Better join in with posting Class 43/InterCity 125 photos

Since everyone else is going mad posting Class 43/InterCity 125 photos! I better join in! Here are some of my favourite ones…

Grantham railway station

Stirling railway station

Old, meets new at Grantham railway station

Many more photos can be found at www.gordon-valentine.com/zenphoto/trains/class-43/

Now done 45% of #walk1000miles – 2021

walk1000miles - 2021That’s me now done 45% of #walk1000miles. So 451.63 miles down and 548.37 miles remaining!

Keep up-to-date with all my cycling and walking adventures over at www.strava.com/athletes/gsvalentine

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 08/05/2021

Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 9th May 2021) ** PICK OF THE WEEK **

The nation is in the grip of World Cup fever in 1966, and Fred has placed a risky accumulator bet on the outcome of the final which he starts to regret as the big match draws near. Nonnatus House awaits the arrival of four new pupil midwives, Dr Turner and Nurse Crane discover a 17-year-old boy is harbouring a desperate secret, and Cyril and Lucille’s relationship continues to blossom.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC2 /HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Monday 10th May 2021)

Michael Portillo visits Crewe, a town steeped in railway history, to investigate the making of cinema classic The Night Mail during the 1930s. He then heads to Chester to discover the interwar origins of Britain’s most popular zoo, then goes across the border to the Welsh village of Gresford, scene of one of Britain’s worst mining disasters.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC2 /HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Tuesday 11th May 2021)

Michael Portillo’s 1930s Bradshaw’s-inspired railway tour continues in north Wales. In Colwyn Bay, Michael hears how an army of civil servants from the Ministries of Food and Agriculture in London invaded the quiet seaside town, before visiting an amusement park in the holiday resort of Rhyl. Crossing the Menai Strait by the Britannia Bridge, Michael arrives on Anglesey and the elegant seat of the Marquesses of the island.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC2 /HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Wednesday 12th May 2021)

Michael Portillo continues his 1936 Bradshaw’s-inspired railway tour of north Wales. He begins in the coastal city of Bangor, where he hears how, when war broke out in September 1939, 2,000 children from the cities of northern England were evacuated by train to north Wales. Heading inland alongside the River Conwy, Michael reaches Tal y Cafn, before investigating the worst dam disaster in Welsh history in Dolgarrog. Finally in Betws y Coed, he attempts to climb one of Snowdonia’s lesser peaks.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC2 /HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Thursday 13th May 2021)

In the Welsh mountains of Snowdonia, Michael Portillo reaches an abandoned mine with an art-related history. He also explores the harbour town of Porthmadog, and the fantasy village Portmeirion, crafted by architect Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis, and made famous by The Prisoner TV series.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC2 /HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Friday 14th May 2021)

In the elegant coastal town of Aberystwyth, Michael Portillo visits the National Library of Wales, set high on a hill with views over Cardigan Bay. His tour of North Wales draws to a close in style at the birthplace of the nation’s first classical music festival, Gregynog Hall, near Newtown.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.

Third 30+ mile cycle of 2021

Happy days! That’s me just done my third 30+ mile cycle of 2021! I did 31.22 miles, which I am very pleased with! Hoping to get at leat one 40+ mile ride in during May! See what happens!!

You can check the route at www.strava.com/activities/5231226936

Hunter Speedsuit RTR lycra met cap Retro PINK

Hunter Speedsuit RTR lycra met cap Retro PINK

Hunter Speedsuit RTR lycra met cap Retro PINK

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 01/05/2021

Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 2nd May 2021)

Dr Turner and Sister Hilda are both bewildered and concerned by a patient’s unexplained symptoms, and try to get to the bottom of her ill health before it impacts her pregnancy. A woman expecting her third child is worried about her recent weight gain and turns to Lucille for support, leading to an unexpected discovery.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Monday 3rd May 2021) ** NEW SERIES **

Michael Portillo explores East Anglia between the wars, beginning at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, where archaeologists discovered a 27-metre-long Anglo-Saxon ship in 1939. In the Essex village of Dedham, he unearths a nasty brush between painters, with art experts explaining the antipathy between traditional artist Alfred Munnings and the modern art school established in the village by Cedric Morris.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Tuesday 4th May 2021)

Michael Portillo continues his journey through East Anglia, where he discovers the Essex origins of the BBC and joins the Women’s Land Army to pick damsons at Tiptree.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Wednesday 5th May 2021)

Michael Portillo’s travels resume in leafy Hertfordshire, where he attempts a canoe slalom course, and visits the estate of Dame Barbara Cartland.

Scotland’s Home of the Year (BBC Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Wednesday 5th May 2021)

Anna Campbell-Jones, Michael Angus and Kate Spiers continue their search for properties with unique style, design and architecture in Central Scotland. They explore an industrial new build in Fife, a Victorian cottage in Grangemouth and a house filled with fun in Dunblane.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Thursday 6th May 2021)

Michael Portillo heads for the Hertfordshire village of Perry Green to learn about Henry Moore became one of the defining artists of British modernism. In Cambridge, he revisits his former university to hear about a treacherous time in its past.

Ian Wright: Home Truths (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 6th May 2021) ** PICK OF THE WEEK **

The footballer-turned-broadcaster investigates what effect growing up in a psychologically abusive and violent home has on children in the UK. He meets with social workers to find out how they are supporting and protecting youngsters living in at-risk households during Covid-19 as well as adults and young people who have been affected by growing up with domestic abuse. Ian also shares the story of his own formative years, shaped by a difficult relationship with his stepfather, and on the final leg of his journey visits a charity who work with people at risk of committing, or who have already committed, domestic abuse.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Friday 7th May 2021)

Michael Portillo is in Suffolk on the last leg of his 1930s Bradshaw’s inspired tour of East Anglia, visiting the racecourse at Newmarket and the Roman Catholic shrine at Walsingham.

World’s Most Scenic River Journeys (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 7th May 2021)

A journey along Ireland’s longest river, the Shannon, through an emerald green landscape of rolling hills and sparkling waters. Carving a route from north to south of the country, we discover how Vikings, monks and kings have all made their mark along this important waterway. Bill Nighy narrates.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.

April 2021 cycling statistics

Even with April having the lowest average minimum temperatures since 1922, here in the UK! I still did 313.1 miles, so 53.6 more miles, than I did in April of last year!

Remember you can follow my cycling adventures over at www.strava.com/athletes/gsvalentine.

Here is the data from April 2021:-

  • Total cycles: 22.
  • Total Distance: 313.11 miles.
  • Total Time: 25:03:45 (h:m:s).
  • Avg Speed: 12.6 mph.
  • Max Time: 02:37:31 (h:m:s).
  • Max Speed: 35.3 mph.
  • Avg Distance: 14.23 miles.
  • Max Distance: 32.23 (Single cycle)

Data from: Garmin Connect.

Here are my favourite cycling photos from the month:-

Hunter inline skinsuit Team Britain 2018

Synergy Red Trisuit

Synergy Red Trisuit

P.S. Many more cycling photos can be found at www.gordon-valentine.com/zenphoto/me/2021/

April 2021 most popular photos

Below are the top five most looked at photos on this website during April 2021.

Number 1 (79 views) : Synergy Triathlon 3/2mm wetsuit
Synergy Triathlon 3/2mm wetsuit

Number 2 (66 views) : Synergy Red Trisuit
Synergy Red Trisuit

Number 3 (64 views) : Synergy Red Trisuit
Synergy Red Trisuit

Number 4 (64 views) : Home Delivery Driver
Home Delivery Driver

Number 5 (47 views) : Home Delivery Driver
Hunter inline skinsuit Team Britain 2018

Love these photos? Do check out www.gordon-valentine.com/zenphoto/me/2021/