A road in southern England. There were many small roads like this, covered with trees. It's like driving through a tunnel. (1221k) Many roads in Scotland are VERY narrow. They are not one-way roads. They have passing areas at more or less regular intervals. One such passing area is visible about 30 m (100 ft) down the road from my car. (1425k) A view of one of the narrow roads with regular passing bays. (1223k) Roundabouts are the way to handle traffic in the UK. If there is no real roundabout, a painted white circle in the intersection will serve as one. (1266k) The Welsh names are somewhat different from other parts of the UK. (1025k) Since I am an Astronomer, I had to visit the big radio telescope at Jodrell Bank. It is quite big! (908k) Whitby, a picturesque coastal town in North Yorkshire, with a large cathedral ruin overlooking the town. (1010k) Conwy on the northern coast of Wales still has the medieval city wall all around the town center. (1168k) The estuary at Conwy in northern Wales. (943k) A stone house in the Lake District. (1368k) A village pub in southern England. (1302k) Thatched-roof house in southern England. (1369k) Village Church in near New Galloway in southern Scotland. (1127k) Not everything is as picturesque as the preceding pictures. These row houses near Manchester are much drearier. (1082k)
Sheepdog Trial
On the trip through the Lake District we happened to see a sign to a sheep dog trial. I had just a few months before seen a TV report about these events, so I jumped to the opportunity to see this live. It was really interesting. The shepherd was standing at the bottom end of the course and directed the dog through whistles only (see diagram). The dog had to drive 4 sheep through three gates, around the post where the shepherd was standing, and then into a pen. The sheep were fairly wild, so the ran from the dog whenever the dog got close. If the dog got too close, they would scatter, so the dog had to be careful not to spook them too much. The last part, getting the sheep into the pen was the most difficult, the sheep just didn't want to get into such an enclosure. Only one dog got the sheep into the pen while I was watching.
Diagram of the trial course. (125k) The dog starts stalking the sheep. They watch him closely. (1375k) He has them on the run right through the gate. Here he can drive them fast since they can't scatter because of the fence. A couple of times though one of the sheep decided to go around the fence instead of through the gate. That is a deduction from the score for that run. Now he has to run around the gate and in front of the sheep to steer them to the next gate. (1305k) He is working them around the pole where the shepherdess stands, slowly so they don't scatter. (1236k) That's it! Got them all penned up. (1279k)
Dr. Günther Eichhorn Travel Website
Soaring website