Derby Arboretum on BBC's The Secret History of the British Garden.

Last week Derby Arboretum was featured on BBC's The Secret History of the British Garden. If you missed it don't worry as you can watch it again for free for the next 4 weeks.

Monty Don looks at the evolution of the British garden. He explores the extraordinary transformations that occurred throughout the 19th century

Here is a screen grab from the program (use the weblink below image to watch the program):

Screen grab - Monty Don on his way to Derby Arboretum.

Watch this program on the BBC iPlayer :
Derby Arboretum on BBC's The Secret History of the British Garden.

Fast forward to 46:18 to see Derby Arboretum in this show, to fast forward simply drag the play position to about 46 minutes and let go.

Thanks
Andy

My Derby Friargate Line Route map. (GNR Derbyshire and Staffordshire Extension.) - Update.

As you may have recently heard on BBC Radio Derby and in the Derby Telelgraph we (Friends of Friar Gate Bridge) are hoping to get Friar Gate Bridge Restored. See our new website : www.friargatebridge.co.uk
I am a Trustee of this group and seeing as this news is going renew peoples interest in the former Friargate line I have been working on my map a lot recently. Over the last 7 years I have been updating an online map showing the complete and accurate route of the former GNR line through Friar Gate. Over the last few days I have been updating it using the latest Google Streetviews etc. Also adding my own 360 Photo Spheres to the map for locations where you can't normally see.
For example :

Kingsway Tunnel Parapet view : https://goo.gl/maps/Am6YXCevaaM2
Kingsway Tunnel entrance view : https://goo.gl/maps/Ck1PNDDtDQr

Large sections of the route have been or are being, converted to cycle paths and walkways and adopted by Sustrans.

The GNR Derbyshire and Staffordshire Extension route or Derby Friar Gate Line as its often referred to locally was a "back line"that opened in 1878 and ran from Nottingham through Derby (over Friar Gate Bridge) and to Egginton where it joined the North Staffordshire Railway. This line closed in 1964.

On my map I have traced the entire original route of the Friar Gate Line from its junction at Egginton all the way to Nottingham. Along the way I have marked on the locations of the all the GNR railway stations that served the Friar Gate line.

The GNR Friar Gate Line Serving stations.
Egginton Junction, Etwall Railway Station, Mickleover Railway Station, Derby Friar Gate Railway Station, Awsworth Railway Station, West Hallam Railway Station, Kimberley East Railway Station, Daybrook Railway Station, Basford North Railway Station, Gedling Railway Station and Netherfield Railway Station.
I have also marked the tunnels at Mapperley, Mickleover and Morley.

Using the Satellite mapping function in Google Maps you can clearly see certain sections of the line.
I have also used Google Streetview in many locations along the route to identify road bridges and paths. Sometimes even though the railway line has gone, the bridge over it remains in place.
Some of the markers I have placed in my map have small photographs in them, or even links to fullscreen 360 degree photographs so you can have a good look around.

I have put a lot of time and effort into making sure my route path and markers are correctly positioned but in some areas such as Daybrook I may be off slightly, please let me know if this is the case. In those areas where there was no clear route using the Satellite map I had to guess by using bridges and stations either side for reference combined with some old maps of the route.

I hope you find my Friar Gate Line Route map of interest, perhaps you will learn something from it that you did not know before.

My Map :
Click here or...

The Derby Friargate Line Route map. (GNR Derbyshire and Staffordshire Extension.)

I have provided several quick links that will allow you to zoom in on stations etc. Simply use your mouse to drag the map around to follow the original route of the railway lines (marked with a blue line).

Some of the books I used for reference :
Friargate Line: Derby and the Great Northern Railway

Lost Railways of Derbyshire

Lost Railways of Nottinghamshire


Thanks
Andy

My video of the Saurus Procession by Close-Act at Derby Festé 2015. Friday night

The Saurus Procession by Close-Act at Derby Festé 2015.

As well as my live video broadcasts on Friday night on Periscope I also took video of the parade.
It started off on St Peters Churchyard and then onto St Peters Street, then down onto Victoria Street, the Strand, Sadler Gate and onto Derby Market Place.

Here is my video :


More info about them on their website :
www.closeact.com

Hope you enjoyed it.
Andy

Virgin Media Broadband speed problems in Derby - "Area 20" Should be 50Mbps but actually getting 2Mbps. Soon to be fixed?

Are YOU a Virgin Media Broadband customer in "Area 20", this includes Derby, are you getting very poor speeds in the evening?

I've noticed this for several weeks now, once you get into the evening I find that my NowTv box starts having trouble playing without buffering and that I can no longer watch YouTube or iPlayer on my Windows 10 PC or on my iPhone6.

Running a speedtest on the connection clearly shows that my 50Mbps Broadband service is only giving me between 1Mbps to 2Mbps which is not fast enough for anything other than very basic web browsing.The upload speed remains as it should be around 3Mpbs.

Here is my download speed in the evening. As you can see its 50 times slower than it should be...

Here is the final result of the download and upload test, My upload speed is as it should be.

Try your broadband connection here :
www.speedtest.net
Simply click on the Begin Test button.

If you have a Virgin Media 50M service then you should normally get around 52MBps download result when you run the test. The upload speed would normally be around the 3Mbps area.

Here is the very same test on my connection but done in the morning, as you can see its all perfect :

I had been putting up with it and not got around to phoning them about it but decided enough was enough, Apparently there is an high utilization area issue and the equipment is being upgraded right now and will go live on Wednesday 23rd September 2015.
They offered me two months of free broadband in return for my poor service so worth giving them a ring.

So lets see what happens on  Wednesday 23rd September !
Fingers crossed.

Are you in Area 20 and having the same problems as me? if so leave a comment on this post.

Thanks
Andy

The Flower Pot Pub, Derby "Potfest 2015" Beer and Cider Festival. August 27th to 31st. 40+ Real Ales and ciders. "Coast to coast"

There is a Beer and Cider festival this weekend (The August Bank Holiday weekend) at The Flower Pot pub in Derby. It starts this evening Thursday 22nd and runs through to Sunday 25th August 2015.
Having been to this beer festival a few times I can recommend it for all the free live entertainment alone!
The theme this year is Coast to Coast: "It's based on the famous walking route from Cumbria to North Yorkshire and all the breweries that may be found (loosely, with small detours!) along that route. There will be over 40 real ales and 10 traditional ciders to choose from,"

Entertainment :
Thursday 9pm - Steel Threads
Video of Steel Threads.

Friday 9pm - The band from County Hell
Video of The band from County hell.

Saturday 4pm - Harriet
Video of Harriet.

Saturday 9pm - The silicone Taxis
Video of the Silicone Taxis.

Sunday 4pm - Blackwater
Blackwater's Facebook page.

Sunday 9pm - Rock Buffet
Rock Buffet Facebook page.

Monday 3pm - Mop up with Moonshine

Monday 8pm Flowerpot unplugged.

If you are coming into Derby to try this Beer Festival then why not stop at the Jurys Inn Hotel as its just across the road from the Flower Pot pub.

The Flower Pot pub is located on King Street (A6) very near the Jurys Inn Hotel.
You can see The Flower Pot in this Google Streetview.

Hope you found this of interest.
Thanks

Andy

Corel Paint Shop Pro on Windows 10. Version X3 does not work, time to upgrade.

Seeing as Microsoft Windows 10 has been offered free to everyone it made sense to install it. Everything seemed to still be working ok until I ran Paint Shop Pro X3. The mouse pointer changed to a blue "busy" circle for a few seconds and then nothing happened. I tried it again and the same thing happened.

Paint Shop Pro X3 just does this when you try and run it under Windows 10 :

I then tried altering the settings so it ran it as Windows7 compatibility mode and the same problem.

Looking online I found that the x3 was not compatible so the time had come to upgrade. Thankfully Amazon have the very latest version of Paint Shop Pro and it was listed as compatible with Windows 8.1 but didn't mention Windows 10 but thankfully someone had asked the question if it worked on version 10 and it did.

When I bought PSP X7 it cost £39.95 but I notice now its only £33.99 !
By the way Corel® PaintShop® Pro X8 came out on 19 August 2015 So it may come down in price even more as they will want you to get the X8 version, if you just want to get up and running with Windows 10 then go for the X7 version. See Amazon links below for latest prices...

The version you need is : Paint Shop Pro X7, there are two versions available the Ultimate and the standard version :

The new version X8 came out on 19th August:



When you install the software you have two icons, one for 32bit and one for 64bit.
Here is the splash screen on my version of Paint Shop Pro X7 running on Windows 7 64Bit.

My Paint Shop Pro X7 running on Windows 10 64bit.

If you already have a non functioning older version of Paint Shop Pro on your Windows 10 PC then you need to uninstall it first.

In Windows 10 goto the Start Button, Click Settings, click on the System icon "Display, notifications, App, power", then Apps & features then scroll down to Corel PaintShop Pro X3, click it and am uninstall button will appear like this  :

Click that and it will then start the uninstall process which rather bizarrely looks like the Install process :

Once its removed you can install PSP X7.

Once installed you can update the software so it supports the latest cameras by downloading the latest service patch. At the moment of writing the latest one came out in May:

Paint Shop Pro Update Patches.



I have been using version X7 for a week now and it seems pretty stable on Windows 10 64 bit.
Hope this helps you get your editing situation back up and running.

Thanks

Andy

The Periscope App on iPhone (Broadcast live video and sound to the world for free). You must try this, its amazing.

Did you watch my live video broadcast of this weekends Derby Carnival on Periscope?
111 people around the world did.

Follow me on Periscope/Twitter for more Derby live video broadcasts !

My live broadcast of Derby's Carnival on Saturday.

If you have never heard of Periscope then here is my review of it to see if its for you.

Periscope is a free live video broadcasting app for your Smartphone. It allows you to transmit live video and sound to the world.
People find your broadcasts either via Twitter if they follow you or via the app itself.

People viewing your live video can communicate with YOU via a chat field. you type in your short message and it pops up on the video screen. It fades away after a few seconds and
gets pushed up the screen by other peoples messages. Everyone viewing the video can see everyone elses messages.
Each persons messages are in a different colour.
You can also send your appreciation to the broadcaster by tapping on the screen, this will send Hearts floating up the screen.
On popular feeds the hearts fly up the screen like a "love firework" LOL!

How to use the Periscope app (ios version):

As a viewer :
Once you have installed it and signed in with your Twitter account you are ready to go.
Click on the World icon and then the Map button at the top and it will show you a map of the world with red dots on it showing you all the current live broadcasts.

If it has a number in the red circle, this means there are several broadcasts in that location, zoom in to see more accurate locations.
To view a broadcast simply tap on one of the dots, it will show you details at the bottom of the broadcast. Tap on it to start viewing it.

Within a few seconds it will go to fullscreen and say "Loading" with the background being a blurred view of the original view of the broadcast. The live footage will
normally start within 3 seconds. If the person has a good signal the quality of the video is amazing.

Once on this screen you can now type a message to the broadcaster.Tap the screen to send hearts.
Swipe the screen to the left and it will show you a real-time map location for the person doing the broadcast.

In this section you can also tap
"hide chat" to stop all the messages scrolling up if you just want to see the video. If you swipe this panel up you can see who else is watching the broadcast.
To get back to the normal screen simply swipe it left out the way.
To stop viewing the broadcast tap the X in the top right of the screen.

As a broadcaster:
Tap the 3rd icon at the bottom of the screen.
This will start the camera preview and allow you to type in a description of your broadcast, for instance "Playing with my Dog on the beach".
Once you tap the red "Start the Broadcast" button it will determine your location, then it will start the video broadcast and then it will
send a Tweet to your twitter feed that you are now live. If you have followers on Periscope then it will also send push notifications to their phones to say you are now live.
These take the format as follows, you get a sound and a pop up notifcation "Periscope: M4TAM is Live: Guitar in the house, playing some covers."
You then tap on the message and it will launch the Periscope app and start the live view imediatly.
To get the most out of Periscope you need to have a good phone signal, ideally this should be 4G or Wifi.
Your live broadcast will continue for ever until you stop it or loose signal for a long time.

To toggle the camera between the back and front cameras you just tap twice on the screen. When you do this there will be a second of blank video as it swaps over.

The preview thumbnail it uses seems to be based on the very first frame the camera sees, ie before you even click the start broadcast button. This is why a lot of the thumbnails are of the floor !
Worth noting that if you want your preview thumbnail to be obvious what its about.

The exposure and focus also seems to be based on the first frame.

The app is designed to be used in Portrait mode, if you turn your iPhone around 90 degrees then it means the messages will be sideways and also the viewers will
have to rotate their phone to see your footage the right way around. If someone if viewing your broadcast on a computer web browser then they would have to turn their monitor around so not ideal :)

To stop your broadcast at any time single tap at the top of the screen and a V icon will appear, tap that and a "Stop Broadcast" button will show, tap that to stop your
video transmission. At this point the app will save a local copy of your video to your camera roll on your iPhone. This is quite handy as it means you have
a record of it. this copy will not have the comments or hearts on it.

One important thing to bare in mind is that your video will be available to watch again for a maximum of 24 hours from the end of broadcast. Once
it becomes 24 hours old it will be deleted for ever.! You can watch the old broadcasts complete with all comments and hearts on the
watchonperiscope.com website.

You can not leave comments on non-live videos.

By the way there is also a web version if you don't have a smartphone. You have to install the plugin to be able to interact with the broadcasts by logging in with Twitter.

Periscope is damn addictive

I have only been using Periscope for one week and I'm totally addicted to it. You are able to share moments in peoples lives all over the world and interact with them.

Some interesting broadcasts that I have seen over the last week are :

1) A man trapped in a lift in California.
He said it was the first time he had ever used the Periscope app, oh my what a great first time!
Initially you thought yea right is he really trapped but over time you could see he really was trapped. You could hear people outside
trying to get the doors open and telling him not to press any buttons.
There were 45 people watching him, all reassuring him that he would soon be free. Lots of people telling him to keep calm and that we are all in this
together.
Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity the doors were prized apart and you could see that the lift had got stuck part way between floors.
He was able to drop down out of the lift and to freedom.
This broadcast was really gripping.

2) Balloon Chase crew.
This was a lady in Texas that was part of a chase crew. They follow the progress of a Hot air balloon in their pick up truck so that they can be there for when it lands.
This was an interesting broadcast as the balloon kept looking like it was going to touch down but then went up again.
I asked her if she had ever been in a balloon but she said no as she was scared of heights.
the balloon eventually touched down in front of a house and the crew then held onto the ropes until the air had started to release from the canopy.

3) Earthquake at Universal studios.
This was someone on the ride at Universal Studios in California. It was just like being there with them. The vehicle they were on fell down and the
set all collapsed and then lots of water flooded in from above. After this they went on to the Jaws set where a Great White Shark came out of the water and attacked the ride.

4) London Street tours.
There were several people doing this, basically people wandering around various locations in London.
One person was going around souvenir shops and showing people the kind of things you can buy.
One was a wander around Leicester Square showing the live entertainment.
One was a magic at Covent Garden.
One guy was showing you his daily commute from home to the London Underground, of course this transmission stop at the point the train went into the tunnel as there is no phone signal or WiFi in there.

5) Tornado in USA
I have seen a few people doing this. There are a lot of bad Tornado's going through the USA and Periscope allows you to see them live as they hit.
There was one on Saturday which was about to hit, it was great being able to see it live and feel the tension of being there.

6) Filming of the latest Walking Dead TV Series.
This was one of the best finds on Periscope, "Pastor Rodney" kept broadcasting live from near the sets of Walking Dead ! You were able to see them setting up scenes for the latest TV Series of Walking Dead. He was chatting to film crews.
It was so amazing to actually see the new series being filmed, This is the power of Periscope.


If YOU fancy joining the new Periscope revolution then download the free app available on iPhone and Android platforms.
You sign in with your Twitter credentials and get broadcasting or viewing.

Thanks
Andy

Derby Caribbean Carnival 2015 on Saturday 18th July. Family fun day on Osmaston Park on Sunday 19th

This years Derby Caribbean Carnival will take place this Saturday, 18th July 2015. 
I'm hoping to stream the event live (video and sound) on Periscope so follow me on Twitter and Periscope now and you should be able to watch this on Saturday as it happens any where in the World !

Follow me now :
https://twitter.com/AndySavage1969

As well as a Smartphone App you can watch on your computer here :
Watchonperiscope.com

Here is my complete guide to this years Derby Carnival. Complete with detailed route map for the procession so you know where the best place to stand along the route to get a view of the dancers and their great costumes. I have also provided a smartphone mapping pin. The procession generally moves very slowly so if you have trouble getting here and parking then don't worry as you can soon catch up with the front of it.

On Saturday 18th the 40th Derby Caribbean Carnival Parade will take place, show your support for this annual event. Its always very popular and attracts lots of people. Derby's annual Caribbean Carnival has been running since 1975 !

The Procession starts at 1pm from Pear Tree Street in Derby. After leaving Pear Tree Street, it turns right onto Portland Street, right onto St Thomas Road, Left at the mini round-a-bout onto Pear Tree Road, right up Normanton Road to very top where it meets Lara Croft Way/Mercian Way, Down Babington Lane, left onto St Peters Street, down The Corn Market and finally onto Derby Market Place at about 3pm for the carnival showcase and live performances.

If you are a car driver and are around this area then expect to have to wait while the carnival passes through. Also the Bus route will have to change while it goes up Normanton road.

I will hopefully be taking video of this years carnival and will try an get it online within in a few days, it will appear on my YouTube channel : Andy Savage's Derby and Derbyshire videos.
If you have an account on youtube then subscribe to my channel and you will get notified when the video is available to view. Check out some of my other local videos if interested.

Here is a video I took at the 2013 Derby Carnival:


Here is a video I took at the 2012 Derby Carnival:


Here is a video I took at the 2010 Derby Carnival:


Here is video I took at the 2009 Derby Carnival :
I have taken quite a few photographs at these events over the years but have only got around to uploading photographs I took at the 2005 Derby Carnival. Have a look at my photographs here - 2005 Derby Carnival Photographs on www.derbyphotos.co.uk.

Derby Carnival Procession Route Map
Here is a detailed map showing the complete route that the 2014 Derby Carnival Parade will take on 19th July 2014. Click the link below the map if you want a large version you can print out.
Also the link below the map will work on an iPhone so your can see the route map when you are mobile.

My route map : 


View Derby Caribbean Carnival Procession Route Map. in a larger map

Smartphone mapping pin.
If you have a smart phone (iPhone,HTC,iPad etc) then you can use a navigation drop pin I have made for you. While viewing this blog on your phone tap the link below :

Smartphone push pin <-- Tap me on your smartphone to get exact location of the start of the Derby Carnival.

Smartphone push pin <-- Tap me on your smartphone to get an exact location of the end of the Derby Carnival.

When you tap the link above, it will launch your mapping application and place a "push pin" onto the map with the exact location of the carnival parade start. You can then use this marker to get driving, walking or bus directions from your current location.
For example on an iPhone you tap the Directions button at the bottom and this will pre-fill in the start and end locations so just tap the Route button at the bottom and it will show you either the driving route or the walking route. If you tap the middle button at the top, this will even show you which bus number and when the next bus departs !


360 Degree Views of the Carnival route, use your mouse to look around.

360 view of Pear Tree Street where the parade starts at 1pm.
360 view of St Thomas Road where the parade turns left up Pear Tree Road.
360 view at the bottom of Normanton Road.
360 view at Lara Croft Way (note that this no longer looks like this since the Derby inner ring road was completed)

The weather forecast for the Derby Carnival does not look too good at the moment . If you are driving in from another city then you can always have a look at my local webcams to see for yourself if its raining right now.
 
Thanks
Andy

Derby CAMRA City Charter Summer Beer and Cider Festival, Wednesday 8th July to Sunday 12th July 2015.

The 2015 Derby Summer Beer Festival is here!
Wednesday 8th July to Sunday 12th July. the grand opening is at 6:30pm on Wednesday
Follow my live tweets from this festival : AndySavage1969

Here is my complete guide to one of the biggest and best Beer festivals in Derby, If I have missed anything please let me know. I have included opening Dates and Times, Admission Prices, Maps, Photographs, Beer and Cider lists, App review, accommodation, Entertainment details including videos of all the acts you can see at this years beer festival.

This beer festival takes place in a large marquee in front of the Assembly Rooms, This year the marquee is larger and has better insulation from the heat of the Sun.

The entrance to this festival is opposite the Quad. The right queue is for Camra members, Left for paying public. You will be given  a wristband to put on so you can leave and come back in (current session only).
Glass rental is £2.50, you can either get a 2015 festival glass or rent a previous years festival glass.

The stage is at one end and the bars along the sides. The cider bar is at the opposite end to the stage. The food and other stuff is outside the marquee in front of the Darwin Suite.

Derby Summer Beer and Cider Festival 2015.

This year as with the previous 2 years there is a free Derby Beer Festival App, allowing you to rate and keep notes on your selected drinks.

Download a full program from here : Derby Summer Beer Festival 2015 (8Mb).

This years Derby Summer Beer Festival takes place in a large marquee in front of the Assembly rooms  :


Derby Market Place is near the Quad. Normally the summer beer festival takes place in the Assembly Rooms but this is currently closed for renovation so this year the festival is taking place in a large marquee on the Market Place as well as the Darwin Suite.

360 degree PhotoSphere:
Here is a 360 degree PhotoSphere I made 12 hours before the Beer Festival opened, It allows you to look all around and see where things are located :
Derby Beer Festival PhotoSphere. - Click the link to open the view.

Map Location for the Derby Summer Beer Festival :

View Derby CAMRA summer beer festival venue. in a larger map


A plan of the site:
Click to view full size.

Getting to the festival
Derby Beer and Cider festival is located on the Market Place, Follow signs for Derby Assembly rooms or The Quad or just look for the large marquee. There are normally yellow or green "beer festival this way" signs around the city, keep an eye out for those. Or use my smartphone map link to get walking route directions from your current location.

By Train
Derby Railway Station is about a 15 minute walk away from this beer festival. Use my smartphone link to get your walking route. Upon leaving the railway station you will need to turn right onto Railway Terrace, you will see the Waterfall pub in front of you (old Railway Institute building).
From outside The Waterfall you can catch one of many different bus services into Derby Bus Station such as 45, 40, 44, 73, 109, 702, Skylink, X52 These all stop at the bus station so plenty of choice.
There is also a new Derby Railway Station Shuttle Bus RL1 which operates between the front of Derby Rail Station on Railway Terrace (stop S1), and Derby Bus Station, from 6am to 9pm, Monday to Saturday. It runs every 15 minutes and it’s just £1 for a trip.

When you are coming back from the beer festival these same buses can be caught from the bus station and will drop you off at the new frontage at Derby Railway Station. So perfect if you are planning on using the train to get here.

By Bus
Derby Bus Station is conveniently located right in the centre of Derby and is just a couple of minutes walk to the beer festival. You can pretty much get a bus from here to anywhere as it's a major bus hub. The 40,44,45 and Skylink buses pick up and drop off between the Railway Station and the Bus Station.
Just turn right out of the bus station front entrance and walk into the city centre towards the roundabout with three small fountains in it then over that one towards the next roundabout with the large fountain in the centre, you will now be next to the Quad building and should see the large beer festival Marquee on the market place, This is Derby Beer Festival 2013 !

Accommodation
If you plan to make the most of the five day beer festival then you may want to stay in a hotel in Derby. Derby has lots of choice for hotels. If you are arriving in Derby by Train then Midland Road has several hotels to choose from, all literally less than 2 minutes walk from Derby Railway Station such as Hallmark Hotel (formerly known as the Midland Hotel)
Also just around the corner (On London Road) is The Stuart Hotel.
Just down Railway terrace past The Brunswick Ale house is The Alexandra Hotel which is a B&B and real ale house too.

From Derby railway station, walk across the footbridge to the Pride Park side of the station and you will find the Ramada Encore Derby on Locomotive Way and Express by Holiday Inn on Pride Parkway both just a few minutes stroll away.

If you prefer a hotel that is conveniently located in the City Centre so you can easily walk to the beer festival then you have a choice of hotels such as The Holiday Inn or Hilton Derby which are both located within the Riverlights Bus Station complex. The beer festival is just a 3 minute walk from here, You can't get any closer than that!
There is the Cathedral Quarter Hotel on St Mary's Gate if you want something a bit posh. A Jurys Inn hotel at the very top of Iron Gate which is about 5 minute walk to the beer festival.

If you are arriving by car and are not familiar with the layout of Derby then you may prefer a hotel that is located off a main road that is easy to find.
For example hotels located on Pride Park such as Travelodge Derby on Derwent Parade, Express by Holiday Inn on Pride Parkway or Premier Inn Derby East on Stanier way at The Wyvern. These hotels are all easy to find from the A52 and the Jurys Inns Derby Hotel on King Street.

Smartphone Map Location
Tap here for a Smartphone Drop Pin -- Tap this link on your iPhone.
View this webpage on your smartphone, When you tap the link above, it will launch Google Maps app and place a "push pin" onto the map with the exact location of the entrance to Derby summer beer festival. You can then use this marker to get driving, walking or bus directions from your current location.
For example on an iPhone 6 you tap the blue button at the bottom right and this will pre-fill in the start and end locations so just tap the Route button at the bottom and it will show you either the driving route or the walking route.




Its best to arrive by foot, there is plenty of parking outside for your Beer Scooter :)

Here are the opening times for the 2015 Deby beer festival.

• Wed 8th July 6:30pm to 11pm
• Thurs 9th July 11am to 11pm
• Fri 10th July - 11am to 11pm
• Sat 11th July - 11am to 11pm
• Sun 12th July - 12pm to 2pm

Admission Prices for non-camra members :

• Wed 6:30pm -11pm £3
• Thur 11am - 5:30pm £2, 5.30pm onwards £5
• Fri 11am - 5:30pm £2, 5.30pm onwards £6
• Sat 11am - 5:30pm £3, 5.30pm onwards £6
• Sun Free entry to all

Admission is completely free to CAMRA Members.

Beer and Cider list for 2015 (use the free app for an up to date list):

2015 Beer List.
2015 Cider List.


Here is a video of the opening night of the 2012 Derby Summer Beer Festival :



Live Entertainment at Derby Beer Festival 2015  :

WEDNESDAY EVENING

Ripley Morris Men will be strutting their stuff in the musical breaks.
Ripley Morris Men video on Youtube.

9:30 pm The Ockbrook Big Band.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON

1:30pm BROOKSIDE JAZZ

THURSDAY EVENING

8pm AISTAGUCA (Baltic 7 Piece Gypsy)

9:30 pm HARRIET (Guitar and Vocals)

FRIDAY AFTERNOON

1:30pm IVAN BALL JAZZ BAND

FRIDAY EVENING

8pm MODERN AFFAIR (1960S/70s Rock)

9:30 pm THE INCREDIBLE SKANK BROTHERS (Ska)

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

SOUTHBOUND (Americana Country Rock)

1:30pm HOVERLA (Ukrainian Dance Troupe)

SATURDAY EVENING

8pm UK CHICAGO BLUES (Blues Brothers Tribute)

9:30 pm 3 EYED FOX (Folk Rock)

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

BACKLINE BLUES (Rock Blues)


-------------

By the way if you  are a cider lover and don't get a chance to goto Derby Beer and cider Festival then goto the JD Wetherspoons Cider Festival that runs at the same time as this festival and carries on for two weeks after !

Enjoy !

Thanks
Andy

2015 Cider Festival at JD Wetherspoon pubs - Babington Arms and the Standing Order, Derby & ALL Wetherspoon pubs from 10th to 26th July 2015

The Summer Cider Festival at the Babington Arms and the Standing Order in Derby runs from Friday 10th to Sunday 26th July 2015. And all JD Wetherspoon pubs across the UK !

This festival is always popular and its so good to see this pub chain promoting Ciders and Perries. This year they are offering the biggest selection ever so plenty of choice for those new to cider.

This dedicated Cider festival starts during Derby's CAMRA summer Beer Festival.

If you want to know where your local Wetherspoons pub is then I recommend their free App for iPhone. It locates your nearest pub and shows you on a map, complete with opening times and pub info. Get it here : Wetherspoons Pub Finder app for iPhone.

The 2015 Wetherspoons Cider Festival.

The Cider and Perry List for the 2015 JD Wetherspoon Summer Cider Festival

Good to see Rich’s Cider Legbender Cider in the list, this was a very nice cider that I had this year at Stockport Beer and Cider Festival and also Manchester Cider Festival.

They have upto 30 different ciders to taste this year as follows


1. Hazy Daisy 3.9% ABV Worcestershire
Hogan’s Cider
This medium-sweet, easy-drinking cider has an abundance of apple fruit aromas and flavours,
with a hint of citrus and berry, delicately balanced alongside apple sweetness.

2. Marmalade Cider 3.9% ABV Somerset
Orchard Pig
Somerset meets Spain for breakfast, with Seville oranges – have with toast and butter.

3. Blush Cider 4.0% ABV Cornwall
Cornish Orchards
This fruity, well-balanced cider has a subtle aroma of fresh raspberries and
a crisp dessert-apple flavour. It’s a fabulous alternative to rosé wine.

4. Sheppy’s Cider with Blackberry & Elderflower 4.0% ABV Somerset
Sheppy’s
A fine blend of crisp cider and added blackberry juice and elderflower gives
this cider a unique floral aroma and fruity flavour.

5. Raspberry & Pomegranate Fruit Cider 4.0% ABV Leicestershire
The Bottle Kicking Cider Company
This cider is a light summer sunset, with delicate wild raspberries.
Its sweet apple and raspberries lead to a subtle pomegranate finish.

6. Somerset Fruit Forager 4.0% ABV Somerset
The Shepton Mallet Cider Mill
This is a medium-dry West Country still fruit cider, with a subtle taste of blended blackberry,
strawberry, cherry and apple – to give a slightly hazy and rusty-red liquid.

7. Old Rosie Cloudy Cider with Rhubarb 4.0% ABV Herefordshire
Westons
This cloudy cider enjoys the refreshing infusion of rhubarb and is
light pink in appearance. It is medium sweet, yet with a tart finish.

8. Painted Lady Perry 5.0% ABV Worcestershire
Barbourne Perry Co
This is a refreshing drink, made only from the juice of freshly pressed
Worcestershire perry pears. It is medium sweet to the taste, light and fruity,
with some pleasing citrus notes.

9. Pear Cider 5.0% ABV Cornwall
Cornish Orchards
This refreshing, delicate, medium-dry cider has a lovely, soft sparkle,
with gentle pear tones and a crisp, dessert-apple finish. It is created with
beautiful English conference pears and is a fabulous alternative to white wine
or served chilled over ice – a wonderful long drink.

10.Apple & Pears 5.0% ABV Hampshire
Mr Whitehead’s Cider Company
Overall, this cider is medium sweet, with the natural sweetness of pears married
to the dryness of West Country traditional cider apples – a refreshing combination,
with light elderflower notes.

11. Dorset Dabinett 5.0% ABV Dorset
Purbeck Cider Company
This is a full-bodied, medium, single-variety cider, full of fruity aromas, with a rich,
balanced taste.

12.The Collaborators 5.0% ABV Devon & Normandy
Sandford Orchards & La Ferme de Billy
This classic Normandy light and fruity cider is married with a bright crisp Devon
draught cider – a complex and amazingly tasty meeting of two countries’ ciders.

13.Tempted? Special Reserve 5.7% ABV Co. Antrim
DJ’s juice and cider
This year’s Tempted? cider for this festival is based on this cider-maker’s 2014
award-winning Tempted? Special Reserve Cider. Matured bittersweet cider gives
this a full-bodied, but rounded, depth of flavour. It is medium dry on the palate,
with the addition of our specially blended sweetening juice giving a mellow finish,
showcasing quality Irish apples.

14.Crimson King Cider 6.0% ABV Worcestershire
Barbourne Cider Co
This is a traditional, medium-dry, cloudy cider, made from bittersweet cider apples,
picked and pressed in Worcestershire. It has a lovely soft tannin finish and is
medium to dry in taste.

15.Rutland Cider 6.0% ABV Lincolnshire
Fynburys
Using traditional artisan skills, our pure 100% juice develops into a still, clear,
distinctively crisp cider, with a fresh apple flavour.

16.Doctor’s Orders 6.0% ABV Devon
Green Valley Cyder
This traditional bittersweet Devon cider is medium sweet, full bodied and very satisfying.

17.Summer Breeze 6.0% ABV Mid Glamorgan
Gwynt-y-Ddraig
This cider is light golden-medium straw in colour, produced from a blend of bittersweet and
sharp apples, giving a fresh, fruity apple aroma. It is a smooth, easy-drinking cider.

18.Welsh Gold champion Perry 6.0% ABV Mid Glamorgan
Gwynt-y-Ddraig
This is a rich and fruity medium perry.

19.Glastonbury Gold cider 6.0% ABV Somerset
Hecks
The apples which produce this refreshing, full-bodied, medium-sweet cider
are grown in orchards nestled beneath the famous Glastonbury Tor.

20.Mary Maud’s Medium Cider 6.0% ABV Devon
Hunt’s
Packed with bittersweet and bittersharp cider apples, this tannic Devon cider
is deep in taste and long on flavour.

21. Black Rat Cider 6.0% ABV Somerset
Moles
This dry, sparkling cider is produced in the West Country, with cider apples,
giving a clean apple bite.

22.Legbender Cider 6.0% ABV Somerset
Rich’s Cider
This is a thirst-quenching sweet cider, with a fresh apple aroma.
However, don’t be fooled – this could make you go weak at the knees!

23.Somerset Redstreak Cider 6.1% ABV Somerset
Perry’s
This is made from specially selected redstreak apples, grown exclusively in the
cider-maker’s own orchards. Before being naturally fermented for up to four months, the
slow fermentation allows this cider to retain more of the apples’ delicate flavours. This is
a wonderfully refreshing, crisp, medium cider, with a full apple taste and lingering finish.

24.Big Apple 6.4% ABV Somerset
Thatchers
Crafted from flavoursome bittersweet cider apples, such as tremletts and redstreak,
this cider has a depth and strong character.

25.Whisky Cask Cider 6.9% ABV East Lothian
Thistly Cross
This offers all the flavour of the cask, while keeping its light, fruity aspect. Its initial gentle
whisky flavour (from the oak of a Glen Moray whisky cask) intermingles with a subtle,
medium-dry flavour, giving way to the distinctive full-bodied, honey flavour of the oak
cask, with final finishing overtones of whisky.

26.Cloudy Cornish Scrumpy 7.0% ABV Cornwall
Healeys
Seven varieties of apples are blended to create this powerful Cornish scrumpy.
Cloudy in appearance, this is popular with ‘proper’ cider-drinkers.

27.Waddlegoose Lane, King Harry 7.4% ABV Suffolk
Aspall
Dark straw to mid yellow in colour, this has a complex floral, fruity aroma of real
cider apples, with a hint of cedar wood. With its uncarbonated, medium-full palate,
it is sweetish, with refreshing balancing acidity. The persistent flavour offers
a pleasing soft astringency in the finish.

28.Pencombe Lane 7.4% ABV Herefordshire
Snails Bank
Rich in colour and flavour, this cider (exclusive to Wetherspoon) is medium dry
and bursting with apples.

29.Barrel Aged Cider 7.4% ABV East Lothian
Thistly Cross
This is a specialist select reserve of barrel-aged ciders, blending hand-picked Bourbon
and rum barrels from around the world to create a rich, aromatic amber cider.
Its smooth, mellow palate is a combination of the full-bodied caramel of the rum barrel
and the dried fruit and spicy oak of the Bourbon.

30.The General 8.4% ABV Devon
Sandford Orchards
A smoking blunderbuss of a cider, this spirit-aged and casked Devon cider
is off dry, with deep wood and brandy notes.

Other Ciders available at Weatherspoons pubs during the Cider Festival :
Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime
4.0% ABV 500ml Bottl e
Kopparberg Pear or Summer Fruits
4.5% ABV 500ml Bottl e
Magners 4.5% ABV 568ml Bottle
Stowford Press 4.5% ABV Pint or Thatchers Gold 4.8% ABV Pint
Strongbow 4.5% ABV Pint
Brothers Cider – Strawberry 4.0% ABV 500ml Bottle and Toffee Apple 4.0% ABV 500ml Bottle
Black Dragon 7.2% ABV
Old Rosie 7.3% ABV
Wyld Wood Organic Cider 6.0% ABV
Marcle Hill 5.0% ABV
Henry Westons Country Perry 4.5% ABV
Cider Twist Raspberry 4.0% ABV
Cornish Orchards – Vintage 7.2% ABV
Devon Scrumpy 6.0% ABV
Cheddar Valley 6.0% ABV
Welsh Gold Perry 6.0% ABV
Pear-Shaped 7.0% ABV
Strawberry cider 4.0% ABV

 

Want more info on these Derby pubs ?...
The Babington Arms, Derby.
The Standing Order, Derby.

Have a look at the Babington Arms in 360 :
Google Streetview of the Babington Arms pub.


You will probably be very interested in my post here :
How to buy a box of Cider for home (35 pints!)

This Cider Festival will take place at all JD Wetherspoon pubs not just the Derby pubs.
If you are a fan of real ciders and live in Derby then its worth paying a visit to the New Zealand Arms pub as they have a dedicated cider bar!

Thanks
Andy

Severe Thunder storm and flash floods hits Derby July 4th 2015, Did you see it?

Were you one of the lucky people to actually sleep through that severe thunderstorm that took place in the early hours of Saturday 4th July 2015 ?

The first I was aware of it was getting woken up by the most incredibly loud thunder and bright flashes of lightening about 2:40am on Saturday 4th July 2015.
I can honestly say this was one of the most severe storms I've seen in years.

Here is a screen grab from my iPhone of real time lightening strikes as they were happening over UK.
As you can see in Derby its pretty much wall to wall lightening !

These photographs and video are in the Peartree area of Derby.

The road outside quickly turned into a river due to the sheer amount of rain. The road drains could clearly not handle the deluge

In my photographs you can see that the road has been completely covered by standing water, you can no longer see the curb stones.

Someone running around through the water and towards the fountain of water !

A fountain of water started to come out of the drain in the middle of the road.

At one point a Police car pulled up to the fountain and opened his door next to it, I guess he was checking that the man hole cover was still in place.

Here is a Vine I did of a car going through the flooded street :


Follow me on Twitter :
https://twitter.com/andysavage1969

Thanks
Andy

Some of my Derby "Then and nows" are on Vine, Follow me if you like them

I recently joined Vine and have started to produce a few.
If you would like to follow me so you can see my latest creations get the free Vine app on your smartphone and follow me here :
Andy Savage on vine.

I have found that the auto-looping feature that Vine offers is perfect for showcasing my Derby then and now videos. Although it has limited resolution they work quite well......











Thanks
Andy

My first ever Vine video. My out of control Lawn!

Now I have an iPhone6 I am able to try out new things and I have now started using Vine. If you are not sure what Vine is, its a video platform like Youtube BUT the big difference is that your video is limited to 7 seconds and is a square format. This mean that you have to be creative when you capture your footage. Because the video also automatically loops over and over you also have to consider the last frame and will it match the first frame so in my video I had to think about the starting shot and make my final clip end at the same angle as the start so it loops nicely.

Here is my first ever "planed" Vine video : "Thank God for my Flymo Mower"


The cat you can see at the end is called Tina.

Follow me on Twitter to see my latest Vines : https://twitter.com/AndySavage1969
Thanks
Andy

Burton Beer Festival 2015 - Thursday 26th March to Saturday 28th March at Burton Town Hall, Burton-on-Trent.

Just down the A38 from Derby is the town of Burton, and this is where you will find Burton's 36th Beer Festival in March 2015.
The CAMRA Burton Beer Festival 2013 runs from Thursday 26th March to Saturday 28th March.

This is a great venue for a beer festival. In the main hall beers are located all around in the archways (see in the video).

There is a large stage where Martin Atterbury will perform on Friday/Saturday lunchtimes and live entertainment in the evenings by retracting the Wurlitzer organ into the opening in the stage wall.
Ciders and more beers are located down two short corridors in the Lingen room. There is also a food area serving meals and a quiet room too.

Here in my video you can watch a few tunes played by Martin Atterbury at last years Burton Beer Festival.
It features Martin Atterbury on the Wurlitzer at Burton Town Hall.

This Wurlitzer organ is from Cleveland Ohio where it was manufactured in 1921. After a fire in the Cinema, the organ was shipped to England in 1939 and installed in The Forum at Northenden, Manchester.
In 1971 the organ was purchased by Burton Council and installed in Burton Town Hall where it has been ever since.


Or use this link : Video of Martin Atterbury on the Wurlitzer at Burton Beer Festival 2012.

Here is what Burton Beer Festival looks like :


Location :
Burton Town Hall, King Edward Place, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire.

Date and times :
Thursday 26th March 2015  6pm - 11pm
Friday     27th March 2015 11am - 11pm
Saturday 28th March 2015 11am - 10pm


Admission Prices:
Thursday Free to everyone.
Friday lunchtime £2 (free for CAMRA members)
Friday Evening £6 (£2 for CAMRA members)
Saturday all day £3 (£2 for CAMRA members)

Entertainment:
Friday and Saturday (Lunchtime)  Martin Atterbury on the Wurlitzer playing popular classics.
Friday (Evening)     The Detroit's (Burtons very own Motown and Soul band)
Saturday (Afternoon) Remedy (5:30 to 7pm)
Saturday (Evening) The Rox (8pm to 10pm)



Glass hire for all sessions is £2 returnable on departure from the festival if required or you can keep it as a souvenir.



Beer List for the 2015 Burton Beer Festival :
2015 Beer List (PDF)

Google Streetview of Burton Town Hall :
This is a view of the Town Hall showing the entrance you use for the Beer Festival.

Post Code for the venue :
DE14 2EB



Getting to Burton Beer Festival by Train:
If you are thinking of going to Burton Beer Festival by Train from Derby then it will only take around 9 to 12 minutes and will cost £7 for a day return. (or £6.50 off-peak day return)
On Friday, The very last train back from Burton to Derby is at 23:40.

Depending on where you live the cheapest option may be a Derbyshire Wayfarer as this only costs £11.10 for unlimited travel all day on train and bus over the area below :

Derbyshire Wayfarer routes covered by train and bus.

Map Location for Burton Beer Festival :

View Burton Beer Festival. in a larger map


To find the Beer Festival simply turn left out of Burton station and walk down Borough Road. You will see the Town Hall directly in front of you, a fine Gothic looking building here :

Photograph of Burton Town Hall


Thanks
Andy

3D Animated Bookmarks by Emotion Gallery, These are amazing gifts.

Whilst in Waterstones Bookshop, something caught my eye, Initialy I thought it was some mini LCD dsiplays but then I walked over to the
display and was gobsmacked to see it was actually some very clever 3D animated bookmarks.
These are made by Emotion Gallery. The display consisted of several of these bookmarks mounted onto a rotating drum, because the angle of the
book mark was changing as it rotated it made the bookmarks come to life.

These are known as Lenticular 3D animated bookmarks, the quality of these is mind blowing.

Its hard to beleive that these are not LCD screen as the multi-frame animation looks so damn good.
It would appear that each animation is made up from several frames. The frames show in sequence as the angle of the bookmark is rotated.
These bookmarks are also available from Amazon, you can get all sorts of animated sequences.



Here is my video showing how clever these animated bookmarks look. You have to be impressed by this !



Thanks
Andy

Brunswick Spring Cider & Sausage Festival - Thursday 12th to Sunday 15th March 2015. Live music too !

The Brunswick spring Cider & Sausage Festival will take place from Thursday 12th to Sunday 15th March 2015 at The Brunswick Inn, Derby, Derbyshire, UK.

There is live music from Feelgood band on Friday 13th at 8:30 and 44 Pistol Pete on Saturday at 8:30

Here is a list of the Ciders confirmed so far, there are 10 more to follow :
Abrahalls Slack Alice & AM
Broadoak Perry & Pheasant Plucker
Fynberrys Rutland Cider, Blackberry & Nettle, & Rhubard & Strawberry
Gwynt y Ddraig Celtic warrior, Haymaker, Firey Fox & Farmers Pride
Jollydale Med Dry & Dry
Healeys Farmhouse Cider
Lilleys Pigswill, Merry Monkey & Darksider
London Jumping Jack & Jaspers Cider
Moles Black rat & Perry
Mr Whiteheads Equinox, Rum Cider & Midnight Special
Scrumpy Wasp Hibinate
Snail Bank Summer Fruits & Ginger
Thatchers Cheddar Valley & Trad Dry
Thistly Cross Jagger Thistle & Traditional

The Brunswick Spring Cider & Sausage Festival 2015

Where is The Brunswick?
The Brunswick Inn
1 Railway Terrace
Derby
DE1 2RU

01332 290677 or 07956505951

Google Street view of this pub:
Click here for a 360 degree view of the pub on Railway Terrace. Here you can see its exact location relative to Derby Railway Station etc.

Here is a tilt-view of the pub :

Tilt view of The Brunswick

Thanks
Andy

My videos of the 2015 Ashbourne Shrovetide Football from Tuesday 17th February.

This blog post will be updated as I edit and upload new videos from today's Ashbourne Shrovetide Football. I will announce any new videos on Twitter - www.twitter.com/AndySavage1969

My review of today.
The weather was amazing, perfect blue skies and bright sun Not a drop of rain or snow, the ground however was rather wet and muddy due to the rain we had on Monday.

This was one of the most busy games I have ever seen in the 13 years I have been going to this event. I had to park a lot further away that I have had to before due to the amount of cars.

Mobile phone data network issues at Ashbourne Shrovetide Football :(
If your a keen follower of Ashbourne Shrovetide Football then you are probably aware that this year for the first time there was to be a live video stream made available  at www.shrovetide.tv
I'm on O2 and as I walked towards the Shawcroft carpark there was only 3G, No 4G but at least it was full strength 3G signal so was able to do a few tweets as I got towards the turning up plinth.

Then at about 1:45pm I tried to tweet a panorama of the crowds and the Twitter progress bar did not move at all. I tried various things such as turning the phone fully off and on and even deleted Twitter App but then I found I could not connect to the App store to re install it. In fact I then found nothing worked that uses Data even thought it said 3G. I had to assume my iPhone6 had gone faulty. I then spoke to a few other people with smartphones on o2 and they said they had the same problem. Oh no, the one time I need to use data and o2 have let me down.
I could no longer send any Tweets or even find out anything about the current location of the ball. It was only when I started to walk back to the car, out of the Town thatnmy phone must have connected to a different GSM mast as data started working again so was able to install Twitter. I then tried the live streaming website but found that that was not working due to ee not working !!!!
Sounds like there was a serious problem with GSM in Ashbourne today.
When I got back to Derby I tried the live streams again on 50Mb Broadband but I see neither camera is working.

A goal was scored at 7.52pm goal by Up’ard Vince Brayne.


My Videos from Ashbourne Shrovetide Football:
This is a Slow Motion video (240fps) of Mick Pepper turning up the ball at Ashbourne Shrovetide Football 2015 on Tuesday 17th February. Look at all those hands waiting to grab the ball !
Was that YOUR hand it bounced off first?





Part 1 of my video collection for Tuesday's Ashbourne Shrovetide Football 2015:


Part 2 of my video collection for Tuesday's Ashbourne Shrovetide Football 2015:


Part 3 of my video collection for Tuesday's Ashbourne Shrovetide Football 2015:

Part 4 of my video collection for Tuesday's Ashbourne Shrovetide Football 2015:


Thanks
Andy