This week was a bit more like the normal week but without the Sunday.
Monday meant an early start from Cymmer, making my way North to the railway town of Derby, famed for its railway works of years gone by, and still has a link with rail manufacturing. and then on to Chesterfield to the north. After a quick stop to drop the one pack off I then found myself traversing the highpeaks of Derbyshire via the A628 and the old A6 to make my next call at Crooklands just off the M6 to the North of Lancaster at junction 37. With the day all but done I made my way towads carlisle and then joined the A7 to head into the beutiful Scottish Boarders, famed for its Cashmere at the Edinburgh Woolen mill, Nr Langholm, plus the the Scottish Boarders is a great place for its Rugby following, boastings famous scottish club teams such as Hawick Molrose and Galashields.
The Monday night I spent in the quite town of langholm, home of the famed edinburgh woolen mill company, suppliers of luxury woolen clothing, taking the name of Cashmere around the World.
tuesday opened fine & dry with great blue sky’s and brilliant sunshine, which gave me ample opportunity for some great shots on the way North to my next call at Newton St Boswells, home of the Scottish Boarders Council. By Mid morning I was making my North once again in the gloriuos Autumn sunshine with ample time to spare before my next call at Aberdeen, which gave me time for a break at the Forth Bridges, with a large ship inbound through the bridges I should manage a shot of the new Norfolk Line ferry entering the Port of Rosyth.
Onwards and upwards as they say towards Aberdeen, the granite city. I arrived in Aberdeen around three thirty and got tipped straight away. As they waether had been so promising on the way North I had planned to overnight in Cullin on the North Aberdeenshire coast. But as I moved further North the cloud descended and the photo opportunities seemed to drift further into the demising light. As I had anticipated by the time I had made a stop at Macduff and got to Cullin the light had gone to an overcast gray.
the next morning was no change and I made my way into Elgin to get the single column off and start my way South via the Spey valley. By mide afternoon on the wednesday I was in the middle of Bellshill loading the seven drops set aside for me to take me back home to South wales.
Wednesday evening and I mangaged to get as far South as the Cheshire town of Sandbach, and have a well earned overnight rest.
Thursday morning and I was up and out early and making my way down the M6 by seven in a vain attempt to try and beat the Birmingham rush, but to no avail, I still managed to get delayed at junction ten and eight. My fist call was at Gloucester and then on to another Gloucestershire town, this time Lydney on the banks of the river Severn, and then over, what they now call the “old Bridge”, or as its known, the Severn Bridge, to make two calls in the Bristol area, before returning over the Bridge to call at Cross keys in the Gwent Valley’s.
My call at Cross keys went well and then on North to the birth place of Commercial Iron production, Bleanavon, which is now a world heritage centre. With a visitor centre and the old Iron works restored, plus the old Colliery restored as well, this is trully a place worth visiting for a piece of industrial heritege. Unfortunatley I missed the guys at my call and they had gone home by the time I had got there, so I was destined for an early finish. But with the weather producing that gray overcast again that I had in Cullin, I was not given the best light for photography.
Bleanavon IronWorks Heritage Centre
With my final call at Llanelli the next moring I made my way over the Heads Of The Valleys road which spans the moorland to the South of the Brecon Beacons, this in turn gives way to the Glyneath Valley and then on to the M4 at Swansea, before arriving in Lanelli around mid moring on the Friday.
And that was me for another week on the road, just a run up the Afon Valley to Cymmer and get the lorry washed and spruced up for next week.
This Weeks Route
Photo Of The Week
The Norfolk Lines Ferry Scottish Viking inbound through the bridges for Rosyth from Zeebrugg
