SteveTanham – writing, mysticism, photography, poetry, friends

Category: Travel

I’d never been to Brixham. Years ago, I stayed in Torquay for a night and noticed there was a ferry service between the two towns. At the time, I knew little about the nautical history of this ‘place at the end of Torbay’, and I had to be on the train back to London for an important meeting before lunchtime. But it went in … Read More Devon Drive (2) – Brixham in three photos

December 4, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, Photographic techniques, Photography, Silent Eye School, Travel, Travel and people

Devon Drive (1)

by Steve Tanham

From the ages of two to fourteen, I lived in a small village called Ainsworth, halfway between Bolton and Bury, in old Lancashire. The streets in the new estate were named after places in Devon. The main trunk avenue, where our home was, was Devon Drive; others included Kingsbridge Avenue and Salcombe Avenue. I’d never been to Devon, and these sounded exotic. It was … Read More Devon Drive (1)

November 15, 2022 + #Silenti, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography, Silent Eye School, Travel, Travel and Photography

Orkney’s hidden jewel – the Stromness Museum

by Steve Tanham

My iPad, on which I do most of my writing, these days, threw up a random picture of a marine clock the other day. I recognised it as dating to when we made our first visit to Orkney in 2018, staying in the busy port of Stromness. Stromness has an excellent local history museum. An entire room is concerned with the town’s links to … Read More Orkney’s hidden jewel – the Stromness Museum

August 9, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, landscapes, Photography, Silent Eye School, Travel, Travel and Photography

A Hebridean Diary (6-end) Great Bernera

by Steve Tanham

Our two-week trip, ending in the Hebridean Island of Lewis, was coming to an end. The following morning, we would be on a ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool, then a fast route directly to Inverness, where we could pick up the main A9 to Perth, stopping in a travel motel, before setting off early for Cumbria and home. We decided to spend our last … Read More A Hebridean Diary (6-end) Great Bernera

July 28, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, landscapes, Photography, Silent Eye School, Travel, Travel and Photography

A Hebridean Diary (5) When power is unchecked

by Steve Tanham

From the road that curls around the small hills on the way to the beach at Reef, in the Uig district of Bhaltos, it looks like a large cairn. The second time we drove by we saw the noticeboard and stopped to take a closer look. We climbed up the path to find a beautiful and touching monument on the hilltop, whose design was … Read More A Hebridean Diary (5) When power is unchecked

July 26, 2022 + #Silenti, Photographic techniques, Photography, Silent Eye School, Travel

A photo tour of the RSC (1) Treading the Boards

by Steve Tanham

“You might wonder,” said our guide. “Why the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) would spend £112 million on a completely new interior for its world-famous theatre, only to leave in place these scruffy wooden boards… Looking at me, he continued: “Do you realise, Sir, you are treading the same boards that creaked beneath the stage shoes of Lawrence Olivier, Richard Burton David Tenant and Dame … Read More A photo tour of the RSC (1) Treading the Boards

July 21, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, landscapes, Photography, Silent Eye School, Travel, Travel and Photography

A Hebridean Diary (4) The Drowned Lands

by Steve Tanham

We had wondered about the real nature of this landscape. On this our third day on the Hebridean Island of Lewis, we paid a long-anticipated visit to Callanish, the place of the famous stones – though the main site is not a stone circle. There, I came across a sign that perfectly described the rather barren landscape all around us. The sign read: Welcome … Read More A Hebridean Diary (4) The Drowned Lands

July 12, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, landscapes, Photography, Silent Eye School, Travel, Travel and Photography

A Hebridean Diary (3) Of Coats and Kings

by Steve Tanham

We had gone to bed early – exhausted by the journey from Poolewe to Uig. What felt like a full night later, I woke, refreshed, to find the sun streaming through the bedroom curtains… Not a sight we were used to on this trip. I smiled. It’s always nice when something really special ‘just happens’ on your birthday. Ahead of me was a day … Read More A Hebridean Diary (3) Of Coats and Kings

July 5, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, landscapes, Photography, Silent Eye School, Travel, Travel and Photography

A Hebridean Diary (2) Long road to Uig

by Steve Tanham

The day was already old by the time the ferry from Ullapool had docked at Stornaway. We had been warned that shops were few and far between on the Hebridean island of Lewis and advised to take advantage of the supermarkets in the capital. The no-sunday trading laws imposed by the ‘Wee Free’ Presbyterian church were in force across the island, and we were … Read More A Hebridean Diary (2) Long road to Uig

June 28, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, landscapes, Photography, Travel, Travel and Photography

A Hebridean Diary (1) Impressions of Lewis

by Steve Tanham

Although it was a continuation of the same trip, it would be misleading to continue with the ‘Poolewe Diaries’ as a title. The sailing from Ullapool to the Hebridean main island of Lewis marked the second week of the Scottish adventure, so a change of title is appropriate… Arriving on the island of Lewis, you get a strong sense of the remoteness of the … Read More A Hebridean Diary (1) Impressions of Lewis

June 21, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, landscapes, Photography, Travel, Travel and Photography

A Poolewe diary (5) : over the Minch to Lewis

by Steve Tanham

Continued from Part Four…. See index below. We’re in Ullapool. Waiting to board the ferry to the Outer Hebrides – the island of Lewis, to be precise. Our first week in the far north-west of Scotland is over. We’ve marvelled at some of the most dramatic scenery we’ve ever seen. My iPhone has struggled to cope with the sheer scale of this land. It’s … Read More A Poolewe diary (5) : over the Minch to Lewis

August 17, 2021 + #Silenti, landscapes, Travel

Return to Rhosneigr

by Steve Tanham

We recently spent a few days on the island of Anglesey, just off the north-west coast of Wales. On the agenda was a personal return to Rhosneigr, an attractive village on the island’s south coast. Rhosneigr’s heyday was in the Edwardian era when it was a highly fashionable holiday destination. Today, it is still a popular resort that has retained its charm and outstanding … Read More Return to Rhosneigr