little break for lunch I was out for 5 hours. A lovely day. The town centre is very close to the river Tummel. The train station is sandwiched between the river and town centre.

The river has a dam, power station and salmon ladder. The dam creates Loch Faskally and some exceptional photo opportunities. The power of the water is impressive.

Waterside walk to the Clunie Foot bridge

After crossing the dam there is a path alongside the river which joins the Foss road, parallel to the A9, which takes you to the Clunie foot bridge. This bridge is just below the Pitlochry bypass road bridge.

Cross the bridge and immediately turn left. The path drops gently down and take you to Faskally forest. Here you have a decision to take.

Faskally Forest and Loch Dunmore

The Faskally forest walk on the towns site gives you a circular walk around Loch Dunmore. This allows you to see the Loch, the forest and walk alongside the river. We are more ambitious and once we get to the far end of Loch Dunmore we are going to continue upstream to the river Garry. So here you must decide to stick to the river or venture up the hill to the forest. As there are plenty of river banks in the plan I chose to climb the hill and walk through the forest. It is worth noting that Faskally forest hosts, in the October time frame, a light show. The Enchanted Forest will return to Pitlochry in 2023, from Oct 5 to Nov 5. The website has all the details and tickets (opens in a new tab).

The banks of the Tummel to the river Garry bridge

The path continues northwards, upstream, towards the Marine Scotland, Freshwater laboratory, which is private. Just before this complex the path turns left to follow the river bank and the fishing sites. There is a large field on your right and the river on your left. On the other side of the river you will see the hydro electric plant which we will pass later. The path follows the river until it joins the river Garry. This continues under the River Garry road bridge and by a treetop zip wire park. The Garry bridge is unusual as it is home to a permanent bungee jump. The website has all the details of the jump and zip wires (opens in a new tab) Needless to say I did neither.

River Garry back to Linn of Tummel

Shortly after the road bridge is the foot bridge, which is worryingly limited to 10 people at a time. I was not worried and crossed comfortably. This is one of several spots on the walk with a car park if needed.

So now we start heading back downstream towards Pitlochry. But first we have to get to the spectacular Linn of Tummel. The path starts by running down alongside a large field and huge pine trees. Amongst these trees we find a flight of stairs. If you walk this way round the circuit you have to climb the stairs but on the up side get to walk down hill for the last kilometre back to town. You could decide to walk up that hill and down these stairs.

As we rejoin the confluence of the rivers Garry and Tummel we find the Linn of Tummel. The Linn of Tummel is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and more info can be found here (open in a new tab). The fast flowing river Tummel feeds into Loch Faskally here and provides spectacular rapids.

You follow the path upstream to the Coronation suspension bridge which allows us to cross and return to the route back to town.

Road walk back to Clunie foot bridge

We can now relax and follow the gentle undulations of the road back to the Clunie foot bridge. We will pass the hydro power plant and have wonderful views of the river, the Faskally forest and Loch Faskally. All this is set in the foreground to the Ben-y-Vrackie mountain.

Of note is the Clunie Memorial Arch. The arch is the same size as the tunnel that carries the water to the power station. Very impressive. More info in a new tab here.

Clunie Foot Bridge to Pitlochry

Here we are back at the foot bridge. You can walk back to the dam retracing your steps earlier. Or, like me, cross the bridge and this time turn right to head to the town centre on the other side of the river Tummel that we have not seen yet. There was a lovely view of the river from the Pitlochry Boating Station & Adventure Hire site.

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  • I went for a Spring walk with a macro lens around my home town, the images can be seen in this post.
  • I also went for a walk along the coast of France near Etretat and its famous arches

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Statue of Liberty

Posted on by SteveH
Estimated Reading Time: < 1 minute

I wanted to take a current view of the statue of liberty and try to show the felling it might have on someone who was arriving in the USA today but with the conditions of 100 years ago. No idea what was happening, what was being said, what the process was but a belief that the future was bright. To help show that brightness I decided to take a Black and white Statue of Liberty image.

The photos were taken in colour and can be found on my 500px page (opens in a new tab). I felt that a Black and white Statue of Liberty was more imposing and a better fit with the idea I had.

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