Welcome to Breakfast in America
My photo journal is an eclectic mix of things; there’s no guiding theme or topic. It is whatever happens to catch my attention, what I’ve been thinking, doing, and whatever my current obsessions are. At the moment, they are clearing some of the backlog on my ‘honey-do’ list, backpacking and hammock camping.
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Welcome to Eastney Beach (and some trip stats)
Day Thirty-two
Welcome to Eastney Beach. Copyright © 2024 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. No trip back home to Portsmouth would be complete without a visit to the beach at Eastney — Ginger was getting her nails done, and I spent an hour on the beach and even went for a swim.
It’s a shame the sign was so highly reflective. I could probably edit the reflection out, but it is not worth the effort.
Our time here is winding down, earlier today we returned the rental car, and we fly back to the US in three days. It seems I didn’t take any pictures of our trip to Edinburg or Glasgow (I did take a lots of our event in Glasgow, but I’m not putting those here). So, this is the last picture I have apart from some family pictures, which again, I’ll not be publishing.
Some Stats
- Spent lots of time with family.
- Held three business events.
- Drove over 2,000 miles.
- Walked over 75 miles (including over 40 miles in two days in Edinburg & Glasgow).
- Watched a show on the Edinburg Fringe.
- I swam in the sea (makes a change from Table Rock Lake).
- Spent more nights in hotels (17) than we originally budgeted.
- Blowing my own horn, I ran 34 miles over 13 runs — the shortest 2.32 miles at RSPB Fairburn Ings (Selby), and longest, 2.92 miles at Folkstone.
And that’s it for our 2024 UK visit.
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Selby Abbey, South Transept window. Selby, North Yorkshire
Selby Abbey, South Transept window. Selby, North Yorkshire. Copyright © 2024 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Selby Abbey, North Transept
Day Thirty
Selby Abbey, North Transept — is a former Benedictine abbey and current Anglican parish church in Selby, North Yorkshire. Copyright © 2024 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Selby Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey and current Anglican parish church in Selby, North Yorkshire.
Yesterday, we drove down from Glasgow to Selby, taking a route across the Pennines that we had not taken before. The scenery was wonderful, but we didn’t stop for pictures, we just enjoyed the view as we drove through.
Today we met up with another of Ginger’s community members, and while they chatted I took some pictures of Selby Abbey. Well, actually, they chatted the day through, and I left them to it, went back to the hotel, and went out for a run at RSPB Fairburn Ings. 🙂 Tomorrow, we head back to Portsmouth.
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Curtain — Netherwood Hotel & Spa
Curtain — taken for no other reason than I liked the texture and the light. Copyright © 2024 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Lounge — Netherwood Hotel & Spa
Lounge — Netherwood Hotel & Spa, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria. Copyright © 2024 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I liked the light, colors, and ambiance in this room.
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Lounge — Netherwood Hotel & Spa
Lounge — Netherwood Hotel & Spa, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria. Copyright © 2024 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I liked the light, colors, and ambiance in this room.
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Heysham Nuclear Power Station
Heysham Nuclear Power Station. Quite blurry, but it is eleven miles away. I’ve spent a lot of time there. Copyright © 2024 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I had to laugh when I saw this on the horizon from our room. This seems to be the trip of the nuclear power stations Gary has worked for/visited. And yes, I spent quite a lot of time there, and at its sister station south of Hartlepool on the East Coast.
Heysham Nuclear Power Station. Quite blurry, but it is eleven miles away. I’ve spent a lot of time there. Copyright © 2024 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Morning run at Grange-over-Sands — the return leg
Morning run at Grange-over-Sands — the return leg, with the railway station caught in a shaft of sunlight. Copyright © 2024 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Morning run at Grange-over-Sands
Day Twenty-five
Morning run at Grange-over-Sands. Copyright © 2024 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. From the Netherwood Hotel along the entire length of the promenade and back was just over two and a half miles. Just right for my morning run.
Of my various morning runs, in order I enjoyed Folkestone, Grange-over-Sands, and Southsea seafronts the most. Brighton seafront was very run down, which became obvious once I reached Hove, where there seemed to be some significant investment in sprucing up the promenade.
My Farlington runs were in suburban streets, so not a lot to write home about. My only other run was at the RSPB Fairburn Ings (near Selby, Yorkshire). It was densely wooded with limited views, and it was just a bit meh. I didn’t go for a run in Glasgow — it was always raining, and anyway, we walked over forty miles while we were there, so I think I’m excused.
Morning run at Grange-over-Sands. Copyright © 2024 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Netherwood Hotel & Spa, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria
Day Twenty-four
Netherwood Hotel & Spa, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria. Copyright © 2024 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. We are here for a couple of well-earned rest days before heading to Glasgow, and our final business event.
The weather cleared up over the course of the morning. Ginger spent most of the day writing, and in the evening, we went up into Grange-over-Sands to seek a real seaside fish and chip shop. Mission accomplished, we ate our fish and chips sitting on the promenade, getting back to the hotel just as it started raining again.
