Ok, bike route sorted now. Aberdeen to Gardenstown
And back to Aberdeen at the end along the coast, with a night in Peterhead. But didn't bother to map out the last leg, it should be pretty straight forward.
I'm still in search of the perfect bike mapping route website, but this one will do for now. Nothing beats a stack of OS maps.
Hmm, just need to start packing now.
Tuesday 29 April 2008
Wednesday 23 April 2008
Local Hero if you cycle!
Hi Guys,
Cooking the dinner right now, but had to have a quick peek at the blog, the wonders of a worktop laptop!
Kerry - you really gonna cycle - awesome! Are you going to at least put your bags on the Land Rover though?
Kev, PLEASE film Kerry coming down that last hill!
Also, I think Pennan is where we all squidged into the phone box?
Gotta go put on Dire Straits now - theme to Local Hero!
Bye! Bev
Cooking the dinner right now, but had to have a quick peek at the blog, the wonders of a worktop laptop!
Kerry - you really gonna cycle - awesome! Are you going to at least put your bags on the Land Rover though?
Kev, PLEASE film Kerry coming down that last hill!
Also, I think Pennan is where we all squidged into the phone box?
Gotta go put on Dire Straits now - theme to Local Hero!
Bye! Bev
The Intro and The Outro
Hi, I'm Kerry, the representative from the Lexis side of the house. Wow, were there really 80 entries (at least in last year's group) for this? And here I thought I just dashed off my entry essay at the last minute. Well then, I would like to thank Ms. Swift, my 12th grade English teacher and those painful weekly Tuesday writings. Apparently they did pay off.
But very pleased to be headed to Scotland soon, again. I was jealous of my girlfriend and her week long tree planting project this week up by Skye, but ha, whales and dolphins. How cool is that? And just the next cove over from the Local Hero town, Pennan, too. (How's the sky up there?) I'll have to find my way over there at some point. I intend to cycle from Aberdeen to Gardenstown and then back again at the end to catch the train home. I can't pass up cycling in a part of Scotland I haven't cycled in before. I've already started pouring over OS maps to plot that part of my week.
And since we have a little time before the actual content begins, a little bit of time to kill, feel free to browse through some of my other Scotland adventures.
Tower Hamlets Wheelers Western Scotland and Inner Hebrides tour 2006, or welcome to Scotland, may I see your rain gear please.
THW Big Borders tour 2007
Hopefully I'll be as inspired by this Scotland adventure as some of the others. But see you all soon then.
But very pleased to be headed to Scotland soon, again. I was jealous of my girlfriend and her week long tree planting project this week up by Skye, but ha, whales and dolphins. How cool is that? And just the next cove over from the Local Hero town, Pennan, too. (How's the sky up there?) I'll have to find my way over there at some point. I intend to cycle from Aberdeen to Gardenstown and then back again at the end to catch the train home. I can't pass up cycling in a part of Scotland I haven't cycled in before. I've already started pouring over OS maps to plot that part of my week.
And since we have a little time before the actual content begins, a little bit of time to kill, feel free to browse through some of my other Scotland adventures.
Tower Hamlets Wheelers Western Scotland and Inner Hebrides tour 2006, or welcome to Scotland, may I see your rain gear please.
THW Big Borders tour 2007
Hopefully I'll be as inspired by this Scotland adventure as some of the others. But see you all soon then.
Tuesday 22 April 2008
TEAM XI 2007 - WHALES AND DOLPHINS OF THE MORAY FIRTH
Hi Guys, As you know, I was part of the Oct 2007 Reed team that volunteered for the project, loads to tell, and I'm writing up a piece about some of the rescue work since we left.
Anyway, I thought I'd copy in here the letter I posted to the CRRU news room on my return home from the project. Fired up or what! Actually, I've not come back down to ground yet - there's so much we need to do.............
If anyone wants to squeeze me in their suitcase, I'll be ready in a jiffy!
Beverley de Valmency
TO: CRRU NEWS FORUM
Yes, team XI, the team that were never meant to be, but CRRU agreed
to extend the season to accommodate us. If only they'd known what
they were letting themselves in for!
As a Reed Elsevier corporate team, we came from Exeter, Oxford,
Surrey and London. Over 80 members of staff battled for 8 places! So,
the priviledged team set off to Sunny Gardenstown - yes, it was
sunny, in the middle of October!
Our expectations were exceeded, beyond our wildest dreams. We learnt
so much, like sponges, we watched presentations, asked questions and
sought to find out and observe as much as we could about how these
wonderous animals live, breed, socialise, travel, survive and battle
against the human invasion, destruction and toxication of their
environment.
When I got home, the only way I could describe our impact on them was
to say that if someone came into my house, dumped all their rubbish,
day after day, forced me into the smallest corner to try to live, and
then filled that air with toxins and made it really difficult for me
to reach the fridge - that would sum up what we do to our wildlife.
How dare we!
That aside, we laughed, we danced, we cried, we debated, we worked (I
have to put that in incase my boss reads this!), we bonded, we saw
ruins, renovations, we walked, we talked, rescued Bartholomew, we had
pirate nights, pie nights, quiz nights, drunken nights, the
list goes on.
Reading the forum, some of the earlier teams have had stunning
encounters, and after a slow first day, we encoutered the dolphins,
basking sharks, seals etc throughout the week, hopefully one of the
guys will post some pics. But I don't think my team will ever be
allowed to forget mistaking a seal for a turtle - PLEASE don't ask,
Kev will never let us live it down!
We came away with a bunch of new fantastic friends, and owe Kev, Pine
and Nina a debt of gratitude for their tremendously hard work, at the
end of a long season. Their unsalaried commitment to this research
and rescue operation can neither be forgotten nor left unsupported in
the future.
Thanks guys!
p.s. Wasn't that farmer charming in the way he evicted us from his
haystack and land!
to extend the season to accommodate us. If only they'd known what
they were letting themselves in for!
As a Reed Elsevier corporate team, we came from Exeter, Oxford,
Surrey and London. Over 80 members of staff battled for 8 places! So,
the priviledged team set off to Sunny Gardenstown - yes, it was
sunny, in the middle of October!
Our expectations were exceeded, beyond our wildest dreams. We learnt
so much, like sponges, we watched presentations, asked questions and
sought to find out and observe as much as we could about how these
wonderous animals live, breed, socialise, travel, survive and battle
against the human invasion, destruction and toxication of their
environment.
When I got home, the only way I could describe our impact on them was
to say that if someone came into my house, dumped all their rubbish,
day after day, forced me into the smallest corner to try to live, and
then filled that air with toxins and made it really difficult for me
to reach the fridge - that would sum up what we do to our wildlife.
How dare we!
That aside, we laughed, we danced, we cried, we debated, we worked (I
have to put that in incase my boss reads this!), we bonded, we saw
ruins, renovations, we walked, we talked, rescued Bartholomew, we had
pirate nights, pie nights, quiz nights, drunken nights, the
list goes on.
Reading the forum, some of the earlier teams have had stunning
encounters, and after a slow first day, we encoutered the dolphins,
basking sharks, seals etc throughout the week, hopefully one of the
guys will post some pics. But I don't think my team will ever be
allowed to forget mistaking a seal for a turtle - PLEASE don't ask,
Kev will never let us live it down!
We came away with a bunch of new fantastic friends, and owe Kev, Pine
and Nina a debt of gratitude for their tremendously hard work, at the
end of a long season. Their unsalaried commitment to this research
and rescue operation can neither be forgotten nor left unsupported in
the future.
Thanks guys!
p.s. Wasn't that farmer charming in the way he evicted us from his
haystack and land!
Sunday 20 April 2008
Sleeping our way to Scotland
Given the eco nature of our expedition we are taking the lower carbon option to get to Scotland - the train!
The train in question is the "Caledonian Sleeper" - according to the train travel website "The Man in Seat Sixty-one" it is "the most civilised, romantic, time-effective and environmentally-friendly way from central London to the heart of Scotland".
It certain sounds like a lot of fun (very Agatha Christie if you ask me) and it should be a great way to start the adventure, and a great way to meet the rest of the team, especially since there is a nice bar/restaurant on board :-)
The train in question is the "Caledonian Sleeper" - according to the train travel website "The Man in Seat Sixty-one" it is "the most civilised, romantic, time-effective and environmentally-friendly way from central London to the heart of Scotland".
It certain sounds like a lot of fun (very Agatha Christie if you ask me) and it should be a great way to start the adventure, and a great way to meet the rest of the team, especially since there is a nice bar/restaurant on board :-)
Saturday 19 April 2008
Meet the Team!
We had a conference call on Friday to meet the RE people who are going on the trip, along with people from EarthWatch and the principal investigator from the CRRU, Dr. Kevin Robinson.
Suffice to say the level of excitement was rather high and most of us can't wait to get "out in the field" (a few worries about sea sickness and freezing temperatures not withstanding).
The 2008 RE participants are:
Suffice to say the level of excitement was rather high and most of us can't wait to get "out in the field" (a few worries about sea sickness and freezing temperatures not withstanding).
The 2008 RE participants are:
| Name | Company |
| Eleanor Carr | Elsevier |
| Kerry Nice | Lexis |
| Richard Chinn | Elsevier |
| Stephen Thair | RBI (TJG) |
| Amber Blake | RBI |
| Soo Abram | RBI |
| Simona Ferrari | RX |
| Duncan Balgarnie | Elsevier |
Thursday 3 April 2008
Whales and Dolphins of the Moray Firth!
Welcome to the new blog to cover the Reed Elsevier 2008 environmental awareness project in conjunction with EarthWatch :-)
This year we are off to the North of Scotland to visit the whales and dolphins of the Moray Firth.
You can read all the details about the expedition here - http://www.earthwatch.org/europe/exped/robinson.html - but I have posted a short summary below.
On The Expedition
Working with Robinson and his colleagues from the Cetacean Research & Rescue Unit (CRRU), you will take to the Moray Firth in 5.4-meter rigid-hulled inflatable boats to conduct systematic surveys of the southern Firth. You will be trained to spot and identify whales and dolphins and to record data such as the composition and structure of groups, their behavior, and geographic positions. You will also take photographs for individual identification. Back at the lab, especially during inclement weather, you will help identify individuals from photographs, catalogue images, and enter data. Your team may also be called upon to help with live whale or dolphin strandings, as the need arises. In your recreational time, there are rare seabird colonies, coastal wildflowers, castles, and Pictish ruins to investigate.
Hopefully we'll be able to share some pictures and video as well.
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