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| My track |
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| Cullompton from Old Hill |
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| Westcott signpost |
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| Fairy glen, Cullompton |
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| Duck promenade, Cullompton |
20190831
Westcott
Up at 0615, hoping for some warm rain (it was forecast but came later in the day) I had the foresight to bring a plastic bag with me for my Pixel-2. The goal: to explore yet uncharted (by me) territory. My track: 9.9 miles through Cullompton to Westcott. Nothing special...
20190830
Maiden Down
Here I am in Willand at Great Grandma's again with various opportunities to explore new venues. Perusing my OS 1:25k mapping in Orux I saw "Maiden Down" at top right and made it my objective, via my favourite Uffculme water meadows.
Maiden Down is a "Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)" but I could not find out its origin, although here are some historical maps of the area.
There are no rights of way marked on my OS map, but using this site and checking the box "Access Land & Dartmoor Commons" you get the interactive map below which shows "Footpath No. 10" in magenta and Maiden Down as common land. It's amazing the detail you can find on the internet for the UK. Much less in Ireland but it is improving with time.
Footpath No. 10 was my way of entering Maiden Down. The tail end pointing due east was apparently added recently and has no signage. It led me into rough woodland and I had to plow through long grass. I disturbed some fallow deer before reaching the lake and the track which I followed to exit the area. I climbed over a gate to the public road - looking back it was marked "Private Property Keep Out" which was rather strange having done my homework on common land.
Most generally a "field" is a bounded region of influence. Thus the electric field due to a point charge has infinite bounds. Maiden Down can be regarded as a field with bounds indicated in pale orange in the above map. Given that one starts outside the field, to pass through it one must both enter and exit. If indeed it is Private, surely one ought to be impeded by a fence or notice, etc., both on entry and exit. But this was not the case, indeed is rarely the case in my experience, grounds I use for assuaging any conscience I might have for possibly trespassing.
In my various homework I found this reference to Maiden Down, suggesting that the number and type of livestock that can be freely grazed on this common land is severely limited and does not include myself, but then I did not stop to graze.
Here are my pictures, in reverse chronological order and click-able to view as usual:
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| My track, 13 miles, bare foot of course |
Maiden Down is a "Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)" but I could not find out its origin, although here are some historical maps of the area.
There are no rights of way marked on my OS map, but using this site and checking the box "Access Land & Dartmoor Commons" you get the interactive map below which shows "Footpath No. 10" in magenta and Maiden Down as common land. It's amazing the detail you can find on the internet for the UK. Much less in Ireland but it is improving with time.
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| Without the filter |
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| With the commons filter |
Footpath No. 10 was my way of entering Maiden Down. The tail end pointing due east was apparently added recently and has no signage. It led me into rough woodland and I had to plow through long grass. I disturbed some fallow deer before reaching the lake and the track which I followed to exit the area. I climbed over a gate to the public road - looking back it was marked "Private Property Keep Out" which was rather strange having done my homework on common land.
Most generally a "field" is a bounded region of influence. Thus the electric field due to a point charge has infinite bounds. Maiden Down can be regarded as a field with bounds indicated in pale orange in the above map. Given that one starts outside the field, to pass through it one must both enter and exit. If indeed it is Private, surely one ought to be impeded by a fence or notice, etc., both on entry and exit. But this was not the case, indeed is rarely the case in my experience, grounds I use for assuaging any conscience I might have for possibly trespassing.
In my various homework I found this reference to Maiden Down, suggesting that the number and type of livestock that can be freely grazed on this common land is severely limited and does not include myself, but then I did not stop to graze.
Here are my pictures, in reverse chronological order and click-able to view as usual:
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| Typical Devon lane |
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| The lake in the centre of Maiden Down |
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| Culmstock Beacon visible on horizon by leaf on left |
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| A footpath across farmland that I followed |
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| Chickens too |
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| Another view of Culmstock Beacon |
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| Uffculme water meadows |
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| Closer to Willand |
20190829
Our Lady of Lourdes and MRD
Recently we attended a catholic funeral of a friend. For me the surroundings seemed so alien. The liturgy was spoken and the responses made, robot like, in a sing-song voice and, later at the crematorium, we got a decade of Hail Marys. Afterwards one of our (non-catholic) group queried how could these people, in all good conscience, go through this seemingly empty ritual again and again without questioning it? And I wondered to myself if non-believers would likewise query as vain repetition our own church services.
Strange how the strong conviction on which one person's life is built can be another person's anathema.
They've just discovered MRD, a nearly complete 3.8-million-year-old skull in Ethiopia that has apparently changed views about human evolution. Strange how scientists allow such a paradigm shift and yet pooh pooh doubts expressed by those of lesser persuasions. Asked if this find was a "missing link" the scientist admitted "there are many links in the chain of human evolution and most if not nearly all of them are still missing". Is all of this more or less tenuous than belief in catholic transubstantiation? Or than in what you or I believe?
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| Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Drogheda |
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| mystical mural behind the altar |
Strange how the strong conviction on which one person's life is built can be another person's anathema.
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| the skull belonging to MRD |
They've just discovered MRD, a nearly complete 3.8-million-year-old skull in Ethiopia that has apparently changed views about human evolution. Strange how scientists allow such a paradigm shift and yet pooh pooh doubts expressed by those of lesser persuasions. Asked if this find was a "missing link" the scientist admitted "there are many links in the chain of human evolution and most if not nearly all of them are still missing". Is all of this more or less tenuous than belief in catholic transubstantiation? Or than in what you or I believe?
20190821
One man ministry
This post was prompted by reading about another doomsday cult exposed. Not all cults or radical Christian groups are that extreme but perhaps they share a theme.
I've commented previously about the huge number of "Christian" denominations. A common pattern is that a naturally charismatic person gets a radical idea which he or she reckons is a divine "revelation", and attracts a number of followers who are already disillusioned with their own faith or lack of it and are looking for meaning in life. Feeling they have been helped by this one person's ministry, after a while they become so blinkered that they fail to take appropriate action when they detect error. At the early stage the group claims that they have revelation beyond any other group. If they are to remain loyal, members are told they must take radical steps like setting up a wilderness community. The group adamantly denies being elitist or being "another denomination" and decries the idea of a "one man ministry" but time proves otherwise. Eventually the main leader is recognised for what he or she is, or is superseded or dies and thereafter the movement's teaching dissipates or gradually declines and resolves into "mainstream Christianity" but we are left with yet another denomination.
Here are some examples:
Methodist (John Wesley),
The Peculiar People (James Banyard),
Quakers (George Fox),
Shakers (Ann Lee),
The Move (Sam Fife),
Mormons (Joseph Smith),
Plymouth Brethren (John Darby).
You might disagree with some of my examples or you might think of others but my point is the common theme. And we know this theme, because we have been there, done that - under a particular "ministry" but, mercifully, we escaped relatively unharmed. But we hear rumours of those who were physically abused or were forced into debt not of their own making. I do not think in our case that the leading ministry was intentionally manipulative: it was just the way he was, and we weaklings followed as the lamb to the slaughter. One lesson to be learned is to take off the blinkers.
I've commented previously about the huge number of "Christian" denominations. A common pattern is that a naturally charismatic person gets a radical idea which he or she reckons is a divine "revelation", and attracts a number of followers who are already disillusioned with their own faith or lack of it and are looking for meaning in life. Feeling they have been helped by this one person's ministry, after a while they become so blinkered that they fail to take appropriate action when they detect error. At the early stage the group claims that they have revelation beyond any other group. If they are to remain loyal, members are told they must take radical steps like setting up a wilderness community. The group adamantly denies being elitist or being "another denomination" and decries the idea of a "one man ministry" but time proves otherwise. Eventually the main leader is recognised for what he or she is, or is superseded or dies and thereafter the movement's teaching dissipates or gradually declines and resolves into "mainstream Christianity" but we are left with yet another denomination.
Here are some examples:
Methodist (John Wesley),
The Peculiar People (James Banyard),
Quakers (George Fox),
Shakers (Ann Lee),
The Move (Sam Fife),
Mormons (Joseph Smith),
Plymouth Brethren (John Darby).
You might disagree with some of my examples or you might think of others but my point is the common theme. And we know this theme, because we have been there, done that - under a particular "ministry" but, mercifully, we escaped relatively unharmed. But we hear rumours of those who were physically abused or were forced into debt not of their own making. I do not think in our case that the leading ministry was intentionally manipulative: it was just the way he was, and we weaklings followed as the lamb to the slaughter. One lesson to be learned is to take off the blinkers.
20190820
Rainbow over Dublin Bay
Ali was having another hip consultation at St Vincent's Hospital so, whilst waiting, I explored Dublin Bay again, not much running though because my big toe still hurts. But it's getting better I am telling myself. The weather was "changeable" which means it rained and I got wet. The sea is very messy here, feels like wading in sewage but hopefully it's not. But there is a sign telling you not to swim because the water quality is "poor". So I didn't. I wouldn't have anyway.
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| My last post shows this wall viewed from the train |
20190819
Three euro ten cent and a hanky
Aka Now-we-are-Sixty-Six-part-2. Part-1 cost me €3.95 (a coffee and a litre of water). Today's was for crisps and a Club Orange and a lost handkerchief. The travel was free, courtesy the Irish government and being of age. The goal was to explore the coastal rail route which was engineered by Brunel. The destination Rosslare Strand, where I stayed for about 30 minutes, long enough to photograph the strand and buy some crisps before boarding the return train. Had I stayed any longer it would have been back home at midnight.
The route is double track from Dublin (Tara street) to Bray but slow going because we were sandwiched between a constant stream of DART trains that stop at every station. Single track after Bray and no other traffic but never faster than 70 mph. The pictures are in reverse chronological order and can be enlarged by clicking on them. There are breathtaking sea and river valley views.
The track runs between the coast road and a parking lot in Wexford town without any fence either side. Consequently there is a 5 mph speed limit and constant use of the horn. There have been bad accidents (see here or here) on this line but I couldn't find evidence of any in Wexford town, thankfully.
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| The Irish Rail part |
The route is double track from Dublin (Tara street) to Bray but slow going because we were sandwiched between a constant stream of DART trains that stop at every station. Single track after Bray and no other traffic but never faster than 70 mph. The pictures are in reverse chronological order and can be enlarged by clicking on them. There are breathtaking sea and river valley views.
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| Around Bray Head |
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| Sugar Loaf in the distance |
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| Newcastle aerodrome (grass runway) |
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| Fellow passengers nodding off |
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| Wexford |
The track runs between the coast road and a parking lot in Wexford town without any fence either side. Consequently there is a 5 mph speed limit and constant use of the horn. There have been bad accidents (see here or here) on this line but I couldn't find evidence of any in Wexford town, thankfully.
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| Rosslare Strand station |
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| The branch line is goods only |
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| Rosslare beach |
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| Ferrycarrick hotel, our base in a previous post |
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| Model animals opposite FerryCarrick hotel |
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| River Slaney |
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| Golfcourse near Woodenbridge, river Avonmore |
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| Killiney |
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| Dun Laoghaire harbour |
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| Howth |
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| Tara Street station |
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