Path - Swan Farm to Grands Vaux

For years I've always wondered, coming down Langley Ave., is there a way up into those fields, any footpaths?

The answer is Yes, I recently discovered. There's a No Through Road called Swan Farm Lane, heading down from the exit of Grainville School's road...

At the end, Swan Farm. And to the left, an official Public Footpath to Grands Vaux...

.. so I got to stand behind that phone box at last :)

 A Bing map to illustrate what's what.

On the footpath. looking back at Langley Avenue...

.. to the right from that shot, a view over a field lets us see a distant Elizabeth Castle, amongst St.Helier's taller buildings.

Heading away from the official path, on what seems to be Permitted Access along a track between the fields.. the view back to the road where I had always wondered...

.. and there's an entrance, of sorts, to the grounds of Grainville School.

A bit farther along the track, and it emerges on the corner of Deloraine Road, at the top of the one-way hill.

Down said hill to Grands Vaux school, an old Cross...

.. and I took a detour to admire the streams below the reservoir...

.. a charming old house...

.. and a footpath opposite the GV primary school takes us behind Willow Grove to the depths of Pillar Gardens.. and another path goes right behind the houses and the woodland to emerge near the steep driveway to the Youth Center as seen here from just off the main road. The pathway back to Swan Farm is easily spotted off the car park around the corner up this road. All in all a rather pleasant bit of exploration for Team Crapaudmatic, and just goes to show that even after all these years there's still more to see! :)

Les Folies d'Olivet

Le Jardin d'Olivet is a nice piece of common land in Trinity, above the east side of Bouley Bay. A reasonably sized carpark leads off the corner of a lane.

The area mostly seems to be used by dog-walkers, and sadly not all of them pick up their mess. But anyway...

 .. it's been about 20 years since I last visited, so I thought I'd reacquaint myself with the place. The woodland on the left here leads nowhere (you have to go downwards for a fair climb before you can head west to Bouley Bay through another patch of woodland)...

.. but it's still worth a look around if you like an old (Victorian?) folly or two. This one can just be seen through the trees from the carpark. The last time I was here this was cracked, overgrown and at risk of collapse (as seen in 2007). Someone has got things back in order.

 The other side.

 Inside, from the doorway.

 Looking out of the 'window' from the first shot.

 Some colourful addition someone saw fit to bless us with.

 A little farther into the trees to the west (among a surprising number of blown-over trees), and there's another folly - round this time.

 Open at the top, and a floor of leaves at this time of year.

 Very heraldic.

Also lurking in the area is this, I wonder what it was?

 And in the private garden nearby, one of their own.

It was a pleasant walk and bit of exploration, one for parents with kids likely to be wow-ed by such things. Just be careful if there's a brisk north wind, it's only a couple of degrees C above ice making, and you're likely to catch a repulsive headcold.

*sniff*

Happy New Misc, West Park

 About time I added something this year :)

The "C word" seems a long time ago already...

 .. as Spring is almost here...

 .. just over a month until BST again.

 After rather a lot of rain, the water table is so high that the stuff is just pouring out of the ground up north...

 .. and parts of the Five Mile Road have ponds where there aren't usually any. There had better not be a hosepipe ban this summer or something is seriously wrong!

 So I dusted off my lens and took advantage of a sunny weekend at last. West Park is an absolute gem, and within lunchtime walking distance for thousands of workers, too...

.. shady clean paths (and at least one route without steps, for those in chairs - although quite steep in places)...

 .. greenery at all times of the year.

 The path right at the far (First Tower) end...

 .. and a view of that tower amongst the rooftops.

 There are some more natural tracks if Real Earth is more your thing.

 .. and of course excellent views over the bay. I like the way the pool has brighter water than the sea, here :)

So, as nasty cold wet unpleasant Winter fades into a lousy memory, I look forward some warmth, good light, Vitamin D, and the great scenery to spring back to life and give me incentive to take my camera for a walk again.

Mad plan to waste £400,000 spoiling old harbours

 To join up the cycle paths from La Collette to Commercial buildings, the plan - now backed by a Roads Committee with a history of absurd anti-car-ism - will see the 'English' and 'French' harbours eaten into, to widen the road and include a dedicated cycle path - if Planning agree.

They say "The granite work would be in the same style as the existing walls, but all the existing granite and slipway cobbles would be left intact behind and beneath the new structures."

I don't believe they'll get it to look authentic, and I think it would spoil the look of these old harbours and slipways. Maybe not so much this one by South Pier ...

 .. but definitely this one. And look - there's a wide enough pavement on the wall side of the road that only gets used because there isn't a pavement on the water side.

So why not scrap the existing pavement, move the road over, and have a shared pavement and cycle path on the harbour side? A zebra crossing could allow access to the steps up to Pier Rd, it's not as if it would see any major use and hold up the traffic. Much cheaper to swap the road and pavement over than to spoil the old granite work!

Rozel landslip destroys old beach hut

 There has been a row of beach huts here for many years. See the blue one?...

 .. too much rain lately, and...

.. now there's a sad gap along the pier.

On the buses

 So it's Goodbye to these buses...

 .. and I assume this depot at La Collette will change hands too...

 .. as Connex say Farewell, to be replaced by LibertyBus on 2 Jan 2013.

 There are rows and rows of buses down there.

I've lost count how many of my shots are as ugly as... the back of a bus :)

 And here's what we'll be seeing next year - not all that keen on the lumpy front and that huge expanse of glass.

 Back isn't much better either.

 And there are smaller ones too...

.. thanks to my roving reporter for these two shots.

Well, Good Luck to the new operator - CT Plus, I hope the service turns out to be a credit to the island.