Reflections

Perhaps better enlarged Loch Etive (Scottish Gaelic, Loch Eite) is a 30 km sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It reaches the sea at Connel, 5 km north of Oban. It measures 31.6 km (19 3⁄4 miles) long and from 1.2 km ( 3⁄4 mile) to 1.6 km (1 mi) wide. Its depth varies greatly, up to a maximum of 150 m (490 ft). The River Etive drains into Loch Etive from its source near Kingshouse on Glencoe, Rannoch Moor. A small, single track road runs alongside the river for its 18km course to the loch – this road is widely regarded as one of the most picturesque roads in all of Scotland. The loch water is coloured by the presence of peat in the water of the River Etive, which enters the loch at this point, mixing with the seawater. From 1847 a steamer service from Oban carried passengers to the now derelict pier (just visible at centre of picture) at the north end of the loch, linking to a carriage service that took tourists up Glen Etive to see Glen Coe. A later structure, located near the original jetty, can be used for the transportation of timber by sea in the form of logs harvested from the forestry on the hills in Glen Etive. The name Etive is believed to mean "little ugly one" from the Gaelic goddess associated with the loch. It heads east for half its length alongside the main road and rail link to Oban, before heading northeast into mountainous terrain seen here. The narrow mouth of the loch results in its most unusual feature, the Falls of Lora. Part of the north bank has been designated a Special Area of Conservation in particular due to old sessile oak woods. Surprisingly, a small colony of around 20 common seals is resident in Loch Etive.

One from the archive A weir on the River Avon has appeared on maps of Bath, England, ever since 1603. Located just downriver from the Pulteney Bridge, the Pulteney Weir was built in the late Middle Ages to prevent the river from flooding the town of Bath. The weir was completely rebuilt in the early 1970s and given a more effective and now iconic V-shape design. A sluice and controlled flood gates were also added in the upgrade.

Perhaps better enlarged The Leaderfoot Viaduct, also known as the Drygrange Viaduct, is a railway viaduct over the River Tweed near Melrose in the Scottish Borders. The viaduct was opened on 16 November 1863 to carry the Berwickshire Railway, which connected Reston with St Boswells, via Duns and Greenlaw. The railway was severely damaged by flooding during August 1948, with 7 bridges on the line failing, and the line closed to passenger traffic on 13 August 1948. Freight trains continued to run across the viaduct as far as Greenlaw until 19 July 1965. In 1981, the poor condition of the viaduct meant that it was due to be demolished. It was upgraded from Category B to A listing in 1986. Historic Scotland took over control of the viaduct from British Rail in 1996. The viaduct stands 126 feet (38 m) from the floor of the river valley. The arches, each of 43 feet (13 m) span, are of brickwork, and the abutments, piers and walls are of rustic-faced red sandstone. Some later strengthening of the abutments and piers with old rails and buttresses on the southern valley side is very obvious. It is straight over its whole course, and runs in a broadly northerly direction. It is near to the Roman settlement of Trimontium, which is to the south-west of the viaduct To the east of the viaduct are the Drygrange Old Bridge, a road bridge dating from 1776, (from where this picture was taken) and its modern successor. This group of three bridges is sometimes known as Tripontium. To the east of the viaduct the River Leader flows into the Tweed from the north.

The East Tower of Helmsley Castle reflected in the windows of the English Heritage visitor's centre.

Perhaps best enlarged The North Pier is a classic example of Scottish vernacular harbour work. It comprises a pier of rubble construction, with a substantial bulwark on its seaward face, to protect the wide quay from over-topping seas in heavy weather. The course of the pier is somewhat crooked, reflecting the strategy of the builders to construct it from strong point to strong point along the natural rock skerry which forms its foundation. The dry-stone, rubble construction of this pier gives it great character and the surfaces reveal many examples of repairs to the pier, using a variety of different strategies for placing the stones. The outer, seaward face of this pier contains in places re-used stone with rolled moulded margins, presumably coming from the ruined castle or cathedral in the 18th and 19th centuries. The North pier has a number of important features along is length, including cyclopean stone mooring pawls, stone stairs leading to the bulwark and a stone slipway in the harbour where the pier joins the Shorehead quay. There is also a stone-built ramp at the root of the pier leading down onto the shore. This ramp is of indeterminate age but it connects with a rock-cut roadway leading towards the castle, where there was an important landing beach. The outer, seaward end of the North pier is of 19th and 20th century date, reflecting efforts to improve the access to the harbour in heavy weather. It is of typical Victorian and later cement construction, much more rectilinear than the earlier work at the shore-ward end. This later extension is fitted with cast-iron mooring pawls. St Andrews Harbour has in its day known commerce with all parts of Europe. In medieval times the town traded widely, principally with the Low Countries. At its peak, the harbour may have berthed as many as 300 ships. But it fell into disuse with the opening of the railway. It dates from the 13th century and retains much of its medieval form. The main pier, extending out into the North Sea, was rebuilt with stone taken from the Cathedral in 1656. It is along this pier the University students traditionally walk after Sunday service from St Salvator's Chapel in North Street.

Taken on the East Sands beach, St. Andrews, Kingdom of Fife, Scotland

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Viewed from Scarborough Castle Perhaps best enlarged

View to the south from the walls of Scarborough Castle Perhaps better enlarged

Suffield - North Yorkshire Perhaps better enlarged.

These cottages are situated on the eastern side of Whitby harbour, below the Church of St.Mary and Whitby Abbey. Perhaps better enlarged

The River Taf (Welsh: Afon Taf) is a river in West Wales. It rises in the Preseli Hills of north Pembrokeshire and flows approximately 50 km (30 mi) through Carmarthenshire to Carmarthen Bay. It reaches the sea near the village of Laugharne and is one of three rivers, along with the River Gwendraeth and River Towy, to enter the sea on the east side of Carmarthen Bay. Perhaps best enlarged

The Grand Hotel The hotel was designed by the Hull architect Cuthbert Brodrick, who was better known as the designer of several Leeds buildings, and when completed in 1867 was one of the largest hotels in the world, as well as one of the first giant purpose-built hotels in Europe. The hotel's distinctive yellow (also referred to as tawny) brickwork was made locally in Hunmanby and is complemented with traditional red brickwork around the windows. The building is designed around the theme of time: four towers to represent the seasons, 12 floors for the months of the year, 52 chimneys symbolise the weeks, and originally there were 365 bedrooms, one for each day of the year. Following the renovation the room count was reduced to 280. The hotel itself is in the shape of a 'V' in honour of Queen Victoria. The hotel's heyday was arguably during Victorian times, when wealthy holidaymakers made up the establishment's clientele. As Scarborough was a famous spa town, the building's baths originally included an extra pair of taps, so guests could wash in seawater as well as fresh. Construction began in 1863 and was completed in 1867, at a cost of over £100,000. At the time, it was the largest brick building in Europe. The first manager was M. Augustus Fricour, who had previously been in charge at the Hotel Mirabeau in Paris. The grand opening was on 24 July 1867.

Bassenthwaite Lake is one of the largest water bodies in the English Lake District. It is long and narrow, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 3⁄4-mile (1.2 km) wide, but is also extremely shallow, with a maximum depth of about 70 ft (21 m). It is the only body of water in the Lake District to use the word "lake" in its name, all the others being "waters" (for example, Derwentwater), "meres" (for example, Windermere) or "tarns" (for example, Dock Tarn). It is fed by, and drains into, the River Derwent. The lake lies at the foot of Skiddaw, near the town of Keswick. The view is to the northwest with the Solway Firth and Scotland on the horizon. Perhaps better enlarged

Viewed from Sir Johns Hill near Laugharne, elevation about 80 mtrs Perhaps better viewed enlarged

The Boathouse is a house in Laugharne, Wales, in which the poet Dylan Thomas lived with his family between 1949 and 1953, the last four years of his life. It was at this house that he wrote many major pieces. It has often been suggested that he wrote Under Milk Wood here but more recent research suggests that fewer than 300 lines of the play were written in Laugharne. The house is set in a cliff overlooking the Tâf Estuary. Thomas first visited the village of Laugharne with a friend, the poet Glyn Jones, in 1934 and was attracted to it. He moved there four years later with his wife Caitlin, and the Boat House was later bought for him by Margaret Taylor, first wife of the historian A. J. P. Taylor. Dylan and Caitlin brought up their three children, Aeronwy, Llewellyn and Colm here. Thomas also rented, for his parents, "Pelican House", opposite Brown's Hotel in the town, and they lived there from 1949 until 1953. It was in this house that his father died and that the funeral was held. After Dylan's own death in 1953, Caitlin Thomas was keen to leave Laugharne because of its painful memories. The house is now owned by the Carmarthenshire County Council and serves as a museum, open to the public for most of the year. It contains Thomas memorabilia and some of the original furniture, including Dylan's father's desk. Close to the main house is a reconstruction of the "writing shed" where Thomas spent much of his time. The interior has been returned to its 1950s appearance, with a recording of Thomas's voice playing in the background. The reconstructed writing shed is set up with a writing table littered with discarded papers as though Thomas were in the process of working on a book. The exhibits include a bust of Dylan Thomas, formerly owned by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, a letter from former US President Jimmy Carter, and a 1936 photograph of Thomas, notable for having been taken into space on board the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1998.

A shady spot on the River Derwent, Forge Valley, North Yorkshire Perhaps better enlarged