Very fast adventure highlights, from the games perspective.
In both Ireland and the west country, near Glastonbury, I noticed that the ground was much more 'rippled' than we have been portraying on our tabletop battlefields.
Also that there are many many more hedges and deep lanes across fields and in the area than are typically portrayed on the maps.
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| the higher concentration of quartz stones in the gravel of the area also made lanes and unpaved roads look very bright white in the sunshine |
So this means I'll be looking to make more of the smaller hills and ridges for my terrain set.
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| stopped in to see Horse Guards changing of the guard |
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| had lunch at a cafe near HMS Belfast |
A little excursion and attempt to see more at Basing House ...
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| unfortunately the access was limited as there were no staff on the day we could get there - enroute to Glastonbury |
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| at Avebury we were able to see more of the white/yellow soil and tracks that contain much quartz materials |
Glastonbury also has the 'tor', which ought to factor more into control of the ground.
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| the tor as seen from a private property next to the national trust to the north of the mound ... look closely and you can see the fire poi dancer on April 30, 2025 just after sunset |
Then came a trip to FOUNDRY in Nottingham
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| the gateway at the Foundry works (expect another posting all about this visit) |
Followed by a trip to the Birmingham area and a game in person at a fellow wargamer.
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| play testing a set of rules first drafted in 2019 |
After a quick excursion into Wales, we - my bride and I, went to Paris.
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| one of our stops in Wales |
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| there was a twice yearly market happening during our visit to Paris and I managed to find some amazing DelPrado Napoleonic miniatures |
From the market we did the trip to the Armee Museum and Les Invalides and the dome.
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| yes that is the hat and sword of who you think it is |
There will be a number of postings to come from this visit that culminated under the dome.
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| in person the tomb is most impressive |
A bit more touring and walking about in Paris, then a return trip series via London and Ulster.
We then did a day trip to Londonderry/Derry
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| Canada making an appearance in the replacement stained glass in the guild hall in Derry |
Finished off at 'the Giant's Causeway'
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| another international trust site |
Part of the reason why Northern Ireland is less capable farmland is that it sits on basaltic rock that was scraped clean during the glacial period ... thus the reason why there were various pushes south on Ireland - they were seeking farmland.
There will be more detailed follow-up postings from the various locations and more details regarding games focus (yes we did other stuff, thus the large gaps and only short stops at the game focus ones)
Les Invalides is going to have many postings I suspect.
In the meantime I have a return to firefighter/first responder duties and a looming housing issue...
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| mural on the wall at Pompier de Paris station 7 |
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6 comments:
Wow! You certainly got around on your trip. Makes sense if you are coming across the ocean.
One comment on the field boundaries/hedgerows in England. I don't know if you're planning on modelling any and if so what period you are planning to do. Hedgerows were not necessarily there or as numerous before Enclosures (2-300 years ago).
so the ECW period would have had fewer hedges?
The many ridge lines and little hills would still be there ...
Great trip! Look forward to more posts about it. Actually the Great Enclosures of the 18-19th century mostly affected a large swathe of England down the middle - the other areas had often been enclosed for centuries with very ancient hedge systems. The best account is still:
Oliver Rackham. “The History of the Countryside”. (1986. Dent and Sons, London).
Note that very many ECW battles took place on open heaths and commons - that was because the landscape around was so heavily hedged even then! And hedges featured prominently in a fair number of ECW battles too... :-) (A long-unfulfilled wish is to document the relationship of ECW battles properly to the landscape - some battles have been studied in that light already...)
Not sure if my comment survived as it disappeared very oddly and quickly; so here it is pretty much the same again:
Great holiday! I look forward to more reports as it sounds as if you saw a great deal of interest.
Actually really only the middle swathe of England was largely enclosed in the Great Enclosures of the 18-19th century; much of the rest had been enclosed often for centuries before that and some probably for a 1000 years or more. The best account is still:
Oliver Rackham. “The History of the Countryside” (1986 Dent and Sons, London). (There is also a heavily cut down but beautifully illustrated version.)
Many ECW battles took place on heaths and commons as the landscape about was so heavily hedged. And hedges were significant features in a number of ECW battles too. I would love to document the effect of landscape on all ECW battles; some battles have been well studied in that respect already but far from all. :-)
Thank you David!
I have a moderation put on comments, a few years ago I was getting dozens of strange comments and so needed to put on the moderation.
Yes, there are many more posts in the works, just need some time to process other things (two weeks away put me behind on some things).
What a great excursion Murdock. I look forward to your follow up blog entries.
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