Fish, Beanz & Scaffolding

A few more shots from the recent adventure to "The North". Diplo Jnr was furiously snapping away from the luxury of the passenger seat of the Series. Still running on cart springs and hefty Avon Rangemasters the ride is not photographer friendly so I'm delighted he managed to synch the exposure button with the flat bits of road on a few occasions. I'm beginning to get concerned that we may never again see the FRB without scaffolding. In pre-health&safety days all this repair and maintenance work went on un-noticed with hearty Jocks and Geordies swinging from bits of hemp rope with tins of Red Oxide (massive lead content) clipped to their belts and brushes clenched between their teeth while they rolled up a quick smoke in a force 8 gale. Now all we get to see is a cheap Parisienne apartment block clamped to the side of the glorious ironwork. Just to prove we made the trip in the truck I include a shot of the Great North Road on the approach to Scotch Corner. The GNR is undergoing open heart surgery currently in an attempt to keep it from furring up, we've very few roundabouts left now and of course we only get to enjoy the full Scotch Corner experience if we turn off for the 66 - our trip was taking us on up to Darlington before heading in to the wilds of Northumberland on the 68, cross country to Edinburgh.
Otterburn seemed a good spot to camp, seeing as it mostly is Otterburn Camp, and not very much else. A splendid meadow by the river in the lee of a spur of the Kielder Forrest proved a great site. Fire lit upon arrival and snaggers straight on to cook. Standard Diplo outdoor fare when travelling light tends to be snaggers with a tin of Beanz !!! tipped into the pan at the last minute, quite delicious, garnished with a fried egg and washed down with a cup of Yorkshire Gold..The expedition North was all about getting to Strathconnan, 1/2 an hour North West of Inverness, where we would be hunting the elusive Salmon. We found one. This 5 pound fish is now in the freezer at Diplo Hall.