All posts by Barrie Webb

Eclipse Busway BRT extension madness

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Update 26/04/2019: Bridge to remain with a revised junction

The 1km Eclipse busway extension to the existing route will be from the Tichborne Way / Hutfield Link south to form a new junction with Rowner Road, maintaining the existing shared use footway / cycleway from Hutfield Link to Rowner Road.

Eclipse Busway proposed extension routeWhile this sounds good news, the downside is that the excellent existing shared pedestrain   and cycle path (also designated a safe route to school) from the Hutfield Link to Rowner road will  be squeezed in with the bus route.

The bridge at the new junction will be demolished with the loss of the underpass and the perfect seperation arrangement of pedestrains and cyclists from traffic on the B3334

Pedestrains and cyclists (whom the Govement is championing under the guise of Active Travel) will be will be pushed down the pecking order, at odds with The Manual for Streets

According to the Active Travel briefing The Manual for Streets changed the government’s approach to the design and provision of residential and other streets.

This includes a hierarchy of provision that puts walking and cycling at the top, and following its principles can help design places that encourage active travel.

The Eclipse Busway has gone as far as possible.

Poppies Wave Fort Nelson

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Poppies Wave

The Poppies Wave at the Royal Armouries, Fort Nelson, together with the Weaping Window  were created to mark the centenary of the outbreak of war.

Now in its last few days on show at Fort Nelson on Portsdown Hill.

Many other interesting exhibits, tunnels to explore, views to the north of Hampshire, Art and of course the obligatory shop!

Click on any of the images below to view the pictures in a gallery

Poppies Wave at Fort Nelson. By Paul Cummins, artist and Tom Piper, designer
Part of the Poppies Wave by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper
Fort Nelson, Fareham
Poppies_Wave at Fort Nelson, Fareham
140 mm armour plate stopping a round
Fort Nelson, Fareham
Poppies_Wave Fort Nelson
Poppies_Wave at Fort Nelson, Fareham
140 mm armour test plates
140mm armour plate
Poppies_Wave Fort Nelson by Paul Cummings, artist and Tom Piper , designer
Fort Nelson
Poppies_Wave at Fort Nelson, Fareham

 

PNGC Solent Airport Daedalus

Portsmouth Naval Gliding Centre

PNGC closes after discussions between the gliding centre and Fareham Borough Council failed to find a compromise.

The gliding centre has been based at Solent Airport Daedalus, formerly HMS Daedalus, for more than 60 years.

The PNGC website gives more insight into the reasons behind the closure.

No one has ‘won’ and for sure we have lost a great facility for anyone wanting to try gliding and for a centre which allows young people to develop aviation skills “in an affordable manner”

The gallery below shows some images of gliding activity which in all probability we will not see again

Lee-on-the-Solent gliding

 

Weather Watcher

Weather watcher, A selection of weather watcher photographs that I have uploaded to the BBC over the past couple of months. Some have been used on the BBC main website and by the regional TV program South Today

Click on any thumbnail to view the photographs in a carousel.

If you have any comments or questions please use the contact form in the sidebar and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Pastel colours before sunrise taken from the Meon Shore, Hill Head
Mammatus clouds over Stubbington, Fareham
Crisp / frosty start to the day along Ranvilles Lane Stubbington
A ‘by chance’ capture of crepuscular rays (sun rays through clouds)
The Spinnaker Tower as viewed from an upstairs window!
The River Meon at Droxford in the Meon Valley. A cold and dull start to the day.
Pre dawn sky near Droxford in the Meon Valley, Hampshire
End of year, 2017, sunset over the Isle of Wight
A collection of sea shells, seaweed, crustaceans, fossils, stones and sand from the shore line between Lee-on-the-Solent and Hill Head
Storm clouds approaching

You can find out about the BBC weather watchers and how to become one from this article

Solent Airport Daedalus 100 Years Event

Solent Airport Daedalus 100 Years Event

Static aircraft, stalls and side shows on display at Solent Airport to celebrate 100 years of flying at Daedalus. The airfield opened in 1917 during the first World War and played a major part in the Second World War, particularly the D-Day operations.

Solent Airport Daedalus 100 Years Event

Though not as exciting as the displays when it was a Naval Airfield (under the guise of health and safety)  it was great to see the vintage aircraft and the ex Royal Navy Sea King, Wessex and Wasp helicopters along with the NAVYWINGS Gazelle and Wasp helicopters

 

Sea King XV647 at Solent Airport Daedalus 100 years event

Sea King XV647 winched to safety 26 crew members of the MSC Napoli a container ship that got into trouble off the Devon coast and had to be beached

 

 

 

Past displays included this Virgin Atlantic B747!

Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 747-238B on approach / fly past at one of the HMS Daedalus Airshows during the 1980s. The airfield is now Solent Airport Daedalus.
Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 747-238B on approach / fly past at one of the HMS Daedalus Airshows during the 1980s. The airfield is now Solent Airport Daedalus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on any thumbnail below to view the images in gallery.

Yakovlev Yak 52 G-RNAC at Solent Airport Daedalus 100 years event
Solent Airport Daedalus 100 years event – Yakovlev Yak 52 G-RNAC. The Yakovlev Yak-52 is a Soviet primary trainer aircraft which first flew in 1976. It is still being produced in Romania by Aerostar
Waco Classic Aircraft YMF-F5C at Solent Airport Daedalus to celebrate 100 years of flying at the airfield.
Aeroprakt A.22 Foxbat G-FJTH at Solent Airport Daedalus to celebrate 100 years of flying at the airfield.
Staggerwing Beech N16S The Red Rockette at Solent Airport Daedalus 100 years event
Westland Wasp
Boeing-Stearman Solent Airport 100 Years Event
Gazelle
Sea King XV647 at Solent Airport Daedalus 100 years event
Wessex Helicopter

Early morning Meon Views

Meon Views

Early morning mist and fog giving a stunning view over the Meon Valley in Hampshire.

One or two may be in with a chance to be featured in a future Meon Views calendar by Studio 6!

Click on any thumbnail below to view the pictures in a gallery.

The sun just showing over the mist and fog in the Meon Valley, Hampshire giving stunning Meon Views
Fast disappearing mist revealing the farm land of the Meon Valley
The view looking west on Beacon Hill nature reserve with the moon setting in complete contrast to the mist fog and sunrise in the opposite direction!
The sun yet to appear over a mist and fog shrouded Meon Valley
Panoramic view of the Meon Valley
A photograph that could be in a future Meon Views calendar by Studio 6? Mist and fog in the Meon Valley. Amazing colours in this photograph taken just before sunrise looking towards Old Winchester Hill
Meon Views. Another shot of the rising sun over a mist and fog shrouded Meon Valley from Beacon Hill Hampshire
Fast disapearing mist

The Meon Valley features many walks and trails including the old railway line from Wickham to West Meon.

The area is popular with walkers using the South Downs Way and the many other footpaths that cross the area

The quiet roads are also popular with cyclists with its challenging hill climbs and descents!

CarFest Laverstoke Park Farm Overton

C4R-FEST BBC Children in Need

Enjoying the sun at CarFest South Laverstoke Park Farm

CarFest Laverstoke Park Farm near Overton in Hampshire. A fantastic day watching the cars and walking around the show grounds with music later in the day. Best of the displays  has to be the ARENACROSS freestyle and Panatical steel band on the main stage

Panatical steel band, Car_Fest South
ARENACROSS freestyle
CarFest BBC Children in Need Laverstoke Park Farm near Overton in Hampshire. These Arenacross riders were awesome!
Olly Murs Car_Fest South

First time at the BBC Children in Need Car Fest and already planning our second trip.

If there was a downside then it was the Bank Holiday traffic on the M27 / M3 from Southampton to Winchester and the queue on the A303 to the day ticket car parks.

The queue to get in wasn’t top of  the best things about the day as well!

Once in there was more than enough to do, see, listen, eat or just relax.

 

 

Plastic Pollution of our Beaches

Plastic Pollution

Please follow the link the the Surfers Against Sewage website to see how you can help reduce plastic waste.

The gallery below shows just some of the 5000 items of marine plastic pollution per mile of beach in the UK

This stuff is used for seconds and then ditched but never degrades.

Plastic pollution found on a small stretch of beach at Hill Head

Plastic pollution involves the accumulation of plastic products in the environment that adversely affects wildlife, wildlife habitat, or humans.

Plastics that act as pollutants are categorized into micro-, meso-, or macrodebris, based on size.

The prominence of plastic waste is correlated with plastics being inexpensive and durable This lends to high levels of plastics used by humans. However, it is slow to degrade.

Plastics can unfavourably affect lands, waterways and oceans. Living organisms, particularly marine animals, can also be affected through entanglement, direct ingestion of plastic waste, or through exposure to chemicals within plastics that cause interruptions in biological functions.

Humans are also affected by plastic pollution, such as through the disruption of the thyroid hormone axis or hormone levels.

Plastic reduction efforts have occurred in some areas in attempts to reduce plastic consumption and pollution and promote plastic recycling. Source Wikipedia

 

Storm Doris at Lee on the Solent

Storm Doris at Lee on the Solent

Storm Doris gave winds gusting up to 40 kts at Lee on the Solent, not as strong as Storm Imogen in early 2016 but still worth a trip to snap a few photographs.

 

Lee on the Solent
Lee on the Solent
Windsurfing at Hill Head
Late afternoon sun but still a strong breeze from the storm
Storm Daris and High tide at Lee on the Solent
Hill Head is a residential area to the south of Stubbington and west of Lee on the Solent. Beaches at Hill Head provide many locations for wind and kite surfing at most states of the tide. Low tide generally gives shallow water extending a significant distance from the high tide mark. There is a car park at Salterns with a grassy area for rigging up with access to the beach across a low wall and promenade. The prevailing winds are south westerly though the conditions can be very choppy to say the least! West to north west gives cross shore winds down from Southampton water

Some hardy windsurfers braved the elements to sail from the beach at Hill Head, from the safety of the beach I can say that about 30 years ago I would have done the same!!

Hill Head is a residential area to the south of Stubbington and west of Lee on the Solent. Beaches at Hill Head provide many locations for wind and kite surfing at most states of the tide. Low tide generally gives shallow water extending a significant distance from the high tide mark. There is a car park at Salterns with a grassy area for rigging up with access to the beach across a low wall and promenade. The prevailing winds are south westerly though the conditions can be very choppy to say the least!
West to north west gives cross shore winds down from Southampton water