UK TV programmes to watch this week : 02/09/2017

Grand Tours of Scotland’s Lochs (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 4th September 2017)

Series in which Paul Murton takes a tour of Scotland’s lochs. In this edition, he explores the wilds of Loch Etive, from the spectacular tidal race of the Falls of Lora, where kayakers revel in the overfalls and ride a three-metre standing wave, to high-altitude camping on a hill opposite Buchaille Etive More, watching the sunset.

Diana and I (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:30pm | Monday 4th September 2017)

Drama showing the impact Princess Diana’s tragic death has on four ordinary people. Jack is the only child of an adored mother who dies the same night as Princess Diana. He struggles to come to terms with her death while computing the loss of an icon who meant so much to both of them. Yasmin is unhappily married to Hassan, an unsuccessful businessman who can’t admit his failure. Inspired by the public outpouring of emotion at Diana’s death, Yasmin goes on a journey of self-discovery. Michael is a junior reporter on his honeymoon in Paris with his new wife Sophie when news of Diana’s death breaks. Spending more and more time on the story at the expense of his honeymoon, Michael struggles to balance his career with his fledgling marriage. Mary is a Glaswegian florist, struggling for money. Mary hatches a plan to drive to London and sell flowers before Saturday’s funeral.

Saving Lives at Sea (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 5th September 2017)

Documentary following the men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). In Bangor, Northern Ireland, crew are tasked to find two teenage paddleboarders blown offshore towards nearby shipping lanes. When the Tenby crew learn a dog has fallen over steep cliffs, there is a race to reach him before concerned members of the public attempt to rescue him themselves. And on the north Norfolk coast, the harrowing hovercraft rescue of three young sisters still brings back painful memories for the Hunstanton crew.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 6th September 2017)

Few people would be brave or foolish enough to buy a building plot without visiting it first. But that’s exactly what ex-RAF pilot Jon and GP Gill Flewers did. Returning to the UK after a four year stint in New Zealand, this intrepid pair want to build a Kiwi-style hill house on the slopes of the Malvern hills in Worcestershire. Their ambitious three storey upside-down home will be clad in wood and stone, clinging to the hill and designed to take advantage of and enhance the surrounding scenery. But there are problems. The site is so steep that builders don’t want the job. So, despite a complete lack of experience, Jon quits his job to run the project himself. It proves an emotional rollercoaster ride.

Lego Masters (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 7th September 2017)

The search for the UK and Ireland’s most talented Lego builders continues. Nature is the theme this time as the remaining five teams take their construction skills into the great outdoors. The challenge is to create and install a spectacular brick display for a nature walk that will be transported to a woodland in Essex. From plants, animals and insects to mythical creatures, the teams can create whatever they want, but it must be full of character, wow the judges, and fit seamlessly into the environment. So how do you integrate a Madagascan crocodile into the Essex countryside? And there’s a frantic hunt on for a missing chrysalis. There’s also a quick-fire round to make as many miniature insects, birds and wild animals in 45 minutes, using no more than 15 bricks. Joining The Lego Group’s Matthew Ashton as guest judges is one of the world’s leading brick animal artists Sean Kenney, and comedian Bill Bailey.

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

August (2017) Gran Fondo challenge, DONE!

That’s me just added another Strava Challenge to my Trophy Case. This time added the August Gran Fondo, in which you have to ride 100km (62.1371 miles) in one activity!!

Please do check out my profile at www.strava.com/athletes/gsvalentine and better still follow me. Oh and do remember, if it’s not on Strava, it did not happen! FACT!!!!

WOW so many steps in August 2017!

WOW!! Can’t believe that I did 487,364 steps in August! Making it’s the most steps, I’ve ever done in month, well since getting the Garmin Vivoactive HR GPS Smart Watch that is!

Just missed out on the longest cycle of 2017!

I just missed out on doing the longest cycle of the year! I did 63.19 miles, when the longest of the year so far is 63.33 miles! So I just missed out! Oh well! Gives me a reason to try doing a longer one this month!

You can check out the route, I took over at www.strava.com/activities/1161977937

Here are some great photos from the Grantham Canal section of the route!

Cannondale Pro Cycling Team 2014

Cannondale Pro Cycling Team 2014

Cannondale Pro Cycling Team 2014

FreeSports launch delayed on Freesat

The launch of FreeSports on Freesat has been delayed. Should have been launched today on channel 252.

But it did launch has planned on Freeview/YouView channel number 95. You need a device that is compatible with Freeview HD or Freeview Play.

More information be be found over at www.a516digital.com/2017/08/faq-new-sports-channel-freesports.html

UK railway stations list : updated 30-Aug-2017

I can now add Hathersage and Sheffield to the list of UK railway stations that I’ve used!

Check out the full list at www.gordon-valentine.com/travel/railways/uk-national-rail-network/

Most Steps in a Month : August 2017

That’s me just set even more personal records on the Garmin Connect website. I’ve just set a new, most steps in a month! So far done 443,906 steps this month and August is not even over yet!

Also my longest goal streak now stands at 115 days!!

Regent’s Canal, Tick ✅

I can now say, that along with Cooper. I’ve now walked the whole of the Regent’s Canal in London from Limehouse Basin to Paddington Basin.

The first part of the walk took us from Limehouse Basin to London Canal Museum a distance of 7.3 miles!

Then we took a boat trip from the London Canal Museum through the Islington Tunnel, which is the longest canal tunnel in the south of England!  If ever in the London area, I would really recommend you do! More info can be found out at canalmuseum.gttix.com/productdetails.aspx?productid=4720.

Then the second part of the walk took us from the London Canal Museum to Paddington Basin a distance of 5.2 miles!

Here are some photos from the walk!

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 26/08/2017

Casualty (BBC 1/HD | 8:45pm to 9:35pm | Saturday 26th August 2017)

Conditions at the refugee camp cause a member of the ED team to take drastic action. In Holby, recent events are taking their toll on Jez.

Diana, 7 Days (BBC 1/HD | 7:30pm to 9:05pm | Sunday 27th August 2017)

In August 1997, the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales, stunned her family and catapulted the British public into one of the most extraordinary weeks in modern history. This programme hears from some of those most affected and those in the public eye at the time, such as Diana’s sons Prince William and Prince Harry, her siblings Earl Spencer and Lady Sarah McCorquodale, former prime minister Tony Blair and members of the royal household. What was it about Diana that resulted in such an outpouring of grief? And what does that week reveal about Britain’s relationship with the monarchy, then and now?

Saving Lives at Sea (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 29th August 2017)

Documentary following the men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). In Ireland, the Castletownbere crew race to rescue a lone yachtsman who has lost his mast and is drifting powerless in ten-metre waves, 45 miles out to sea. In Minehead, a woman on a clifftop walk has gone missing, and after 17 hours, the crew are called to search the shoreline. And for an injured horse rider on a remote beach, the Porthcawl crew are the only way to emergency medical help.

Manchester: 100 Days After the Attack (itv/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 29th August 2017)

In May 2017, a suicide bomber attacked a pop concert by Ariana Grande in Manchester, killing 22 people and seriously injuring 59. Many of the victims were children and their parents. This is the story of the events of that night and a city’s response over the past 100 days, featuring powerful and emotional testimony from those who were there and those who are rebuilding their lives. Narrated by Christopher Eccleston.

World’s Busiest Cities (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 30th August 2017)

Hong Kong. Dan Snow, Anita Rani and Ade Adepitan reveal the hidden systems and armies of people running some of the greatest cities on earth. This time, they are in Hong Kong, where space is at a premium and real estate is the most expensive in the world. Ade heads into the high rises to find people living in tiny spaces no larger than a cupboard. This former British colony, handed back to the Chinese in 1997, is a city driven by trade and commerce. Dan discovers how it is adapting to life in China’s embrace, while Anita learns about the city’s many traditions – from bamboo scaffolding to banishing bad spirits on the daily commute. Ade heads to the races at Happy Valley, and Dan discovers the history of the origins of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation – HSBC. Hong Kong is crowded, chaotic and facing an uncertain future. How does this city of contrasts manage the delicate daily balancing act that keeps it on track?

Lego Masters (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 31st August 2017)

The search for UK and Ireland’s most talented Lego builders continues. This week the teams must step up a gear and make their models move. They have to build a funfair with at least one spectacular supersized mechanical ride, complete with moving parts and characterful stories in miniature form. While an inventive spinning laser ride draws the crowds to one fairground, a sandwich-stealing shark is a pest at another. The judges also throw them a curve ball with their unplanned challenge, where the teams find themselves having to quickly build a vehicle with no time to prepare. But that’s not the only surprise in store, as halfway through the challenge the judges give each team a new mode of transport and announce that they must create a hybrid of the two. One team must go home, so who will rise to the challenge and who has laid their very last brick in the Build Room?

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