Got up at 05.30hrs this morning, saw the wife off to catch her train, went back to bed for an hour, got up, looked at the pile of ironing, the unstarted decorating, the gardening, thought b*ll&cks and got the bike out.
Since others have posted such lovely views of hills and mountains in Scotland and Wales I thought I'd post some of our flatlands. For those not in the UK, the boggy, peaty wet lowlands of Norfolk in East England were drained and irrigated with a lot of help from the Dutch or Nederlanders who have experience of such matters. The resulting black soil is the richest, most fertile farmland in the UK. But boy is it flat.
Here's an example:
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c273/BixxerBob/Fen.jpg)
Most of the man-made drains (this one is imaginatively called Sixteen Foot Drain - I think from it's width) are dead straight. This one goes on for four miles without deviation:
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c273/BixxerBob/Drain.jpg)
On the edge of the fens is our Cathedral in Ely, which isn't as good as the one in Durham in the north east where I come from (see Geof's pic for that) but the old ladies in the church hall round the corner make good tea and the biscuits are free:
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c273/BixxerBob/Ely.jpg)
Lastly, and linking with the Dutch as I mentioned earlier, a local windmill:
(http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c273/BixxerBob/windmill.png)
Cool pics. I have a very similar picture of the Ely cathedral myself from back in 1993 when I spent my last semester of college in Harlaxton, just outside of Grantham. We did a bunch of weekend school trips and many of them involved visiting the cathedrals in England and that was one of them. Don't see many like those over here in the states.
Jason
Ah the Fens they really are that flat that in places it's like you can see the curvature of the earth!
I was born and bred in Yaxley (near Peterborough) which is right on the edge of the Fens.
Did you know the Fen dwellers from the 19th century were refered to as Fen Tigers due to the harsh conditions they lived in.
Kev
looks good.. 8) I had a trip out yesterday to Hunstanton and then home via swaffham and watton - stopped at Lings for a tea nd a wee.. :D they've a couple of 'girlies' in stock..
Though about Hunstanton but guilt drove me home :cry:
we've similar geography u[p here, although I'm just where the Wolds meets the Fens, so the 'positive value' contour lines start here!!! :)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4055/4526631040_30b8d2d75d.jpg)
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/4526004645_391fbaac97.jpg)
Never been to that area of the country... really must go and have a look around 8)
Nice pics guys btw
Quote from: "kev w"Ah the Fens they really are that flat that in places it's like you can see the curvature of the earth!
I was born and bred in Yaxley (near Peterborough) which is right on the edge of the Fens.
Did you know the Fen dwellers from the 19th century were refered to as Fen Tigers due to the harsh conditions they lived in.
Kev
Stanground School by any chance?
Might know you if so :shock:
Stanground School by any chance?
Might know you if so :shock:[/quote]
oh dear...yes 'til '88
Quote from: "kev w"Stanground School by any chance?
Might know you if so :shock:
oh dear...yes 'til '88[/quote]
Oh well, i left in 1979, looks like i`m a bit older than you.... :oops: