ABC Wednesday - K is for Knightstown

We visited Knightstown on Valentia Island (NOT Valencia Island as marked on some maps) in April 1999. We were staying at Kenmare in County Kerry and had set off across country. The rain in Ireland can be fierce and as we drove into the town of Caherciveen the water was bouncing 18 inches high as it hit the road. We didn't take the ferry across but drove several miles to Portmagee where there is a bridge across to the island. We kept on driving until we arrived at Knightstown. Here we found a little cafe. We parked outside and decamped into it as quickly as we could. After refreshing ourselves I took this quick photograph looking down into town with its clock tower by the ferry to Caherciveen.


We returned in September 2000 on a sunny day and explored in more comfort.

The first transatlantic cable to achieve long term success was laid from Foilhommerum, Valentia Island to Hearts Content, Newfoundland on the 13th July 1866 by the largest ship of that time, 'The Great Eastern.' Queen Victoria and President Andrew Johnson exchanged congratulatory messages via the transatlantic cable on July 29, 1866 just two days after the Great Eastern arrived at Heart's Content.

A cable station in Knightstown opened on September 20, 1868 and was closed in 1966 by Western Union International. The cable station is now a factory and the cable houses are now private homes. The buildings are situated on the lower road from Knightstown to Chapeltown.

There is more information about this on the Atlantic Cable website.

Later we went back to Portmagee and took a boat out to the Skelligs from the Skellig Experience Centre but that's a tale for another day.

For more K posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Shadow Sunday: Manchester Piccadilly

This week my shadow shot is from the main entrance to Manchester Piccadilly railway station.

You can see the entrance itself in this picture on Geograph

Visit Hey Harriet to discover more contributions to Shadow Shot Sunday.

Friday Bench (17): Werneth Low

I had some camcorder video footage transferred to DVDs some time ago. The quality is not brilliant but I've managed to extract a number of interesting stills.

This is a bench on Werneth Low captured in 1993.

See the view, fifteen years later, but without the bench on Hyde Daily Photo.

My favourite benches discovered last week include Barbara's at Banff National Park, Runes's array of benches, Steve's at Ithaca Commons, East Gwillimbury's at sunset, Lew's in Carroll Creek Linear Park, Eamon's at Sunderland Point and Calver's on Cromer Pier.

ABC Wednesday - J is for Jet Amber Fields

Jet Amber Fields between St Anne's Road, Denton and Dunkirk Lane, Hyde was landscaped in the 1980s having previously been used as a refuse tip.

In the 19th century the area was used for mining.

More recently it has been used for kite flying.

For more J posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Shadow Sunday: Helsinki

Today's shadows are more than three years old. I can scarce belief it is so long ago that we visited Helsinki as part of our 2006 Baltic cruise.

We were touring the city by coach and at one point, where the road runs by a beach area near a ferry terminal, we stopped at a zebra crossing. A flock of Canada geese were waiting for the traffic to stop. The guide told us they regularly used this route to cross to the parkland opposite and always showed perfect road manners.

From my position in the coach I only saw them when they had waddled into the shadows of the trees in the park.

Visit Hey Harriet to discover more contributions to Shadow Shot Sunday.

Friday Bench (16): Hania

A couple of weeks ago I linked to Meditteranian Kiwi's bench by the seafront at Koum Kapi.

It wasn't until she posted A view of the sea across the road from the disused Turkish fountains and mentioned, "The benches in a previous post are to the right of the fort", that I realised I had my own photo of the bench.

I recognised the Santa Lucia Bastion in her post.

My favourite benches discovered last week include Bab's hiding a fountain, Runes's with a charming lady and Dina's stone bench.

ABC Wednesday - I is for Isola Bella

Isola Bella is one of the Borromean islands on Lake Maggiore in Italy.


At the town of Stresa we were dropped off at the lakeside and led to some small boats.


The Borromean Islands consist of three islands, Isola Pescatori (Fisherman's Island), Isola Bella and the small "Lover's Island" where two is company and three's a crowd. The boat takes us around the islands. Fisherman's Island with its array of little houses, looks very inviting, but we are landed on Isola Bella.


We disembarked on to a shingle beach at one end of the island. We had to negotiate steps up to the palace. Ramps had been placed over some of the flights but not all. Those who were fit visited the palace and its gardens. The latter is on nine levels and is home to some beautiful white peacocks. Between the palace and the shore there is an area thronged with market stalls, selling all kinds of souvenirs.


A maze of little alleyways led up from the shore below the palace gardens. There were small shops, including one selling magnificent yellow-glazed pots. In these back passageways were little verandahs with cacti on display.


I also found some intriguing wall-friezes.


On the return journey boatman circles the island, allowing us a chance to get an idea of how extensive are the ornate gardens belonging to the palace.


A fuller account of our visit can be found at Europe 2002.

For more I posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Shadow Sunday: Half a Swede

I was waiting for our transport home to arrive when I noticed something in the road. I think it is half a swede. How it got there I don't know. It possibly fell out of someone's shopping bag as they were crossing the road. I fully expected it to get squashed by the tyre of a car, but several passed by and it survived. The shadow of a bus stop sign and a hanging basket were prominent so I thought I'd photograph it for today's post and here is the result. Our transport arrived very shortly afterwards and what happened to it later is something I don't know.

Visit Hey Harriet to discover more contributions to Shadow Shot Sunday.

Friday Bench (15): Haughton Green

Once again, my Friday Bench is a follow-up to my ABC Wednesday post earlier this week and depicts a bench discovered last February in the woods at Haughton Green.

Favourites among the benches I stumbled upon last week include Tom's stone bench from the Moray Firth, Imac's in a wood, Barbara's at Butterstub Marsh, PERB's at Multonomah Falls, East Gwillimbury's at sunset and Jackie's winter bench in Queen's Park.

ABC Wednesday - H is for Haughton Green

St Mary's Church was founded in 1876, but Haughton Green is an ancient locality in South-east Lancashire. In 1894 it merged with neighbouring Denton.


Originally a rural area, with most of its built up areas along the main roads and in the old village, it became more built up when the Manchester (Beswick) overspill estate was located here in the late 50s behind existing housing on Two Trees Lane. There was also building of new middle class housing in and around the original village at the same time. This increased its size significantly as housing now extended down into the valley and next to wooded areas.


Here is a view of St Mary's from the other side. All these photographs are from a walk I took in February. I featured one from that day earlier in Skywatch Friday: Haughton Green.


Past the church and the houses is an area known as Hulmes/Hardy Wood and Lower Haughton Meadows Local Nature Reserve consisting of ancient woodlands and meadows that survived a 200-year history of coal mining and quarrying, which ended in the 1920s.

For more H posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Shadow Sunday: Little Underbank

Today's shadows are on Little Underbank at Stockport, Cheshire, UK.

Little Underbank is an old street that is now pedestrianised. The shot was taken from a bridge that crosses over the top of this ancient city street.

Like many of my compositions this is a crop of a small section of a much larger original photograph. In this case, I used a very different crop of the same original to create a haiga which you can see on Ink Sweat & Tears.

Visit Hey Harriet to discover more contributions to Shadow Shot Sunday.

Friday Bench (14): Gdynia

Today's bench post is a follow-up to my ABC Wednesday: G is for Gdynia.

These benches were situated on the walk down from the fountain towards the beach and the war museum.

My favourite benches discovered last week include Yellerbelly's riverside bench in Toruń, Phoenix C's flower-encrusted ones in the University of Durham Botanic Garden, Rune's on Torgalmenningen, Ben's at Melrose House, Barbara's in Victoria, BC, Leatherdyke's in Mablethorpe, Marie's marble & granite bench in Rio, Catherine's in Tequisquiapan and Mediterranean Kiwi's by the seafront at Koum Kapi.

ABC Wednesday - G is for Gdynia

I've shown you a bit of Gydnia before in my post B is for Baltic Point, and also I showed you the destroyer Błyskawica preserved as a museum ship in Gdynia.


My first photograph today is of a fountain on the edge of the town.


My second one shows a yacht in the marina. Behind the marina is a sandy beach which stretches for several miles.


As for my third shot. What can I say?

The guns are part of a military museum located on the other side of the road from the beach and the portable toilets are actually for the use of the bathers.

I have more photos of Gdynia but I'll save them for a later date. Meanwhile, if I've whetted your appetite for more check out the Polish photoblog Gdynia.

For more G posts visit ABC Wednesday.