Freelance Photographer & Videographer working in the utilities and construction industries. When not using a drone to document housing and infrastructure schemes I like to make short films with an appreciation of the natural world.
Lovely video thanks Andy. Do you know if the Avoncliff weir is still passable? I read online about one of the local residents being a bit……difficult? I’ve just started paddling and rowed from BOA to the weir today but wasn’t sure what the deal was so I turned back.
I haven't paddled the Avon in a while... BUT the river has to be at a fairly low level making the weir passable. YES, there are some issues with a certain resident being very ‘difficult’, in fact he commented on this video and made a nuisance of himself. In the end the police were involved as he accused me of killing a swan (yes really). It's possible, but be aware it CAN be troublesome. There is a portage path on the left before the weir. Its a steep path and very windy and you wouldn't want to be carrying a large canoe either as the switchbacks are tight.
Hi Andy, First off, I want to commend you on the beautiful footage and editing in this video. However, I feel compelled to address your comments condemning chicken farmers. This seems to conflict with the otherwise peaceful and tranquil nature of your video. While I do not condone pollution in any form, it's disappointing to see all chicken farmers condemned in a public comment, especially when many likely share your environmental views. No one wants to be judged by the poorest examples of their profession, and many farmers go to great lengths to benefit the environment. In a previous comment, you mentioned that "it will take a concerted effort" to address these issues. I think this is a valid point, and mutual support and constructive feedback are much more beneficial than broad criticism. With regard to wild camping, with social media and local groups, it's easy to contact local farmers. Many are open to discussions, especially if approached respectfully. Responsible wild camping causes very little damage, but there are often unseen risks or reasons a landowner might request no camping or an alternative camp site, such as livestock or safety concerns. Overall, I am not condemning you but ask that in the future, you consider how comments seen by over 9,000 viewers might negatively impact those striving to make a positive difference. Thank you for understanding.
Thanks for watching Samuel. I watched a documentary on how polluted the river Wye was shortly before I went on this trip and it kind of fired me up so I was a bit ‘antsy’ about pollution issues from the start. The Wye is basically dead in some places (according to the documentary). This is due to phosphates being discharged into the river apparently. I didn’t wish to condemn all farmers, far from it, I eat chicken myself, so therefore I am part of the problem am I not? It would be somewhat hypocritical of me to moan about the waste from chicken farms and then chow down on some barbecued chicken wings wouldn’t it? Farmers are coming in for a lot of criticism lately and believe me as a carnivore I am one to fight their corner . I am FULLY behind their fight to remain viable and resist the pressure from Govs and the World Economic Forum to basically ‘see them off’ But that’s a subject for another conversation. Believe me, it’s happening and most of our docile and complacent population know nothing about it. I could go on. I love the countryside, I feel I belong to it, I was brought up in the West Country, I NEVER litter or foul it in any way. So a night in some concealed spot on the river bank is a joyful experience to me and like the photo in the video said: ‘leave no trace’. No-one would know we’d been there. Again, wild camping is a contentious and hot topic, I’m not even going to try to address the subject of trespass and tort. It goes back centuries and it’s way too big a subject for me here. The land once belonged to everyone, until the commons was stolen from the people. I’m rambling a bit, but thanks for stopping by, farmers are an important part of our country and long may they remain so, after all: NO FARMERS, NO FOOD! I don’t want to be forced to eat insects and lab grown fake meat (the agenda pushed by the WEF as mentioned above). May be a subject for you to dive into, there’s lots of info out there.
Thanks for your reply Andy. I am a bit 'ansty' about the opinions of farmers so I'm guilty of the same thing 😅. Really appreciate your well informed response. I'm relieved your comment doesn't reflect your overall opinion. I hope you continue to enjoy your trips and make your great content. All the best 👍
Looks like a great stove Andy with the mods that is. How is it going with it? Have you used it much? A thought regarding wood burning. That might be the case a rotting tree vs burning the wood - I mean exact same carbon release but the thing is more trees are planted so that more wood can be burned. I find that confusing. Well, all the best old mate. Mark
How do Mark? good to hear from you. I used the stove a lot when I bought it, but not so much now that the weather's warmed up. I intend to install it in an outside shed/summerhouse at some point so that I can cook on it under cover - that's the idea. It's WAY too heavy & bulky to take camping, so it's a home based bit of kit. I get all my wood from a local wood which is byproduct of clearing operations and woodland management, it's mainly small diameter branches, ash mainly. Ash burns lovely, although a bit quick! Not sure about more trees being planted for fuel? but I guess wood has to come from somewhere. If you look around there's always wood to be gathered if you can be bothered to look and be prepared to do the hard work. In these days of exorbitant leccy and gas prices it's a great way to keep warm. Until they try and ban it, under the guise of a public health issue (heard that one before at all)? Hope all's well over there.
@@MrAndyballard I'm alright Andy thanks apart from my persistent injury. Good to hear of the stove - all the best on its relocation. I agree with the gathering. There is wood everywhere and yes if you can use it to bring bills down then all well and good. Yeah, new rules may well appear-the law makers like them. Have a great day.
By the way if you want a little scavenger hunt there used to be a huge tree that has fallen half way down one of the cliffs but if you find it , it would be something cool to talk about in the future videos on the wye
We used to start where you’ve started now but there weee complaints about us taking too long and ruining the grass but hope you can still be able to launch from there 😅
By the scout hut? I'd heard that some killjoy fascist was making noises about people launching there but have yet to see or hear it. What's the matter with people?
Well , that’s my appetite encouraged, great video Andy. On the river Yeo next Wednesday with the Kayak before the weed takes over , water looks high atm , so does the weather 😊 Cheers
Awesome! Will be doing from preston campsite to hereford in march as were camping there and the full trip you did in august. Do your canoes have a rib on the bottom or are they flat?
@@BillyGoatScruff1000 if you check out one of my other Wye trips here on my channel, I did get tipped in a rib bottomed boat. They are unpredictable in strong currents and that's why I tipped. I got quite a ducking. This one: "River Wye canoe trip, wild camping, 4 day paddle from Glasbury to Hereford"
@@MrAndyballard Hiya Andy, yeah it has a rib unfortunately. We are doing from preston campsite to hereford in may with the ribbed one, hope its a bit more forgiving than upstream, but for the 3 day one in august we will probably look at selling it for a flat bottom canoe. Thanks Ill check that one out too! :D
I really appreciate your effort. I do. My background is in audio. It only took a few seconds to notice something is off. Video and audio don't match. Audio was probably recorded someplace else with the cawing edited in to blur the fact. But even if this was recorded on site, your editing destroyed the authenticity. You're a video guy who likes editing a lot and having different camera angles, slo-mo, etc. Please stick to synced audio/multi-cam editing instead of fake dubbing. I nevertheless liked the video.👍
Nice vid.I'm thinking of putting one of these in my allotment shed with the flashing kit to provide some heat in the Winter. Have you done this yet and if so, what size hole did you cut in the roof?
I haven't yet, but I've bought the flashing kit, I think it was called a Decktite kit. I have actually done another review of the Outbacker Oven stove which I bought after this one. Have a look at that on my channel. I would have bought that first if I could have at the time as it's a much better stove (with internal oven).
Thanks for watching Paul, I'm not sure what the etiquette is for leaving contact details in the comments section on YT. I have a website: forestphotographics with my details, you're welcome to check me out on that. It's a co.uk address.
Beautiful ancient European instrument often misattributed to Australian aboriginal (then again so is the spear thrower, and many other things - yet the oldest extant examples are almost always from Germany or Poland (i.e. formerly Prussia).
Well, I didn't know that, thanks for informing me. Perhaps the earliest inhabitants of Australia had it as well at the same time - after all, Aus was so separated from the rest of the world for thousands of years.
I believe that what causes the bullroarer to make its sound is a phenomenon known as flutter. Flutter happens when an airfoil travels so fast through the air that the airflow around it becomes turbulent, causing the airfoil to vibrate. Flutter is good for a bullroarer; but it's VERY BAD for an aircraft. Flutter is why all modern airplanes have an "Overspeed" warning alarm. For obvious reasons, flutter will damage an aircraft's wings.
An easy experiment of this is taking a kids ruler or paint stirring stick and sling it like a Frisbee 😆. It might take some practice but it makes the same flutter. Much love homies!
A great idea. It's a great feeling being self sufficient, even in a small way. And like you say, it's enjoyable sourcing your own wood. Thanks for sharing, great inspiration. Steve.
I guess it is being self sufficient in a small way, but it feels good knowing that you're able to cook something say if the grid went down (which it seems is happening a whole lot more these days) cheers Steve
ah... you're right I didn't say. I cooked it for about an hour and a half - exactly the same amount of time that you'd give it in a conventional kitchen oven.
Потрясающие снимки , я в восторге. Не знаю почему у нас в России этот объектив все хаят, мол отстойный объектив. Видимо дело то вовсе не в объективе а в том кто им управляет. Как теперь вижу, что именно фотограф делает эту красоту . Спасибо за предоставленный материал. С большим уважением к вам из России.
Thanks for stopping by. It's a great lens as you can see, very affordable too. Not everyone can afford a L series lens, especially on a budget. Of course you get out of what you put into your photography, I learnt a lot while using this lens and I'm still using it today. I use it for both videography and stills photography. It cheers me to get a comment from Russia as our media make out that every Russian is bad. What utter, manipulative BS. Greetings from England, UK.
Here as part of my planning for a similar trip with the kids. Trying for the least busy route, but there’s not much of that available in the UK. Very useful, well edited video, and good info in the comments. Thanks for the time and effort.
Thanks for watching Ben. There are some lovely ‘less busy’ spots on the Wye still. I think I'd say that the most important part in planning, is WHEN you go. I've gone on the river on a sunny May/June weekend and not surprisingly you'll find it packed with every sort of paddler - private AND hire craft. I've set off on a Monday morning, and I've had the whole river to myself not even seeing one other paddler in hours. So timing IS everything. It's also entirely possible to wild camp in some very quiet and isolated spots, you just have to be very discerning about where you choose to have a night on the river bank. Good luck.
Thanks Murray, yes, a few times this last summer altho not as much as I would have liked to be out n about. I layed off IG as I was feeling that it was a pointless exercise, I find the whole social media world a bit false at times. Merry Christmas to you & yours!
A really good video reel there Andy. Hope it brings some business your way. You just popped into my mind - I wonder how your year has been. Well, have a great end to this one. Mark
G'day Mark, good to hear from you. This was a round up of the aerial work that I've doing over the last year or so, hopefully to showcase my work to future clients (and to put on my website). I'm no longer on IG, taking a break. I'll bang you off an email, I think I've still got your address.
@@MrAndyballard A decent round up Andy. I had sent a reply but it's gone so this is another. I wish you the best with future clients. I'm not on IG either - they cut me off. I made a beautiful comment and supposedly broke rules. I'm gob smacked. Well, take care.
Hi Andy, I love your paddling videos, but this one is full of poetry and beauty too. For example, the flight over the workers pouring concrete! David PT
very kind of you to say David. Thi is my day job... I try and inject some beauty into the mundane when I'm on site as well as when I'm on the river. Thanks for noticing.
Hi friend, I am from Bangladesh. I was in great hesitation taking the lens for wildlife and macro photography with my Canon EOS R10 using canon EF-RF adapter . But now you inspire me a lot. I think you are a magician of the photography. Watching your you-tubes different photos and videos I determined to take one. Furthermore I want a assurance, will it serve my purpose before buying? After your assurance I must buy 55-250. Please help me with your real positive description. I will be happy if you provide with me some tips for wildlife and macro photography with the lens.
Thanks for your comment my friend, it’s always nice to get a positive comment. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this lens to anyone for wildlife photography as it’s very affordable. It’s not the longest lens but will serve you if you can get quite close to your subject. I don’t do any macro photography with this lens, it’s not for that purpose, but for birds and wildlife it’s great. I’d say just read a lot of ‘how to’ books and hone your skills by taking lts of images. You will get there in the end!
That's good to hear, thanks for watching. It's worth the trip, try to go in teh less touristy months (spring & autumn) - middle Wye is the best stretch (IMO)
Loved the comment highlighting the effect of animal agriculture on beautiful wild spaces. Best way to combat the effects is dont eat chicken or eggs👍. Great video, so beautiful, like being there.
Some stretches of the river were so green with algae it was like paddling through pea soup. Other stretches were relatively clear. Some chicken framers are trying to make a difference reducing their run off with ‘borders’ or ‘corridors’ adjacent to their farms. It's going to take a concerted effort to clean up this river. Thanks for watching.