take photos, ride bikes

Personal blog of an amateur photographer, armchair adventurer, and somebody who should probably know better.

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Hiking Greeba Plantation from Glen Vine

Hiking Greeba Plantation from Glen Vine - a couple of pictures and notes from a recent outing. #isleofman #hiking #iom

Looking down on Crosby from Cronk ny Moghlane

An easy 3 hour ramble with sweeping vistas and ancient shaded woodland, starting and finishing on the Steam Heritage Trail which links Peel with the Isle of Man’s capital, Douglas. Don’t be fooled by the short distance and minimal elevation gain – this route includes a river crossing and several squelchy bogs.

Distance:9.82 kmTime:3 hoursGain:241…

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S.T. Cevic Shipwreck, Ramsey

Low tide and no rain? Must be time to explore another shipwreck, this time the S.T. Cevic near Ramsey.

Another sad but photogenic shipwreck is to be found just below Ramsey near Port Lewaigue. Originally launched on 8th June 1895 in North Shields, Cevic was transferred to Fleetwood for use as a Steam Trawler. During March 197 she was fortified through the addition of a Hotchkiss 6-pounder naval gun, which was presumably removed before she was sold on to The Cevic Steam Fishing Co Ltd in July 1924.

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An Eventful Start

Just a Business Trip, Indonesia

My stinging eyes open wearily as the distant prayer call dispels any hopes of just one more hour’s sleep before sunrise. The first muezzin is joined by a closer second as my world begins to focus, the 11 year old girl’s room rendered yellow by the street light outside the dusty windows, and through the gap between the tin roof and the roughly finished walls. The windows are barred from the…

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Purple Helmets at large in Ramsey

Purple Helmets at large in Ramsey

Manx national treasure The Purple Helmets came out of hibernation to perform the world’s first post-covid motorcycle stunt show last Saturday, it says here, entertaining the Rhumsaa crowds in their own interminable style at speeds approaching 100 miles per hour. With borders still closed the team was down to just 17 men and one pole dancer, but that didn’t stop them performing perennial…

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S.T. Pasages Shipwreck, Jurby

A couple of images of the S.T. Pasages, a Canadian steam trawler that ran aground in Jurby 90 years ago. #shipwreck #worldoceansday

From Canada to the Isle of Man

The Manx coastline is dotted with many interesting wrecks, including the Steam Trawler Pasages. Originally built in 1917 for the Canadian Navy in Toronto, she made her way to the UK in the 1920s and was converted to a fishing trawler. In 1931 she ran aground in foul weather near Jurby, where she’s been quietly rusting ever since.

Learn More

S.T. Pasages…

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Why Batteries Die and How to Stop Them

Scraping the bottom of the content barrel thanks to lockdown: Why Batteries Die and How to Stop Them. My own take on how you can make your devices last longer.

With mobile devices becoming increasingly expensive and usually featuring non-replaceable batteries, it’s important that we treat them in a manner which extends their lifespan as much as possible. As an early adopter of mobile technology (and with many years of IT support under my belt) I wanted to share some basic techniques that have helped me get the most out of every rechargeable device I’ve…

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Kahtoola Microspikes

A quick look at @Kahtoola #microspikes, portable traction control for hiking boots and running shoes. #trailrunning #hiking

You’re on a ski holiday but you can’t hit the slopes because it hasn’t stopped snowing for three days solid and everything’s shut. You’ve tried running and hiking, but all the trails are icy and you end up sliding about like Bambi, unable to make it up the slightest incline without ending up on your already bruised arse. A walk to the pub is in order, but the pavements are covered in permafrost…

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Camera Colour Profiles in Lightroom

#fujifilm film simulations in #lightroom: easy when you know where to look. Can't believe I didn't figure this out sooner. D'oh!!

One of the attractions of using a camera like Fujifilm’s X-T3 are its film simulations, which allow you to create images that look as though they were shot on a variety of traditional 35mm films made by the same company.

I find myself using film simulations more than I thought I would, but until now that’s always forced me to choose between saving the images as JPG (which reflect my choice of…

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Hiking Lhargee Ruy from Crosby

Hiking Lhargee Ruy from Crosby: a healthy 19km route with views of -cliché alert - all five kingdoms. #isleofman #hiking

Looking West from the base of Lhargee Ruy

Sweeping views, plenty of heather, and a killer climb make this is another one of those random rambles that turned out way better than expected, despite the distance and elevation gain.

Distance:18.8 kmTime:4.5 hoursGain:515 mMin:36 mMax:422 mDownload:GPX

Overview

Elevation

Directions

Park at the crossroads in Crosby, there’s plenty of…

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Smashed my Half Marathon PB

Smashed my Half Marathon PB, plus furthest ever run at 28.9 km. #lockdown #exercise

After a recent recovery run I was surprised to find that I can now stay in HR Zone 2 on gentle hills, and average just over 5:00 min/km for a 10 km run. The pace made me feel as though I could keep it up for hours, and I started to think. My first attempt at a half back in 2016 took me 1:58:29 at 5:37 min/km. I was dehydrated to begin with, took no water with me and hadn’t trained, but I’d run my…

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Hiking Cronk Ny Arrey Laa from Dalby

Hiking Cronk Ny Arrey Laa from Dalby

Distance:10.9 kmTime:4 hoursElevation Gain:715 metersMin / Max Elevation:7 / 443 metersDownload:GPX route & track

One of my favourite hikes on the whole island, this one’s got it all: precipitous cliff paths overlooking secluded bays with crystal clear waters, high peaks with sweeping vistas covering four countries, and ancient shady forests filled with ferns, blueberries, and wild garlic.

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Springtime in Cringle

Springtime in Cringle - time to break out the camera and head for one of my favourite spots on the #isleofman.

I spent a couple of hours on the Stumpjumper yesterday exploring Cringle Plantation, one of the more technical mountain bike areas on the Isle of Man. Towards the end of the blue dot community trail I was transported into a magical woodland of mature, moss-covered larch, planted just wide enough to allow a carpet of wild clover to conceal the entire forest floor, and that carpet was now in full…

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CooSpo Heart Rate Monitor

A couple of words on CooSpo's ANT+ / Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor: cheap, accurate, compatible.

My long-suffering Garmin HRM-Run died a couple of weeks ago, forcing me to rely on optical heart rate measurements from my Fēnix 5. There’s more about how that worked out in another post, for now I just want to share some info about my replacement chest strap of choice: the HRM H6 made by the good people of Shenzhen CooSpo Tech Co., Ltd.

CooSpo HRM H6

This £29.99 devicegoes around your…

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Garmin Fēnix Optical Heart Rate Test

Another test of Garmin's optical HRM tech, this time in retrospect while I wait for a new chest strap to be delivered.

Introduction / Background

My Garmin chest strap finally died. Originally bundled with the 920XT I purchased back in August 2015, I’ve been using the HRM-RUN on average three or four times a week without issues, but after two intermittent failures during road rides this month she finally shuffled off to the big gym in the sky. I’ve ordered some cheap but well reviewed aftermarket replacements,…

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Apple’s iPad doesn’t need a Magic Keyboard, it just needs one that works.

On March 18th 2020 Apple gave the world another new iPad Pro. It’s been little over 500 days since the last model launched, and now we’re promised a “breakthrough LIDAR scanner” as well as trackpad support and a Magic Keyboard. As an owner of the previous 11” iPad Pro (and decidedly non-magic keyboard) I felt a familiar sinking feeling: should I have waited for this one instead? I though about my…

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Three Months with Fujifilm X-T3

Three Months with Fujifilm X-T3: some thoughts and sample images from my latest travel companion.

Almost 20 years have passed since Fujifilm released the 4700z, a camera which replaced the brick-like Sony Mavica MVC-FD7 I’d been using up to that point. The Fuji’s diminutive size and vivid colour reproduction was to have a lasting impression on me, as did the “revolutionary” interpolation of 2.4 CCD megapixels to produce a 4.3 megapixel image. Not having to carry around carrier bags full of…

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Garmin GPSMap 66s Mini-Review

One month in, I present my GPSMap 66s Mini-Review; a short, irreverent look at the latest outdoor GPS from #garmin

This mini-review is aimed at anyone who is already familiar with Garmin outdoor devices or fitness trackers, and is looking to upgrade an older model like the GPSMap 64 or 62. I’ve used Garmin devices to plan road trips and monitor my fitness for many years, and as such this piece is aimed at people with similar experience rather than those who are altogether new to the brand. I’m reviewing a…

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