Author Archives: Peter Ireland

The Llangollen Canal in 2011

One of the most remarkable canal trips in the UK is the Llangollen canal. First proposed in 1791, it takes you between England and Wales. The route includes the Pontcysyllte and Chirk Aqueducts and the 412m (1,381ft) Chirk tunnel. In May 2011, we rented a “narrowboat” for a week and cruised this canal. On theContinue reading “The Llangollen Canal in 2011”

Cruising the Norfolk Broads in 2009

The Norfolk Broads are wetlands in eastern England that are best accessed by boat. In May 2009, we rented a boat for a week long holiday. Such boats have a maximum speed of about three miles per hour, a brisk walking pace, and no special qualifications are required to skipper one. We chose a boatContinue reading “Cruising the Norfolk Broads in 2009”

Flashback: Update on the Kids (from Janet)

15 Sep 2005 Ni hao or hello to all, We realized after reading through the last update email (China update #3) that we hadn’t even mentioned how the kids were doing, as well as ourselves.  Now this might not read as nicely as the prior updates because Peter is a much better writer than myself.  But,Continue reading “Flashback: Update on the Kids (from Janet)”

Flashback: Beijing Blog #6

[This is the last Beijing blog. I can’t remember why we stopped after only four months of our twelve months there.] 6 Nov 2005 It seems appropriate to write our next Beijing update on a day when pollution levels outside are “level 5” (the highest is 5) – and you are recommended not to go outside!  Even though Beijing isContinue reading “Flashback: Beijing Blog #6”

Flashback: The Beijing Bike Blog

11 Sep 2005 Bi-de’s Beijing Bike Blog Having only ridden about 100 miles on my bike in Beijing – that is commuting to work about 5 times – I hardly have enough experience of bike-riding in Beijing to warrant a thesis.  But while my initial impressions are fresh, it might be worthy of a blog. Above all, I’d say it isContinue reading “Flashback: The Beijing Bike Blog”

Flashback: China Update #2, nearly 2 weeks

24 July 2005 Friends and family, We’ve been here nearly 2 weeks now.  I’m not sure how this reads, as we had a few responses saying that we sounded down.  Life is certainly up and down – but as many ups as downs, which is what I would expect in any new place.  So, considering weContinue reading “Flashback: China Update #2, nearly 2 weeks”

Flashback: Our First Five Days in Beijing

A recent note from an old blogging site about my posts from China in 2005 has prompted me to repost them. The blog was a convenient way to give updates to many. This was my first of six, sent shortly after we moved for what turned out to be about one year in Beijing, leavingContinue reading “Flashback: Our First Five Days in Beijing”

Big Bend National Park and More in 1999

This is the first of several posts that describe our multiple exciting adventures in West Texas. I start with our first trip in March 1999. Janet and I had been married for barely a year and Big Bend had caught our eye. We planned a combination of independent exploration and activities with outfitters. While itContinue reading “Big Bend National Park and More in 1999”

Belize with Coral Cay Conservation in April 1995

In my passion project of writing up adventurous activities from my past, the time that I spent in Belize has the fewest records and dimmest memories. I have ten photos, the logs of 27 dives between 3rd and 26th April, and a faded scar on my forearm (it wasn’t a shark!). It was still aContinue reading “Belize with Coral Cay Conservation in April 1995”

Irian Jaya (West Papua) in 1992

One of the great attractions of working in the Middle Eastern desert was the amount of time off. As well as short (2-3 week) breaks every few months, there was an extended time off after about a year. My first “long vacation” was October through December 1992, and I joined a Trekforce expedition to IrianContinue reading “Irian Jaya (West Papua) in 1992”

Exploring the Auyan Tepui in February 1991

Close to Venezuela’s border with Guyana and Brazil lie many table mountains called “tepuis” in the local indigenous language. They are remote, largely unexplored, and inspired Conan Doyle’s “The Lost World.” One of the largest is the Auyan Tepui, whose claim to fame is Angel Falls where water cascades  979m / 3212ft down a verticalContinue reading “Exploring the Auyan Tepui in February 1991”

Hiking the Sierra Nevada de Merida, Venezuela in 1991

After the completion of the Cambridge Columbus Botanical Survey expedition, Mark, James, and I headed to Merida in February 1991 for a backpacking trip in the Andes. Hilary Branch, who had written the No Frills Guide to Venezuela, recommended a hike from Merida to El Morro as it was quite straightforward, following the route ofContinue reading “Hiking the Sierra Nevada de Merida, Venezuela in 1991”

Cambridge Columbus Botanical Study Venezuela 1990

I participated in two amazing expeditions when I was a student. The first involved investigating the effects of oil pollution on the coral reefs in the Gulf of Suez in Egypt and is described by a separate post. This post describes the second expedition where a group of four traveled to Venezuela for a botanicalContinue reading “Cambridge Columbus Botanical Study Venezuela 1990”

Gulf of Suez Reef Survey 1989

This is another catch-up post, written in July 2022, to describe the first post-worthy adventure in my life. In July and August 1989, a team of six SCUBA divers, based at Cambridge University, set out to investigate the effects of oil pollution on the coral reefs of the Gulf of Suez. The results were presentedContinue reading “Gulf of Suez Reef Survey 1989”