Ochsenkopf and Stanser Joch Hike&Fly

Alastair BegleyAustria, Paragliding Short Link

Originally I had other plans for today, but the forecast was just too great in the alps for those plans, so I ended up heading to the Stanser Joch near the Achensee for a hike and fly. I had the expectation of wonderful views to the south and the main alpine ridge and to the north over the Achensee. I decided to walk to up the Weißenbachtal to get to the summit, as I thought this might provide more varied routes than the other option which follows the eastern ridge. I am very glad I chose this as it meant that I made a detour to the Ochsenkopf, which was the highlight of the walk. The walk up the Weißenbachtal was up easy forest track to the Weißenbachsattel, which was also surprisingly windy at times given the forecast for almost nil wind up to quite a high altitude. From the Weißenbachsattel the forest track turned into single track, which was partly covered by snow at times depending on the aspect. From here the ascent became steeper and my lack of fitness was really showing, especially where the snow became deeper,. Read the full article…

St Lukas Church at Night

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Landscape Short Link

Despite having been in Munich for over five years, I had still not found a good venue to use the river for evening photography. On our way back from Alter Peter we decided to take a detour to the river and see what we could find. I was very pleased to find this image if St Lukas Church, which reflects perfectly in the river, even with some lights to provide a nice starburst effect. I will definitely head back here at some point for blue hour, as I think this could be a very pleasing photo with some more light in the sky.

Alter Peter/St Peter’s Tower Blue Hour

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Landscape Short Link

For a few years now I have been intending on heading up Alter Peter in the autumn when the sunset is still while the tower is open. The sunset itself was pretty disappointing today, however the blue hour was pretty stunning despite the cloud, I will definitely try and head back before the winter is over for another go. Getting the photos was challenging, but with good photography technique, combined with IBIS, I was able to keep the ISO pretty low and still get some great shots of the Rathaus and the Dom.

Autumnal Munich

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Landscape, Wildlife Short Link

I had a friend visiting for a few days, and our sunset objective for the first day was in the centre of Munich, so we spent the days walking back to Munich from Unterföhring, via the Isar and Englischer Garten. Despite having missed the best autumnal colours, the trees were still beautiful and we were able to enjoy the brilliant conditions while also seeing some beautiful wildlife including Buzzards and a Kingfisher (I think…).

Teufelstättkopf

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Walking Short Link

With a good forecast we headed to the Teufelstättkopf which is above Unterammergau in the Allgäuer Alpen. Most of the group decided to take the train, but due to some chaos with Munich public transport, we drove there and met the group in the car park. The ascent was pretty fast as it was mostly on very good single track which was fairly steep, which meant that despite the pace not feeling that fast, that we still made quick progress on the ascent. There was a wonderful mix of autumnal colours contrasting with the evergreen trees in the woods, with ever improving views as we climbed up. With a really wonderful view in every direction from the summit. A short descent then took us to a hütte, where we enjoyed a drink and some food before making the easy descent down Forststraße back to the car.

Algodonales Paragliding

Alastair BegleyParagliding, Spain Short Link

With a rather last minute decision I decided to join some friends in Algodonales for 10 days of paragliding, while working “from home” in the mornings. I had a great 10 days, especially given that I didn’t need to take any holiday, but it is safe to say that I did not manage as much flying as I had hoped for. The flying there was really enjoyable with a mix of flatland flying and mountain flying, the vultures were particularly beautiful. I did not find it the best place to be flying with a lightweight glider, however it wasn’t too bad if you were careful. One day was very disappointing as the aim was to fly to the coast, which would have been spectacular, however 3 of our group, including me, bombed out just before we crossed the mountain range which would then have taken us to the coast. Over the trip I spent about 10 hours in the air, most of which were attempting to fly xc, in often sub ideal conditions, so it was great practice to keep me current for my next trip to South Africa.

Kleine Cirspitze Klettersteig

Alastair BegleyItaly, Via Ferrata Short Link

Due to both feeling a bit drained we were after a short day, so headed up to the Gardena Pass to do the Kleine Cirzpitze Klettersteig. We started the day off by enjoying some coffee and cake by the car park, while I tried to summon motivation to head out, which thankfully I managed to. The walk in was very short, but with wonderful views, as one would expect for the Dolomites. We were late enough starting that most of the route was pretty quiet, until we caught up with one very slow team. Thankfully eventually they let us past and we made good time up to the summit. We enjoyed lunch just below the summit on an outcrop of rock and admired the view, before making the quick descent back down. The route was as expected, an enjoyable way to spend a few hours, but nothing to write home about compared to some of the longer and more remote routes in the area, but it fitted exactly what we needed for the day. On the way back down we stopped for a drink, and perhaps some more cake, I. Read the full article…

Sellajoch Landscapes

Alastair BegleyItaly, Landscape Short Link

After having a wonderful flight in the Dolomites, we were lucky enough to get a place at one of the official places to camp in a camper van at the top of the Sella Pass. It is quite expensive at 25 euros overnight, and other 25 euros for the next day, however the location is pretty special. After we had enjoyed food, had a shower and chilled out with some wine, we opened the door and were treated to a very special view of the Langkofel at night with the Milky Way above. The night photo below was taken literally from outside the van door. This set the scene for the next morning, as at this point I definitely had to get up for sunrise, despite the fact that my body was screaming for a lie in. The night came and went with some pretty poor sleep due to a combination of the altitude and the noise from very early of cars driving to the building site. I reluctantly climbed out of bed and made my way out into the cold morning air. I am very glad I did as. Read the full article…