Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:
Q1. The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle
Q2. Lake Windermere
Not too difficult this week, the Eastender has seen the 2006 biopic of the writer 'Beatrix Potter' (played by Renee Zellweger). The one thousand four hundred and eighty foot high hill (four hundred and fifty one metres) next to the hamlet of 'Little Town', is most likely 'Cat Bells'. Cat Bells was the home of the hedgehog 'Mrs Tiggy-Winkle', who had a dwelling with a door set into the hill. Beatrix Potter published the book 'The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle' c 1905.
Six miles North East of Cat Bells, lies the three thousand and fifty four foot (nine hundred and thirty metre) eminence of 'Skiddaw'. East of the author's position would take bring us to Derwent water and it is here that a hippie space cadet who liked to do a bit of DMT and commune with bejewelled self dribbling basketball machine elf creatures (and possibly talking hedgehogs), had a kick back place. The island (St Herbert's Island), is named after him. Some of his biographies claim that his feast day is 20th March and that he died c 687.
Travelling thirteen miles or so south east from Derwent water would bring us to Lake Windermere and Wray Castle, where some of her biographies claim that the sixteen year old Beatrix Potter stayed while on holiday in the area. I couldn't find any information on the parish priest at Claife who founded a charity but the poet born 1770, is probably William Wordsworth and some of his bios claim that he was schooled at Hawkshead, which lies around two miles south west of Wray Castle.
Beatrix Potter's husband, a solicitor called 'William Heelis' had his offices in Hawkshead and the writer herself owned a property called 'Hill Top', around two miles to the south east.
The quote “Lily-white and clean, oh! With little frills between, oh!”, is from 'The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle'.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but if you have a non abusive comment or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Saturday, 24 September 2016
Saturday, 17 September 2016
Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition
Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:
Q1. Senghenydd
Q2. Tommy Farr (aka Thomas George Farr)
The initial clues appear to place us in the town of Senghenydd, in Wales and this was the site of a mine explosion caused by firedamp gas and coal dust c 14/15 October 1913, which resulted in the deaths of some four hundred and thirty nine miners. The unfortunate bergarbeiters who did not perish in the explosion, likely succumbed to a toxic gas mixture called afterdamp. There seems to be a Welsh National Mining Memorial and Universal Colliery Memorial Garden in Senghenydd, (opened c 2013).
The NA & HR railway is probably the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway and some of the references I checked claim that there is a sixteen span viaduct associated with it, near the town of Hengoed.
Travelling seven crow miles from Hengoed, would bring us to the settlement of Mountain Ash and this was where, according to some of his biographies, the darts player Leighton Rees was born (c 1940) at Lady Aberdare Maternity Home.
North west of Mountain Ash lies the town of Aberdare and this is where an author called Nina May Bawden (born c 1925) was evacuated during World War Two. Nina Bawden lived in seven different houses in the area and incorporated those experiences into the novel 'Carrie's War', published c 1975 (or 1973, depending on which source you check).
Four miles south of Mountain Ash would put as in the town of Ferndale and this is where an actor called Stanley Baker was born, at 32 Albany Street (c 1928). Baker starred as 'Bennet', a first lieutenant in a film called 'The Cruel Sea' (c 1953). Jimmy Wilde, who gave up working in Ferndale pit no 8, later become a boxer known as 'The Mighty Atom'. Three miles south of Fernadale lies Tonypandy and this is where a boxer known as 'The Tonypandy Terror' had a house. His real name was Tommy Farr (aka Thomas George Farr). The Tonypandy Terror, according to some of his biographies, took part in a fight with the American boxer Joe Louis c 1937 and this was apparently the first sporting event to be broadcast after being relayed by transatlantic cable.
N.B. due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, The Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Q1. Senghenydd
Q2. Tommy Farr (aka Thomas George Farr)
The initial clues appear to place us in the town of Senghenydd, in Wales and this was the site of a mine explosion caused by firedamp gas and coal dust c 14/15 October 1913, which resulted in the deaths of some four hundred and thirty nine miners. The unfortunate bergarbeiters who did not perish in the explosion, likely succumbed to a toxic gas mixture called afterdamp. There seems to be a Welsh National Mining Memorial and Universal Colliery Memorial Garden in Senghenydd, (opened c 2013).
The NA & HR railway is probably the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway and some of the references I checked claim that there is a sixteen span viaduct associated with it, near the town of Hengoed.
Travelling seven crow miles from Hengoed, would bring us to the settlement of Mountain Ash and this was where, according to some of his biographies, the darts player Leighton Rees was born (c 1940) at Lady Aberdare Maternity Home.
North west of Mountain Ash lies the town of Aberdare and this is where an author called Nina May Bawden (born c 1925) was evacuated during World War Two. Nina Bawden lived in seven different houses in the area and incorporated those experiences into the novel 'Carrie's War', published c 1975 (or 1973, depending on which source you check).
Four miles south of Mountain Ash would put as in the town of Ferndale and this is where an actor called Stanley Baker was born, at 32 Albany Street (c 1928). Baker starred as 'Bennet', a first lieutenant in a film called 'The Cruel Sea' (c 1953). Jimmy Wilde, who gave up working in Ferndale pit no 8, later become a boxer known as 'The Mighty Atom'. Three miles south of Fernadale lies Tonypandy and this is where a boxer known as 'The Tonypandy Terror' had a house. His real name was Tommy Farr (aka Thomas George Farr). The Tonypandy Terror, according to some of his biographies, took part in a fight with the American boxer Joe Louis c 1937 and this was apparently the first sporting event to be broadcast after being relayed by transatlantic cable.
N.B. due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, The Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Saturday, 10 September 2016
Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition
Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be :
Q1. The Strathspey Railway (aka The Strathspey Preserved Railway)
Q2. Braeriach (aka Braigh Riabhach)
Very tricky indeed this week, the Eastender had to get a bit 'Operation Crossbow' and look for the shadows of viaduct arches on the satellite picture to find the spans mentioned in the puzzle text and was not aided in this task one bit by the Microsoft browser, which seems to use special fat electrons which cannot get down the cable as quickly as regular sub atomic particles and makes it all run a bit slow....but I digress, the initial clues appear to place us a tad north west of Loch Moy, on the Highland Mainline, at the wooden trestle bridge of Moy Aultnaslanach. It seems to be one of the few remaining wooden trestle bridges in existence in the UK, as the terrain there is apparently not suitable for the foundations of steel or masonry bridges. I found a few references that claim it was opened c 1897 by the Highland Railway.
Travelling south east down the line for about six miles or so would bring us to the village of Tomatin and this has two viaducts on its southern outskirts. These are the Tomatin viaduct and the Findhorn viaduct which were probably built by Murdoch Paterson (born c 1826), who was the chief engineer of the Highland Railway for a time. The Tomatin viaduct has nine stone arches and the Findhorn viaduct is a steel structure which sits atop some stone pillars. The river Findhorn is around sixty two miles in length, according to some of the sources I looked at. Carrying on further down the line brings us to the Slochd Summit, which is around four hundred metres or one thousand three hundred and fifteen feet above sea level and is where the Slochd viaduct is situated.
Fifteen minutes later into the journey would probably bring us to the town of Aviemore and this is one of the terminals of the nine and a half mile Strathspey preserved railway. The preserved railway lies entirely within the Cairngorm national park, an area not to be entered lightly by the unwary or inexperienced traveller. The peak referred to in the hints is most likely Braeriach as it is the right height and in the right location (1296 metres and about eight miles or so south east of Aviemore station). The Strathspey preserved Railway follows the river Spey for part of its route and this is listed as the second largest river in Scotland in some references.
The Strathspey preserved Railway terminates at Broomhill station and across the river from there lies the eleventh century Castle Roy. The seventy two mile Speyside Way hiking trail follows the trackbed of the old Strathspey railway, which closed c 1965.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but if you have a non abusive comment or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
Q1. The Strathspey Railway (aka The Strathspey Preserved Railway)
Q2. Braeriach (aka Braigh Riabhach)
Very tricky indeed this week, the Eastender had to get a bit 'Operation Crossbow' and look for the shadows of viaduct arches on the satellite picture to find the spans mentioned in the puzzle text and was not aided in this task one bit by the Microsoft browser, which seems to use special fat electrons which cannot get down the cable as quickly as regular sub atomic particles and makes it all run a bit slow....but I digress, the initial clues appear to place us a tad north west of Loch Moy, on the Highland Mainline, at the wooden trestle bridge of Moy Aultnaslanach. It seems to be one of the few remaining wooden trestle bridges in existence in the UK, as the terrain there is apparently not suitable for the foundations of steel or masonry bridges. I found a few references that claim it was opened c 1897 by the Highland Railway.
Travelling south east down the line for about six miles or so would bring us to the village of Tomatin and this has two viaducts on its southern outskirts. These are the Tomatin viaduct and the Findhorn viaduct which were probably built by Murdoch Paterson (born c 1826), who was the chief engineer of the Highland Railway for a time. The Tomatin viaduct has nine stone arches and the Findhorn viaduct is a steel structure which sits atop some stone pillars. The river Findhorn is around sixty two miles in length, according to some of the sources I looked at. Carrying on further down the line brings us to the Slochd Summit, which is around four hundred metres or one thousand three hundred and fifteen feet above sea level and is where the Slochd viaduct is situated.
Fifteen minutes later into the journey would probably bring us to the town of Aviemore and this is one of the terminals of the nine and a half mile Strathspey preserved railway. The preserved railway lies entirely within the Cairngorm national park, an area not to be entered lightly by the unwary or inexperienced traveller. The peak referred to in the hints is most likely Braeriach as it is the right height and in the right location (1296 metres and about eight miles or so south east of Aviemore station). The Strathspey preserved Railway follows the river Spey for part of its route and this is listed as the second largest river in Scotland in some references.
The Strathspey preserved Railway terminates at Broomhill station and across the river from there lies the eleventh century Castle Roy. The seventy two mile Speyside Way hiking trail follows the trackbed of the old Strathspey railway, which closed c 1965.
N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but if you have a non abusive comment or quip relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.
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