Oceanology International 12

Oh how I love you OI.  I attended 2 years ago just as I'd moved into a new post at work and was pretty bamboozled by all the CTDs, XBTs etc.  2 years on I had learned.  I avoided all CTD, XBT discussions!  No, it wasn't that bad but I had my team in action so knew when to hand over the techie discussions to them.

I dose doed between work and RICS discussions, basing myself at the RICS stand but wandering off at a moment's notice.  Suspect it drove James mad.

Was really pleased to be at the launch of the Hydro Academy.

This has got real traction. I'm watching this one very closely.

The sun was shining on us at OI so when I wasn't knee deep in discussions (and missing random ex-Commodores who apparently wanted to 'have a word') I slipped out to have a photo shoot of the big, medium and small survey ships.

11 and Counting

Well I did it - 10 trigs in one day. Beat my previous personal best by 6 and suspect it'll be a long time before I do something quite so mad again. It was all meticulously planned; trigs identified, 1:25 000 bing maps downloaded for field boundaries near trig, overview maps printed and parking places dialled into the sat nav. The only detail I failed on - which was unexpected - was that my memory card corrupted in the camera so I only have photographic evidence of 3 of the trigs. Yeh, go on, you believe me! So here goes, the tedious account of the trigs...

1. TP1116 - Beaple's Hill.   The only photo I have been able to download for this is the plastic plug.

First leap over barbed wire hedge.  It doesn't get more fun than this.

2. TP6685 - Venhay Down.  No photo.  An easy find.  Starting to give up (so soon!) on keeping car clean either inside or out.  Mildly amused to see step marks in hedge up to trig.  See?  I'm not the only one.

3.  TP4655 - Mariansleigh.  No photo.  Wasn't looking forward to this as frisky cows were forecast; and I don't really do excitable cattle.  Delighted, stupidly so, to discover mad bleaty ewes and lambs in the field instead.  Jeans starting to mud up.

4.  TP6722 - Wamford Cross.  No photo.  My first contact with brambles; and not my last for the day.  Beginning to regret not brining secateurs with me.

5.  TP3994 - Homedown.  No photo.  A fun find as I had to climb onto the hedge and walk along it to espy this.  The farmer had trimmed the thick hedge to trig pillar height so it was the only way to spot it.

6.  TP1512 - Boarscastle.  No photo.  First rally driving of the day. Unpaved road (ie mud) which in a Citroen Picasso was a tad exciting.  Well, until I spun the wheels.  Car getting very muddy.

7.  TP1602 - Brayley Barton.  No photo.  My first interaction with a local.  "Is that your car parked there?" he asked. "Yup".  "Well, it's in my parking space."  It was up a small lane with only a few houses, and there was no point remonstrating that it doesn't say private road or private parking.  Move on Ruth.

8.  TP4085 - Hutcherton Down.  No photo.  In hedge surrounded by barbed wire fence.  Is it to stop the sheep trig bagging?

9.  TP6779 - Waytown.  No photo.  On the edge of Barnstaple.  Wonderful views of low cloud.

10.  TP5134 - No Mans Land.   Starting to get quite dark with fog and cloud (which ever one it was it feels the same when you're in it) so this was my last for the day.


Was delighted to be able to peer all the way through the trig.

In contrast to the cloud and drizzle for Sat, Sun was a gorgeous day.  Wandered around Ilfracombe for a bit and came across this odd pillar on Capstone Hill.  I couldn't read all the words on it but it was something about a tide and datum.  Any ideas anyone?

Last trig for the weekend was TP3827 - Higher Slade.  Gorgeous views across the Ilfracombe coast.  Trig did a good line in nettles and brambles too.  It's not a trig find if you don't come out wounded is it?

Belated Birthday Wishes

Darn, I missed Mercator's birthday.  He was 500 years old yesterday; OK, so I know he's dead but you get the gist.  Lots of celebrations are going on - a Mercator Revisited conference in Belgium, an exhibition in New York (my poor, poor family - guess where we're spending a week in the summer...guess where I'll be dragging them to), Slovenia, Mercator's blog and you can even buy a board game.

I could go on but it's late and I've been distracting myself all evening planning my weekend.


And, yes, the yellow stickies really are trig pillar sites. Sadly I won't get to half of them but it was fun looking.

Dodgy Levels?

Went on a trig hunt today whilst the girls were occupied at Seale Hayne.  Stumbled across Holbeam Dam on the River Lemon, a 16km river which flows into the Teign.  Unfortunately the river has a habit of flooding.  Well, not really unfortunately as that's what rivers are designed to do, but this one runs through the built up town of Newton Abbot which can cause urban flooding.  So in 1987 Holbeam Dam was built.

However, looking up the path, I noticed that the tide markers didn't appear right. Now, admittedly, I didn't have a level with me, but considering the metres were sequential up the hill, there was certainly not 1m height difference between each marker.

I am now wondering, when the Environment Agency measure the height of the river (see here) whether they are using their dodgy water level markers or something more accurate.

Anyway, a less puzzling find was a lovely trig at Highweek Reservoir.  

And an added bonus is that I managed to work out the self timer on our new camera. Will wonders never cease?

I'm off for a major trig bag next weekend. Brace yourself audience (all one of you?).