Framedlight

A family highlight in October was visiting the Stretham steam fair which takes place in the fens near Ely. Stretham has an old steam pumping engine which was used to pump water off the land into the river to prevent flooding. As the fens were drained the peat dried out and shrank, leaving the rivers at a higher level than the land so flooding is a very real danger. The work this engine used to do is now done by an electric pump situated about a mile and 1/2 mile away on the river Cam, but the site has been made into a museum by the Stretham Old Engine Trust and they have open days and a steam fair when people bring along old cars, steam engines etc. We spent half a day poking around the site. Whole families seem to come along with their items and sit around reading and watching them, driving them or merely sleeping in them. The engine hall was populated by fairly elderly men watching the 'steam up' and finding it all fascinating. Here are some memories of the day.

We spent the night at the grotty campsite in Wissant. The next morning we were due back to Dover on the Eurotunnel leaving at 4.00pm, so we had the morning free. Alan went out for a spin on his bike and I wandered back down to the beach for some shots. It was a beautifully warm day for the end of September and there were a few people on the vast expanse of sand. I took mainly ICM and multiple exposure pictures using a Hoya 8 stop neutral density filter. But I will start with 3 straight ones, including one of Hettie doing what she loves best.

Another early morning allowed us to see sunrise from the road just outside Dole. We drove north until we finally arrived at Wissant on the channel coast close to Calais. We have used Wissant for a number of years as a stopping place before we cross La Manche. We stay in a campsite from where you can walk to the beach. It is very scruffy and crowded and each time I swear we will not go back, but we always seem to end up there. Wissant had some hulking concrete Hitler bunkers on the beach which were torn down last year but there is still wire and rubble on the beach and a large number of wooden groins which give great photographic opportunities, especially during sunsets, which always seem to be good in Wissant.

We got up early and I took a couple of snap of the sunrise from the campsite before leaving. We wanted to take our time and stop where we wanted on the way back so started by visiting the Lac de Serre-Poncon west of Barcelonnette. Here the rivers Ubaye and Durance have been dammed to give a large body of water which we drove round. The sky was incredibly blue and the mountains shrouded in haze beyond. I am including pictures of the dam and some multiple exposures, ICM and a Holga shot as well. Driving north we chose the minor roads, there is usually no need for autoroutes when driving the van and the small roads are more interesting. The haze was still evident when we stopped in the afternoon and saw in the distance the Massif des Bauges (last picture) evidently worth its own trip on another occasion. We finally eded up on a carpark by a leisure centre in Dole for the night, not glamorous but practical! Again a number of similar shots, decisions are so difficult.

At Guillaumes we had turned the corner and were now heading back north in a homeward direction. The road crosses a wide gorge from the Var river and then narrows, going through tunnels in the mountain and past some interesting geology, glistening black hillsides and incredibly folded rock. It follows the Var to it's source just before the Col de la Cayolle. The pass itself is rather disappointing - just an open field, albeit rather chilly at 2326m. On the way we were shocked to find the road was closed for repair, there had apparently been a notice which we had missed. There followed a moment of panic as we were due at the vet's in Barcelonnette at 3.00pm and it would have taken us hours if we had had to turn round and retrace our steps over the other side of the mountain. I do as I always do in this type of situation and play dim English woman who does not understand anything (easily done) and smile a lot. It worked and after a digger had been moved we were allowed through. T