Day 1 Leg 2 East Anglia - Very Flat! and Holiday Caravans!!

Having left Manston ahead of our German friends for Humberside International Airport, near Grimsby, leg two of our journey unveiled the beauties of East Anglia – caravans are a feature of this coastline, the traditional British holiday lives on! Whilst tracking the coastline does simplify the navigational procedure, this exercise highlights the various ways in which the UK has used its position to make its mark in the world – off shore oil helicopters buzz backwards and forwards whilst the wind farms waltz their way into history, meanwhile the military firing ranges kept us on our toes. The third map (chart) of the day had now turned the after cabin into a receptacle for all that had gone before!The Helibeli cam together with multiple stills and video cams recording both inside and outside the helicopter kept us all very busy but still left us time to marvel at the sights and appreciate the privilege of flying with Charlie. This leg enabled us to appreciate the Aldeburgh, the Norfolk Broads, Cromer, The Wash and Skegness amongst others.
Aldeburgh Norfolk Broads

Near Cromer and the Wash
Posted by Colin Lewis at 21:18

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Blog Archive
▼ 2008 (21)
▼ July (21)
Day 7 Leg 4 Lands End to Sowley, going home!
Day 7 Leg 3 To Lands End via South Wales and the N...
Day 7 Leg 2 Caernarfon to Aberporth, and Welsh hos...
Day 7 Leg 1 Anglesey to Caernarfon
Day 6, Leg 3 – Carlisle to Anglesey
Day 6, Leg 2 – Fly like the Wind – Oban to Carlisl...
Day 6, Leg 1 – “Over the Sea FROM Skye” … to Oban
Day 5 - Enforced Day of Rest
Day 4 Leg 3 – Benbecula to Skye
Day 4 Leg 2 – Stornaway to Benbecula
Day 4 – Leg 1 – Shapinsay to Stornoway
Day 3 At Balfour Castle, didn't see the OLD MAN
Day 2 – Leg 3 – Blowing in the Wind
Day 2 - Leg 2 - We Took the High Road!
Day 2 – Leg 1 – Weather we do or Weather we don’t
Day 1 Leg 2 East Anglia - Very Flat! and Holiday ...
Day 1 Leg 4 - A Hop Skip and a Jump
Day 1 Leg 3 Humberside to Newcastle - history unfo...
Day 1 Leg 1
2 days to go
Getting ready

Day 7 Leg 4 Lands End to Sowley, going home!

Polpero

The last leg, once more with strong winds but 60 mile visibility meant seeing from the Lizard to Start Point with so many familiar harbours to choose from. Falmouth, Fowey, Polperro, Looe and Salcombe were all in view and the prospect of Poole Harbour, Bournemouth Bay and the Solent was somethingth at this stage that we were all waiting for.Falmouth

Plymouth

Hurst Castle and the Solent

Day 7 Leg 3 To Lands End via South Wales and the North Coast of Devon and Cornwall

After take off it was important to fly over St David’s Head!! by St Bride’s Bay, which suddenly brought serious sunshine to the coast and to our faces. Pendine Sands (the site of past land speed records) on to Swansea, Porthcawl and then across the Bristol Channel to Minehead saw some of the best weather of our whole adventure, with Lynmouth, Ilfracombe, Tintagel, Port Isaac (home of Doc Martin, not the boots) and St Ives to mention only a few. Then it was a circle around The Longships Light House, before descending at Lands End Airport.

Longships Lighthouse Lands End

Day 7 Leg 2 Caernarfon to Aberporth, and Welsh hospitality

Rounding the Lleyn Peninsular we were now in sight of the holiday destinations of Abersoch, Pwillheli (pronounced ********) Porthmadog and then the famous village of Portmeiron (where no prisoners were taken!). The coast of Cardigan bay added further jewels to our photographic collection whilst the reception at West Wales Airport was excellent where we were given coffee, biscuits, cakes and an update on weather and air traffic conditions.

Porthmadog and Portmeiron and Barmouth

Day 7 Leg 1 Anglesey to Caernarfon

Menai Straits and Caernarfon Castle

After a promise of unbroken skies, initial rain and cloud was disappointing but taking off from the hotel Beaumaris, Bangor and the Menai Strait saw a brighter day in prospect. The instructions for landing at Caernarfon Airport stated that in the interest of noise abatement we should not fly above caravans at less than 1000ft! At the end of the runway was a holiday caravan park!! When questioned, the Air Traffic Controller ‘confirmed that they were not on the runway!!!

Day 6, Leg 3 – Carlisle to Anglesey

From Carlisle we were manoeuvring around cells of rain squalls until St Bees Head where we chose to orbit to assess the weather situation, discretion proved to be the greater part of valour and a precautionary landing was made next to the lighthouse on the headland. After 15 minutes on the ground the inevitable farmer in a 4 X 4 arrived to demand money with menaces for a landing fee. Two years ago we were told that BBC had landed and paid him £150 for the privilege … he felt that with inflation this should be a worthwhile amount for his efforts. Having been shown numerous landing receipts at fully serviced airports to the value of £16 he was crestfallen.

Amicably we left fifteen minutes later without any money changing hands!

The remainder of the journey saw us past Sellafield, Morcombe Bay, the Golden Mile at Blackpool followed by the British Open Golf at Royal Birkdale. Charlie provided our “ferry across the Mersey” and the north coast resorts of Wales prior to our landing at Anglesea.

Day 6, Leg 2 – Fly like the Wind – Oban to Carlisle

Left Oban to see the Bridge over the Atlantic and then followed the Crinnan Cannal but with a 45 knot tail wind this meant a fly past at Millport to wave at the McDavids was earlier than expected. Arrived at Carlisle as the R44 was leaving for Denham. An hour at Carlisle allowed us to assess the weather for the next leg.