Back from a month of travels (Wales, Scotland, and a bit of Ireland) with family; my two sons (26 yrs) and my oldest sister (77 yrs) -- and me at a sprite not-quite 69. Interesting family/generational/sibling dynamics on many levels, all based on a combination of commonly held family tendencies towards strong-willed stubbornness and the true love and care for each other. Just don't let anyone get to the point of getting hangry. About 2700 miles in the rental car. Exploring roads to nowhere and exploring beyond by foot.
I have no advice about weather and/or midges. We had no rain until a sprinkle in Galway, Ireland, a few days ago, but walking around Dublin two afternoons ago was just plain hot. A tiny taste of midges in NW Scotland one day and a change of hiking direction to avoid some one other day.
Northern Wales around the Snowdonia National Park was great...my son going to grad school at Bangor, Wales, has been hiking to the tops of the peaks this past year, so we avoided the tourists on our own tour...based out of his house in Bangor.
We then drove north through England and the Border lands to northwestern Scotland. We spent 4 days on the Isle of Skye in a converted mill, which worked very well...far enough north to miss a lot of the other tourists in the mornings and later afternoons. I left the old mill at 10pm for a short walk one evening (no flashlight no camera no phone)...ended up walking through the moors after dark (twilight lasting past 11pm) with the full moon guiding me on a faint trail amongst the peat bog...fortunately fairly dry due to the weeks of sun. We left the Isle and headed further north for another week or so before heading down back to Wales.
More castles, ruins, and stone walls for miles than one could shake a sheep at. I have always been impressed with the stone walls of the western foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. But no longer -- in comparison to Scotland (and all the isles in general) they are an equivilent to a child's Lincoln Logs set. As friendly of a people as one will ever meet. As friendly as I remember the people I met in New Zealand when I was there in 1975, 1980, and 1986.
I have 9 rolls of 120 B&W to develop. Mostly FP4, but also a couple rolls each of Acros and Delta 100. The ninth roll is a bit of a loss...quickly firing it off before getting on the plane home. No issues getting the film hand-inspected on the way home. The film was bought or was given to me in Wales. As it was a fast-moving family trip, time to slow down and work in an area did not happen often. The attached photo was taken a couple mornings after my moon-lit moors walk, starting from this area.
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