Tuši

Tuši's blog

Thursday, August 22, 2024

16534

Slovenia: MTB - Prevala


I organized another MTB tour. This time we made a circle around Dobrča and we made two stops. First one was on mountain pasture Planina Planica and the second one on Planina Prevala. We ended the trip on our usual place, Kamp Podljubelj - Garmin Connect.

Elvis and Nina.

Our doctor Tina.

Tomaž joined us for the first time.

Descending to mountain pasture Planina Prevala.

Elvis, Tomaž, Mateja, intruder Uroš, Nina, Tina and Tuši.

End of the trip in our local camp.

#MTB #Guide #Karawanks

Sunday, August 18, 2024

16530

Slovenia: MTB - Prelaz Ljubelj


After the vacation, Nada and me needed to stretch our legs on the bicycles. We did a simple trip to nearby Prelaz Ljubelj - Garmin Connect.

 
Nada and Tuši on bikes.

#MTB #Karawanks

Saturday, August 17, 2024

16529

Scotland: Day 16 - Long Drive back Home


We left Martin Mill early. The campsite reception was still closed, so we stayed there for free, like the true Scotsman - or true Gorenjci, as we have similar habits. We made it all the way to Podljubelj in a single day, crossing the Channel by ferry and driving through changing landscapes. On the way we also picked up the oldest active geocache in continental Europe, GC40 - geocache in Namur, Belgium, placed on July 7, 2000, by Pierre Cao. It was a long journey, with every mile bringing us closer to our mountains and our next adventures.

Previous days of our trip to Scotland: Day 15 - 16528, Day 14 - 16527, Day 13 - 16526, Day 12 - 16525, Day 11 - 16524, Day 10 - 16523, Day 9 - 16522, Day 8 - 16521, Day 7 - 16520, Day 6 - 16519, Day 5 - 16518, Day 4 - 16517, Day 3 - 16516,  Day 2 - 16515, Day 1 - 16514.

 
We left erly and made our last meters on the "wrong" side of the road. Before we boarded the ferry, we got the PET sticker. Probably for Nada and me and not for 2x Meri and Bronco.

Before we boarded the ferry, Bronco also explored the playground on the docks.

Around 90 minutes on the ferry over the English Channel - which is just 34 km wide at its narrowest point - and we were back on mainland Europe.

 
Typical German lunch in Landau.

 
And finally back to Slovenia, just a little past midnight. Our trip worth around 2020 € was finished.

Day 15 - 1441 km - From Martin Mill to Podljubelj.

6926 kilometers in 16 days, where we visited Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, France and Great Britain.

 Geocaches found (all received  a visit  by trackable item "Second Angel of peace", TBA8B55):
- Geocache, GC40, where I picked up trackable item "Twin Star", TB33TN8 and it stayed with me for the rest of the day
- Tankstelle Bad Reichenhall, GC4MJC6


Friday, August 16, 2024

16528

Scotland: Day 15 - Last Day on the Island


After days of winding roads and green horizons, our journey took us from Scorton to Martin Mill, with a stop at the Parlick Pike, where I wanted to spread the wings of my glider, but the wind was too strong, so we had to be satisfied with the hike.

Previous days of our trip to Scotland: Day 14 - 16527, Day 13 - 16526, Day 12 - 16525, Day 11 - 16524, Day 10 - 16523, Day 9 - 16522, Day 8 - 16521, Day 7 - 16520, Day 6 - 16519, Day 5 - 16518, Day 4 - 16517, Day 3 - 16516,  Day 2 - 16515, Day 1 - 16514.

Good morning Bronco.

With Bronco on our morning walk in the suburbs of Scorton.

 
Driving near Bleasdale.

On top of Parlick (also known as Parlick Pike), 432 meters above sea level.

Nada, Bronco and Tuši.

I thought I will do some paragliding here, but the wind was too strong for take off.

Parlick Hill rises gently from the rolling farmland of Lancashire, offering one of the most rewarding climbs in the Forest of Bowland Area.

 
Bronco was looking into the air constantly, waiting for me to show up.

Returning back to the valley.

Sheep are everywhere on Parlick Hill, dotting the slopes like little white clouds. They graze lazily on the open fells, often stopping to stare at you as you pass.

Driving through Luton.

 
Dartford Crossing over the River Thames. A report highlighted that over 1 million foreign drivers failed to pay the Dart Charge in three years. We also didn't pay, so we'll see what will happen.

We settled in a camp Hawthorn Farm and since nobody was at the reception, we just pitched the tent somewhere and then we headed for dinner in The Lantern inn in village Martin.

Day 15 - 545 km - From Scorton to Martin Mill.

 Geocache found:
- Harrisend Fell View, GC3V234, that received  a visit  by trackable item "Second Angel of peace", TBA8B55


Thursday, August 15, 2024

16527

Scotland: Day 14 - A Last Toast to Scotland at Annandale Distillery


Our journey through Scotland drew to a meaningful close with a series of unforgettable stops. We watched the ruins of Crawford Castle and visited the peaceful Tundergarth Church, then made our way to Lockerbie, where we paused at the Garden of Remembrance - a place of quiet reflection. From there, we ended the day with a dram at the Annandale Distillery, raising a last toast to Scotland. Finally, crossing the border into England, we traced the ancient stones of Hadrian's Wall, marking both the edge of an empire and the end of our Scottish adventure.

Previous days of our trip to Scotland: Day 13 - 16526, Day 12 - 16525, Day 11 - 16524, Day 10 - 16523, Day 9 - 16522, Day 8 - 16521, Day 7 - 16520, Day 6 - 16519, Day 5 - 16518, Day 4 - 16517, Day 3 - 16516,  Day 2 - 16515, Day 1 - 16514.

We got lost in the morning, but we found the ruins of Crawford Castle.

 
On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed by a bomb while flying over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. The aircraft broke apart in the sky, and wreckage scattered across the countryside. All 259 people on board were killed, along with 11 residents on the ground.

 
In the town of Lockerbie, a memorial in the Town Hall commemorates the victims of Pan Am Flight 103. A stained-glass installation, known as "These Three Windows," depicts the flags of all the nations that lost citizens on the night of 21st December 1988.

 
The Lockerbie Garden of Remembrance, located within Dryfesdale Cemetery, serves as the primary UK memorial for the victims of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing on December 21, 1988. This serene and dignified site commemorates the 270 lives lost.

 
At Annandale Distillery, both humans and their furry friends are welcome - while visitors savor fine whisky from the aging barrels, pups can enjoy treats from the dog-friendly menu.

The first written record of Scotch whisky is from 1494, in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls, where it states: "Eight bolls of malt to Friar John Cor wherewith to make aqua vitae." 

Nada and Bronco reading them menu.

 
Annandale Distillery, established between 1830 and 1836 by George Donald, was among Scotland's earliest legal whisky producers. Situated in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, it was ideally located with abundant water and local peat for whisky production.

 
After George Donald's death in 1883, the distillery was modernized under the ownership of John Sykes Gardner. In 1893, it was acquired by Johnnie Walker & Sons, who utilized Annandale's peated whisky in their blends and added iconic features like the Charles Doig pagoda roof.

 
Production ceased in 1924, and the site fell into disrepair. In 2007, Professor David Thomson and Teresa Church purchased and restored the distillery, reopening it in 2014. The first cask of whisky was filled in November 2014, marking the return of whisky production to the region.

 
While I enjoyed a beer, I admired the rows of barrels quietly maturing Annandale's peated and unpeated whiskies, each one a story waiting to be savored.

From malting and mashing, through fermentation and distillation in copper stills, to years of maturation in oak barrels, Annandale whisky is carefully crafted before finally being bottled for your enjoyment.

 
After the tour, we all had a snack in the restaurant.

Goodbye Scotland. We had a lot of fun here.

 
Hadrian's Wall is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian.

 
Running from Wallsend on the River Tyne in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west of what is now northern England, it was a stone wall with large ditches in front and behind, stretching across the whole width of the island. Soldiers were garrisoned along the line of the wall in large forts, smaller milecastles, and intervening turrets.

 
In addition to the wall's defensive military role, its gates may have been customs posts.

The length of the wall was 80 Roman miles, equivalent to 73 modern miles or 117 kilometres.

 

We ended the day in a camping site Fell View Park.

Sunset over the pond with a small zoo in the camp.

Oidhche mhath - good night.

Day 14 - 349 km - From Rosebank to Scorton.

Our roads in Scotland.

Geocaches found (all received  a visit  by trackable item "Second Angel of peace", TBA8B55):
- Irthing Footbridge, Virtual, GC8D32
- BIRDOSWALD FORT, GCXWBH
# Lockerbie Memorials, Adventure Lab®, LINK