Things To Do in 2013 Overview

Almost the end of 2013 so it's time to review my things to do list I composed a year ago.

The list was:

• Cover 100 miles of the Wales Coast Path
• Gain weight
• HIIT running
• Run a mile under 8 minutes
• Run up Bosley Cloud under 40 minutes
• Run 10km in one go
• Upload my 100th YouTube video

So which ones did I tick off the list?

Not done any running for the last 2 months, but this year I have run the most miles in a year. Covered 104 miles in 2013, (57 miles in 2012, 38 miles in 2011).

Ran my first 10km early on in the year and set a PB for 1km and tried the Standard and Pyramid programs on Endomondo for Interval Training.

I continued my walk along the Wales Coast Path in Flint and made it round along the coast and over to Anglesey. Approximate total miles for the year was 74 miles. (Check out the neilrbee channel on YouTube for pictures and videos)

I now have 132 videos on YouTube and total viewings are over 45,000.

So what are the things to do in 2014?

Today I registered to do the Cloud 9 Run on 2nd March 2014 so trainers back on to hit the trail and road to get my fitness back for the 9 mile run!!

I'll continue my walking around Anglesey and G has mentioned he wants to continue our travels along the Pennine Way and tick off some more of the many! Wrainwrights.

Testing the video on the Nokia Lumia 1020 in lowlight

Quick test of the video recording on the Nokia Lumia 1020

New phone - Nokia Lumia 1020

Had my new phone for a few weeks now so I thought I'd share some of my favourite photos I've taken on it.

I will do two separate posts of the video the phone takes.

New camera equipment

Today I received my new bit of camera equipment, a mini tripod.

It's the Joby GripTight GorillaPod Stand. You can use it for both small smartphones and compact cameras.

Will be trying it out in due course to see what photos I can take. You can wrap it round slim branches and the like.

I've been busy adding photos to my Instagram gallery, now over 80 photos and a couple of short video clips.

http://instagram.com/beakyjim

YouTube Channel turns Three

It's been 3 years since I started posting my videos of my travels on YouTube.

With time I've added more videos and now there well over 100.

So views to date is has passed 36,000.

My Top Ten are below:

I'll be adding more videos of my travels and Lego builds.

Let's get to 50,000 views and see if there will be a different video taking top spot.

Instagram profile

Finished choosing my photos for my Instagram profile.

Chosen 50 photos so far and will be adding more in the future.

If you use Instagram please feel free to like any photos!

http://instagram.com/beakyjim

Instagram

Finally got around to using Instagram.

Have added photos from my travels and walks, you can find me under "beakyjim"

clouds from the Cloud

Had a jog then walk the rest of way up Bosley Cloud earlier. Took 48 minutes today with jogging the first 2km.

Start a new Strava challenge in just over a week so aim to reduce the time it takes it reach the top.

Got the timing right, as now I as I type it is raining!!

London Eye and river boat at sunset

London: autumn day

London: fade to grey

London Revisited

It's been 3 years since I last visited London on my travels down to Brighton to visit my niece.

So I thought it was time for another visit as the London skyline has changed a bit since.

 I wanted to check out the Shard and see if I could capture the London Eye at night.

 A very early start I arrived at Euston station before 9am. Got the Tube and found out at Green Park I couldn't use the Jubilee Line so decided to walk down to the Thames to get my first photos of the London Eye. Went past Buckingham Palace and through St James Park, plenty of ducks and even caught a photo of a heron before it flew off.

Once at the Thames followed it along to Tower Bridge before I got the Docklands Light Railway out to Greenwich. Bit of lunch bought and climbed up the hill in Greenwich Park to the Observatory for great views of the London skyline.

On the way back to the centre I got off at Canary Wharf for a quick look round before going back to the South Bank. I visited the Tate Museum before stopping to see the various street performers.

Quickly took in Piccadilly Circus before walking down to Trafalgar Square then back to the Thames for sunset (or lack of due to cloud!).

Tripod set up and managed to get different photos of the London Eye as the light dimmed. Managed to get enough shots and it was time to make my way back via the Tube to Euston for journey home!

Below panoramic photo taken on the Thames:

Will do 2 separate posts of videos of the photos of the day.

London: fade to grey
London: autumn day

Wales Coast Path - Pentraeth to Moelfre photos

Had problems inserting video into previous post so added YouTube video separately.

Wales Coast Path - Pentraeth to Moelfre

On Thursday I continued my walk along the Wales Coast Path, the section I covered was Pentraeth round to Moelfre.

Weather forecast had been a Yellow weather warning from the Met Office so wasn't looking forward to the heavy rain!

I had a friend for company and we were very competitive! in getting the best photos.

Panoramic photos of the day:

Other photos taken on the day can be found on my YouTube Channel, 'neilrbee' or click on the link below to see the video.

http://youtu.be/9lklyjGqSnc


We avoided the heavy rain until we were waiting for the bus back to Pentraeth.

Added 6 more miles to my total.

Two Challenges Results

Last day of September and my fitness challenges for the month were to cover 100km by walking and running and 40km by running alone.

Two runs yesterday and a walk today allowed me to pass the 100km mark, I've finished the month at 102.8km.

I find jogging/running more of a challenge than hiking/walking so am pleased at hitting 40km in the month.

Got a milestone achievement badge on Strava for reaching 40km.

To keep myself motivated for October I've already signed up for the Turn Up The Heat challenge.

Let's see if I can hit 50km for the month.....

Two Challenges Half Way

Half way through the month and on target to cover 100km for the month by walking and running.

Just two runs this week so need to increase the distance/number of runs a week to hit 40km for the month.

Next update at the end of the month to see if I meet my goals....

Sunrise

Morning sunrise after this mornings run, increased the distance to 3km.

Two Challenges

Not done much cardio this year and turn 42 next month so decided to make an effort during September.

So I'm recording my walks and runs every time I am out.

Two apps on my phone I use are Endomondo and Strava.

For Endomondo I've joined the On Your Feet Challenge, set a personal goal of covering 100km for September by walking and running.

So 28km covered with 3 weeks to go...


For Strava I've joined The Extender Challenge, set a personal goal of covering 40km by running, reaching the goal I will receive and milestone achievement badge.

So 10km covered with 3 weeks to go....

Will do an update next week to show my progress at the half way stage....

Pleasant morning view

Not been up Bosley Cloud for a few months.

Took just over 45 minutes today.

Butterflies, Snails and a full Moon

Been house sitting this week for my sister looking after her cats and snails!

Her butterfly bush definitely attracts the butterflies.

The snails have moved around their home.

Each day this week I've been up early to get back into the running. Covered 1 miles and a couple of 3km runs. Not running under an 8 minute mile yet!

Was up before 6am today and managed to catch a full moon once I was back after the run.

Missed having my camera with me earlier in the week as was following a heron back along the canal.

25,000 YouTube views

My YouTube channel has now had over 25,000 views.

Thanks if you have watched any of my 117 videos.

Things To Do

Ticked off another thing to do in 2013, Gain weight. 

Cutting down on the cardio this year and increasing the calorie consumption has meant my weight has gone up from 116 pounds in January to my current weight of 122 pounds.

They say you tend to loose weight from around your waist, well you gain weight there too! Waist size has increased from the beginning of the year.

I'm doing well with covering 100 miles of the Wales Coast Path, walked 70 miles so far this year.

So it's time to get the trainers back on and concentrate on the running. 

Transmission 5: New Order - Live From Jodrell Bank

Yesterday I went to Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire for Transmission 5, an event with workshops, science activities and performances from different bands.

Acts included Hot Vestry, Jake Evans, The Whip, Public Service Broadcasting, Johnny Matt and New Order as the headline act.

I got there when the gates opened at 2pm in the hot summer's sun and slowly made my way out of the gates about 9 and a half hours later.

Sat watching the beginning of Andy Murray's game at Wimbledon before moving to the main area to watch the bands.

As the day went out the crowds got busier and I ended up standing about 10 rows back of people from the front of the stage.

Note to self take a spare battery to an all day event next time as I missed the excellent projections onto the Jodrell Bank dish as New Order played.

This time had another! camera with me, a Samsung ST200F, a 10 times optical compact zoom. It's intelligent zoom allows you to capture pictures at 20 times zoom. Video is limited to the 10 times zoom.

Quick video of New Order:

Pictures from the whole day:

New YouTube number one

Lego Pacific Rim Trailer now takes the top spot of my most viewed YouTube videos on my channel.

Pacific Rim opens in the UK on the 12th July.

Peter Hook and The Light at the Macclesfield Barnaby Festival

Pictures and video from an excellent gig from last night watching Peter Hook and the Light.

Wales Coast Path - Penmaemawr to Menai Bridge

Due to a virus I wasn't able to walk on Anglesey  as planned yesterday and Monday. With heavy rain forecast for the next few days and over the weekend I decided to walk the final stage of Region A of the Wales Coast Path today.

I can now tick off North Wales Coast and Dee Estuary section of 68 miles of the path. Rather than stop at the Conwy border I carried on a further 11 miles and crossed over to Anglesey to Menai Bridge.

In Bangor I passed a building last seen in heavy rain as G and I made bacon butties on my camping stove after being washed out camping the night before.

Today almost didn't recognise it in the sun!

What began as a cloudy day ended up being a glorious sunny day as I made my way over the Menai Suspension Bridge.

Video of pictures.

Wales Coast Path - Penmaemawr to Llandudno

Was my earliest start ever! for any walk I've done. I left the house at half five in the morning to catch the first bus of the day.

3 hours later I'd arrived at Penmaemawr station wondering how I got over the train line to the path on the other side. Following a sign post I ended up going under the train line and arrived on the seafront.

Iron Man graffiti greeted me before I set on my travels again.

The first part ran parallel to the A55 dual carriage way which hugs the North Wales coast for a few miles and wasn't that inspiring, so ended up running for quarter of a mile before going back to walking.

I had my new Fuji 8200 bridge camera with me (have to say at the moment I prefer the pictures that my Panasonic tough compact produces). I should read the manual and practice taking more pics!

Nearing Conwy Castle I tried taking 1080p video:

Further round the path at Deganwy I took some more. Combined both video clips into one.


Going from a cold cloudy start the weather improved to a more sunnier and warmer day.

The last leg wasn't easy following the path round the Great Orme in Llandudno but allowed me to see where my walking will be taking me in 2 weeks - The island of Anglesey.

Below video of pics on today's walk and now I've almost completed Region A of the Wales Coast Path.

New camera

This morning tried out my new bridge camera, a Fuji S8200.

Below picture was trying out the 360 degree panoramic mode. Photo was taken at the top of Bosley Cloud.

Tried out the video functions available on the camera.

First video shot using the 40 times optical zoom. Zoomed out to Jodrell Bank on the Cheshire Plain.

On the way down tried the slow motion video function. Tried a few videos of wasps but found a bumble bee was the best subject!

Will be using the camera more on my further walks along the Wales Coast Path.

Wales Coast Path - Prestatyn to Llandudno

Yesterday I continued to notch up the miles of the Wales Coast Path.

Arriving at a windy Prestatyn train station I was soon on the seafront wishing I had packed some gloves!

Getting there early on probably due it being a weekday not a lot of people were about, so I managed to get the above picture. I passed the odd dog walker but for the most of the time on the earlier part of the walk I had the coast to myself.

Pictures of they day can be found on my YouTube channel, search "neilrbee" and you'll find pictures from the previous sections of the Coast Path I've walked.

Setting reminders to drink and eat at regular intervals helped cover the planned 21 miles with minimal breaks. There are plenty of toilets at the car parks along the way.

The Rhyl Harbour project which includes a pedestrian and cycle bridge is coming along nicely. Slight detour to avoid the works and I was back on the path.

There's more progress on the Colwyn Bay Waterfront project, I like the design of the building and am interested to see it all when it's all finished.

Had to stop with cars as a digger turned itself round on a truck. Thought at one point one of its tracks was going to come off and envisaged the trailer tipping over!

Below my favourite panoramic photo of the day taken on my phone. Thanks for the retweets and favourites on Twitter.

Brief lunch stop.

The miles counted down and with about 17 or 18 miles done I had to walk up the Little Orme before heading down into Llandudno. It was a bit of a steep climb after walking the flat! Those who like running up hills and use Strava can see how well they do. The Strava Segment is called "Angel Way".

At the other side of the Little Orme it became cloudy and for my last couple of miles it began to rain whilst walking along Llandudno seafront.

Just short of 21 miles I stopped my Garmin watch and took a picture of the Mad Hatter statue from Alice in Wonderland. Alice can be found near the train station. Blisters on my feet but legs felt fine.

I began my travels of the Wales Coast Path at Chester and have done 3 walks:

• Chester to Flint - 11  miles
• Flint to Prestatyn - 18 miles
• Prestatyn to Llandudno - 21 miles

Next planned walk is from Llandudno round to Bangor.

10,000 YouTube views

My YouTube channel has now had over 10,000 views.

 Below are my current Top 10 videos.

Wales Coast Path

Yesterday I continued my travels along the Wales Coast Path. Starting at Flint and finishing at Prestatyn.

Chatting to a 73 year old and his 5 year old black working labrador he mentioned I'd chosen a good weekend as earlier they had snow on the fields down to the coast line. Further on I spotted a lamb which had probably died due to the snow.

Setting off early in the day I managed to catch some good photos of the sun in the waters reflection. Walking along the path there are lots of viewing points with information on the local area.

I caught a barge going past which at the time I didn't realise was carrying a wing for the Airbus Beluga airplane (only zooming in on the photo at home I realised what was onboard!!)

Spotted some interesting sculptors and photos taken (they can be seen in the video).

Approaching Llanerch-y-Mor I spotted a passenger ferry which I remembered as a child being full of shops inside. Now it's grown into disrepair but covered in excellent graffiti.

http://www.dukeoflancaster.net/index.html

I walked around the large gas terminal before reaching Talacare beach and the Point of Ayr lighthouse (with silverman standing at the top).

Plodding along the beach and then over the dunes I arrived at Prestatyn and was glad to walk on concrete! after many miles of path, marshland, soft and hard sand.

More miles added to my spreadsheet and updated chart below.

Things To Do

Uploaded my 100th YouTube video last week.

So another item crossed off the list.

Off to Flint today to carry on walking the Wales Coast Path.

100th YouTube video

Finally uploaded my 100th video, enjoy!

Run up Bosley Cloud under 40 minutes

First go at getting to the top of Bosley Cloud for 2013 under 40 minutes without any snow.

Didn't do as much jogging/running as I wanted to do so more effort required in future weeks!

At the top tried out the camera on my new phone along with the Veho Muvi X-Lapse set at 15 minutes.

Pics below:

Video: