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Dorothy on the Fortress of the Black Swans walk

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Godalming Walk, Jan 6th 2008

Author David Wenk   
Category New Routes, R & D, Reports, Walks, Winkworth Arboretum   
Date 19 Mar 2008    

Photo montage of a walk from Godalming to Winkworth Arboretum, in Surrey, England, January 2008

WALK REPORT Trial run of a walk I’m considering adding to the schedule, to Winkworth Arboretum, although it will probably be better to offer it in autumn, when the fall foliage is out. Route was Godalming – Tuesley – Busbridge Woods – Winkworth. Date: Sunday January 6th. With Ed & Sarah. 17 pics in this set.

Article continues …

Comments: 1

New Year’s Day Walk

Author David Wenk   
Category Reports, The White Cliffs of the Seven Sisters, Walks   
Date 2 Mar 2008    

WALK REPORT Photos from a circuit we did at New Years on the Seven Sisters cliffs. It was a cold, drab day but it felt good to be out nonetheless. A big group this time: myself, Londoners Anne and Ross, Sally and Simon from Brighton, Si’s brother Martin from Tokyo, and Yoshi and Yuka from Orange County, California. Very few photos today – it wasn’t the best weather for it, and anyway we didn’t make it out to the cliffs until the sun had set. 16 pics in this set. [back to the walk profile]

East Dean and Seven Sisters walk, New Years Day 2008 Article continues …

Comments: 3

Aldbury and the Grand Union Canal

Author David Wenk   
Category Ivinghoe Beacon and the Chiltern Hills, New Routes, R & D, Reports, Walks   
Date 1 Mar 2008    

WALK REPORT Still lots of catching up to do on the walk reports. These photos were taken late last year on my second trial run of the Chilterns route. Joining me on this walk were some of my Hertfordshire friends – David, Graham, Dale and Dominica – who met me at Tring station on a beautiful, crisp November morning. Add a comment …

Photo montage of Aldbury and Grand Union Canal circular walk Article continues …

Comments: 7

Stonehenge to Salisbury, Take 1

Author David Wenk   
Category New Routes, R & D, Reports, Stonehenge and Salisbury, Walks   
Date 4 Feb 2008    

WALK REPORT Rafi, Brad, Nadine – I bet you thought I’d never get around to posting these photos. Well, at long last here they are! They’re from a walk we did way back on October 27th, 2007 – our first attempt to put together a decent route between Stonehenge and Salisbury, following the course of the River Avon. Comments welcome.

Stonehenge to Salisbury walk, Autumn 2007, photo montage Article continues …

Comments: 5

Winter Walks Photos

Author David Wenk   
Category New Routes, R & D   
Date 3 Jan 2008    

I’ve still to finish editing the last three batches of photos taken on our recent walks. In the meantime I’m posting one shot here from each of those 3 trips.

All Saints Church, West Dean, East Sussex - Nativity Scene

The first shows the interior of All Saints Church, West Dean, in East Sussex – a Christmas nativity scene.

Terrier in the Chiltern Hills, November 2007

We met this little dog on a chilly day out in the Chiltern Hills last November. His name was “Trouble”.

Salisbury Cathedral by night

And this last is a night shot of Salisbury Cathedral. We walked here from Stonehenge.

More to come,

DW

Comments: 0

Prepping for the New Year

Author David Wenk   
Category R & D, Website   
Date 2 Jan 2008    

Over the next few days you’ll see some changes to the site as I prepare ECW for the 2008 season. I’ll be posting a handful of new photos from recent walks, and updating the calendar. Stay tuned …

David

ps Yoshi and Martin, can you send me some of your photos you took on our walk yesterday?

Comments: 0

New Year’s Day Sunset, 2008

Author David Wenk   
Category The White Cliffs of the Seven Sisters, Walks   
Date 1 Jan 2008    

New Year's Day sunset at Gap Bottom, Seven Sisters, SussexSunset at Gap Bottom, on the English Channel near East Dean, Sussex. 4:04pm, New Year’s Day, January 1st, 2008.

Comments: 1

Autumn Walks Desktop Wallpaper

Author David Wenk   
Category Desktop Wallpaper, Special Media   
Date 25 Oct 2007    

Design work has kept me away from English Country Walks over the past few days, so instead of a new walk report this week I’m posting a handful of HI-RES images taken on walks we’ve done in the last month.

These should be suitable for using as desktop wallpaper for your Mac or PC. Just download the file that best matches your display resolution. If you don’t know what your display resolution is, you can check it here (requires Javascript enabled).

Hope you like the photos that follow. Comments welcome. Enjoy!  –DW

White Cliffs
Seaford Head
Seaford Head on the White Cliffs walk1600×1200
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See more photos from this walk.

Stonehenge & Salisbury
Waterfowl on the River Avon at Amesbury
Waterfowl on the River Avon in Amesbury1600×1200
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more …

West Somerset
Evening primrose, Oenothera fruticosa
Evening Primrose, Oenethera fruticosa1600×1200
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more …

New Forest
Night train at Lymington
Night train at Lymington1600×1200
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Tiptree
Pale tussock moth caterpillar, Dasychira pudibunda
Pale tussock moth caterpillar, Dasychira pudibunda1600×1200
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Comments: 2

West Somerset Steam Railway Walk

Author David Wenk   
Category New Routes, R & D, Reports, Walks, West Somerset Steam Railway   
Date 17 Oct 2007    

WALK REPORT A big thank you to Sumeet, Priya, Anne, Aleks, Russell, and Zac for helping me test out English Country Walks’ first overnight trip, to Somerset in the west of England. On our walk, we encountered lots of apples, mushrooms, wild garlic and snails, rode a steam train, visited Dunster Castle, spent the night in a cozy bed and breakfast, drank local ales and ciders, and feasted in country pubs. 40 shots in this set. Click on the montage below to see the complete photo stream. Comments welcome!

West Somerset Steam Railway photo montage, October 2007 Article continues …

Comments: 10

Dunster Castle, 3D view

Author David Wenk   
Category 3D, New Routes, R & D, Special Media, West Somerset Steam Railway   
Date 15 Oct 2007    

This is kind of cool. In amongst the photos I took during last weekend’s trip to West Somerset (walk report here), I found two shots which show a piece of Dunster Castle. Quite by chance they form a stereo pair, which means you ought to be able to view this image in 3D. [read comments]

Dunster Castle 3D stereo pair

To make the 3D effect work, start with your head about 15 inches from the screen. Slowly begin to cross your eyes so that the pair of Xs in the foreground line up and overlap. Then freeze; after a few seconds your brain should recalibrate to this new way of seeing. Don’t worry if you see 3 images – ignore the outer two and just concentrate on the middle one. It helps if you shield your peripheral vision by cupping your hands around your eyes.

Once you’ve lined up the first X, the second should appear further back up the hill. Now can you see the castle in 3D? You’ll know you’ve got it when the bottom X appears to sink back into the shrubbery. The top X should float somewhere above the bushes.

With a little bit of patience and practice, and as long as you’re not wearing glasses, it should work. When it does, it’s pretty nifty! The individual leaves and tree branches jump out of the picture, giving you a sense of the image’s true depth. Hint: relax your eyes and don’t try to focus too hard. Also try varying your distance from the screen a bit.

If you want more help on how to view a stereo pair, try this page for more thorough instructions. Or watch this 3D animation I made here.

More pics from this trip here.

– DW

ps please leave a comment letting me know if you can see it or not – I’d be interested to hear what proportion of readers it’s working for

Comments: 9
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