Nottingham and Beeston canal ✅

That’s me just walked another canal, this time the Nottingham and Beeston canal.

More photos of the Nottingham and Beeston canal can be seen at www.gordon-valentine.com/zenphoto/england/nottingham-and-beeston-canal/

August 2018 most popular photos

Below are the top three most looked at photos on this website during August 2018.

Number 1 (121 views) : Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle 2018
Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle 2018

Number 2 (115 views) : Nick and myself both wetsuited
Nick and myself both wetsuited

Number 3 (95 views) : Nick and myself both wetsuited
Nick and myself both wetsuited

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 01/09/2018

How the Victorians Built Britain (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Saturday 1st September 2018)

Michael Buerk travels Britain to explore the innovations of the Victorian age. Michael reveals how Victorian engineers revolutionised public transport, with the inventions of the omnibus, the modern-day bicycle and the London Underground.

Bodyguard (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 2nd September 2018)

As the capital shudders in the wake of two terrorist attacks, specialist protection officer PS David Budd is more under pressure than ever to keep the home secretary Julia Montague safe. The threat to her life does nothing to curb Julia’s political ambitions, as her counterterrorism bill takes another step towards being made law, provoking political rivalries. With the police marginalised from the investigation into the attacks in favour of the security service, David is caught between his new-found loyalty to Julia and his superiors’ demands for intelligence on her activities.

Neighbours (Channel 5/HD | 1:45pm to 2:15pm | Monday 3rd September 2018)

Aaron and David tie the knot, despite Susan having pulled out as their celebrant. An eccentric woman turns up in the Waterhole and offers to stand in. To everyone’s amazement, she turns out to be Jemima, Karl’s half-sister. Elsewhere, Leo and Terese finally succumb to temptation.

Phil Spencer’s Stately Homes (more4 | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 3rd September 2018)

Phil explores the magnificent Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire and gets to know its formidable builders, John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, and his wife Sarah. Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, Phil’s host, explains that the palace was a gift to the Marlborough family from their friend Queen Anne, a monument to the Duke’s victory over the French at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. However, in the archive Phil discovers the build was plagued with problems: fall-outs with the architect, unpaid builders and costs beyond even the wildest estimates. Phil tots up a total in today’s money that makes Blenheim the most expensive house he’s ever visited.

Saving Lives at Sea (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 4th September 2018)

Documentary following the men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). In Brighton the crew are called out to what they think is just a routine job – towing a yacht that has lost power back to harbour – but a sudden spring squall and mountainous waves leave the crew fighting to save the yacht and themselves from being dashed on the shore.

Britain by Bike with Larry and George Lamb (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 7th September 2018)

Travelogue series with the father-and-son duo, exploring Britain’s most spectacular cycle routes from the saddle. The Lambs set off to conquer Snowdon but are blown off course, George puts a Llama display team through their paces, and they have to hang on tight when they try one of the longest zip wires in the world.

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

#walk1000miles 2018 ✅

So, so pleased with myself! I can safely say, I’ve done #walk1000miles! I only had to do 12 miles today, so reach to it! I ended up doing 17.25 miles.

Also did the third and last day of walking the whole of the Chesterfield Canal. A distance of 46 miles from Chesterfield to the River Tent. More on this soon…

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

Just 16.79 miles left of #walk1000miles

That’s me now done 98% (983.21 miles) of #walk1000miles. So just 16.79 miles remaining!

I will MAKE the 1000 mile mark, before the end of the week!!

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

Just 30 miles left of #walk1000miles

That’s me now done 97% (970.24 miles) of #walk1000miles. So just 29.76 miles remaining!

Really, hoping that I can make the 1000 mile mark, before the end of the week!!

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 : 25/08/2018

The Adventure Show (BBC 2 & BBC iPlayer only | 7:00pm to 8:00pm | Sunday 26th August 2018)

The Adventure Show is at Fort William as the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup returns to Scotland. Events include the fast, gladiatorial 4X and the brutal downhill, which launches off from the top of the Nevis range, with the best riders in the world plummeting 555 metres down one of the longest and toughest courses on the circuit. Presented by Duncan McCallum and Dougie Vipond.

Flying Across Britain with Arthur Williams (Channel 4/HD | 7:00pm to 8:00pm | Sunday 26th August 2018)

Arthur’s final airborne journey covers the epicentre of Britain’s wartime aviation effort – the east coast. He visits four airfields that played a role in World War Two, but have completely changed since. First up is Lincolnshire, which once boasted 46 military airfields. Only five remain today. At East Kirkby, a local family have bought and preserved part of the former airbase as a memorial. Flying over East Anglia, Arthur has an overview of the staggering scale of the wartime ‘friendly invasion’ by tens of thousands of American servicemen. At RAF Lakenheath, he sees the US Air Force’s awesome F15 fighter. At Cranwell, he visits the world’s oldest and grandest air academy and home to the only aerobatic team in the world licensed to take passengers – and there’s no way Arthur’s leaving without hitching a ride.

Hidden Britain by Drone (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 26th August 2018)

Britain is full of places that are hidden from public view, with their secrets locked away behind high walls and heavy gates… until now. History and travel enthusiast Sir Tony Robinson uses the latest aerial filming technology to reveal new aspects of our country in a completely different way. Dispatching flying cameras of many shapes and sizes, Tony opens up the far reaches of Britain. In this episode, Tony sends his drones to a top-security active nuclear decommissioning site. They also reveal the truth behind crop circles and explore the hidden world of bats.

Bodyguard (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 26th August 2018)

After distinguishing himself by courageously neutralising a terrorist threat, troubled war veteran Police Sergeant David Budd of the Metropolitan Police’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch (RaSP) is assigned as a principal protection officer to the home secretary, the Rt Hon Julia Montague MP. Julia is a controversial politician intent on pushing a new counterterrorism bill through Parliament which would give the security service enhanced surveillance powers. Her political ambitions make Julia a high-profile target. Dedicated to his job but concealing deep resentment of politicians following his traumas in Helmand, David’s divided loyalties might make him Julia’s greatest threat.

Bodyguard (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 27th August 2018)

Another terrorist attack raises the UK threat level to severe. Home secretary Julia Montague holds secret meetings with the director general of the security service, freezing out the police and her own minister of state for counter terrorism. As Julia’s stance on national security propels her into the public eye, specialist protection officer David Budd is on high alert while being put under pressure by senior police officers to spy on Julia. However, David’s natural animosity towards Julia fades as his home life becomes more difficult. When Julia becomes a target, David’s loyalty to her is challenged.

Drinkers Like Me – Adrian Chiles (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pn to 10:00pm | Monday 27th August 2018)

In this revealingly intimate documentary, Adrian Chiles takes a long hard look at his own love of boozing. He wants to find out why he and many others don’t think they are addicted to alcohol, despite finding it almost impossible to enjoy life without it. Adrian, who drinks almost every day, decides to start a drinking diary and soon finds out his intake is way over the recommended limit. He decides to visit his parents to find out what it was that motivated him to start drinking as a teenager and reveals that sneaking into pubs underage was all about friendship and being part of something, and that the allure of the social side of drinking has never really left him since his teens.

Phil Spencer’s Stately Homes (more4 | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 27th August 2018)

Phil visits the beautiful Houghton Hall in Norfolk, built by Britain’s first Prime Minister, the wily Sir Robert Walpole. Phil is keener than ever to uncover the building costs, because they were Sir Robert’s best kept secret. As guest of its current owner, Lord David Cholmondeley, Phil uncovers a house clearly built without any limit on costs: It features some of the finest carved stone interiors ever created, jaw-dropping bedrooms, ‘beer taps’ in a marble dining room, and the most extravagant thing Phil has ever seen: a 17ft silver embroidered bed. It’s no wonder Sir Robert wanted to keep the costs – and how he raised the money – a secret; the truth could have rocked Parliament.

Saving Lives at Sea (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 28th August 2018)

Documentary following the men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Keeping watch over the River Thames, the crew at Tower in central London, the busiest of the RNLI’s 238 stations, are called to a man reported in the water eight miles downstream. On arrival, they discover a river bus already on the scene and their crew desperately trying to hang on to the unmoving man before he disappears under the water.

Britain by Bike with Larry and George Lamb (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 31st August 2018)

Travelogue series with the father-and-son duo, exploring Britain’s most spectacular cycle routes from the saddle. The Lambs challenge each other to a race through Britain’s first ever National Park, join the World Hen Racing Championships, and indulge in the local tradition of springtime sheep-washing.

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

Finished the End to End cycle 9 years ago!

Today 9 years ago, was the last day of End to End cycle! Even to this day, still can’t believe I did it! Try cycling for an average of 66 miles, every day for 15 days in a row and still how you feel! The total distance was 990.30 miles! Which took me 85 hours 22 minutes 40 seconds!

Still really, hoping that I will get to do it again, at some point…

Somewhere on the last day of the End to End cycle

Celebrating at Land’s End

Celebrating at Land’s End

42 mile cycle with Nick!

That was a great cycle with Nick! We ended up doing 42.71 miles, which was great, since our goal had only been 30 miles! It’s even better, since it’s the second longest cycle, that he’s ever done! Well done Nick!

You can check out the route we took over at www.strava.com/activities/1792535139

Nick and myself wetsuited at Old Hunstanton

Well, that was, so much fun! Nick and myself headed off to Old Hunstanton for the day! Which could, mean only one thing!! We both had to wear wetsuits…

Hope you enjoy these photos! Please do comment on them!!

Old Hunstanton

The full set of these photos can be seen at www.gordon-valentine.com/zenphoto/days-out/22-08-2018/