The Purton Hulks....

When we were at our last campsite at Slimbridge Gloucestershire we visited the Purton Hulks Ship Graveyard......It really is a fascinating place....
The Purton Hulks form the largest ships graveyard in the UK.

It started back at the beginning of the 20th century when a number of hulks were beached to help shore up the bank between the Gloucester and Sharpness canal and the River Severn which was in danger of being breached....

There are currently approximately 80 old ships and barges to be found along the riverbank at Purton.....
Many of these old ships are unique examples in the UK maritime record and before our very eyes they are being destroyed by both human and natural forces....

There is quite an eerie atmosphere about the place and if you ever get the chance to visit the area a visit to Purton should be on your list.....

In the meantime and just in case you don't get to visit the hulks I have posted below a few of the images I took during our visit.....

This Plinth lists a number of the Ships and Barges to be seen.

Touching Base....

The eagle eyed among the regular visitors to this blog might well have noticed that I am currently back in my home area...
The post box numbers shown in my last post were the give away as BH**** are the first two letters of a Bournemouth area post code....

Anne and I have been back in the area for the past two weeks.....
It's been great to catch up with my Daughter and Husband and my Grandsons and also see the latest improvements to their house that they have been involved with....

The car went back to my favourite garage for it's annual MOT and service and I have also managed to get out on my bike and pedal around some of my old cycling loops in the area....

Out on one of my old cycling loops

Talking about my cycling...... I have struggled a bit this year with energy and breathing problems.....

When we were here last in the spring a medical check revealed that I had a faulty heart valve...
Apparently it is allowing some of the blood to flow back into the heart rather than be pumped fully around the body.... This has cause me to have moments of slight breathlessness as well as a lack of power and energy....

Obviously as you can see from the picture above it hasn't stopped me getting out on the bike but it is something that needs to be investigated further.
During our stay in the area over the following few weeks I am booked in for a number of medical tests to determine what should be done to sort the problem..... as soon as I know more I will let you know here on the blog.....

Post Boxes- Not Just One But Three

After my last post in which I featured a Penfold Post Box Peter Roberts left a further comment giving me the challenge of finding a Fluted Post Box.....

Not being one to pass on a challenge today I went out on a Post Box hunt...
As with any challenge it is always better to exceed the challenge and achieve just that little bit extra....
Below I have posted images of what I found......

Original Challenge- Victoria Fluted Box No:- BH23 5D

Quite Rare Edward V111  No:- BH23 47

Close-Up of Edward V111 Door

George V1 Box  No:- BH23 42

Well there we have it ...... the result of a day spent post box hunting....
I promise that I won't post any more P/O Boxes..... Well maybe..!

First September Ride And A Post Box

Yesterday being the first of September I figured I should tick off my first ride of the new month......
Since we have been at this location I have sorted out a good cycling circuit of approx fifty miles along some lovely quiet and almost traffic free roads and lanes so it has been good for my regular rides....

Some weeks ago Peter Roberts of  thediaryofmybike.blogspot.com  commented on this blog and mentioned unusual post boxes and on this latest cycling route of mine I kept on passing an unusual shaped postbox close to the entrance to Berkeley Castle which is situated a couple of miles from our current campsite.....

Because we will be moving on again in a couple of days... yesterdays ride will be my last in this area so I stopped and took a picture of said post box....

So Peter.... this one's for you....

Note that my Fulcrum Racing Zero Spokes Almost Match The Post Box :-)