And still they lead me back

Hello and welcome to July's Photo Challenge - well over half way thru our fourth year. I'm a couple of days late this month as I've just returned from a few days away in Ireland. So, without further ado, I was asking for photographs of highways and byways. Or the road less travelled. And I got both. Thank you again for your continued support - these photos are becoming the very life blood of this humble blog. Cue the Vision On gallery music...

Rol's the first to step out in front of the traffic: ''Here you go, John: Huddersfield on an untypically hot day.''

''The last part of my journey home.''

''And somewhere in Wales.'' Cheers, Rol. The amount of photos I get sent that start with the sentence 'Somewhere in Wales'.

You'll be pleased toknow David Cooper has found his passport: ''Back to photos from my travels this month, John. (1) Part of the Wuppertaler Schwebebahn (Suspension Railway) travels over the roads of Wuppertal. (2) Last year a stage of the Vuelta a España went through Casarabonela where one of my brothers live. This hairpin in the road was the place to be. And there just happens to be a bar there! (3) Last month one of my sons got married in Las Vegas. We drove from there to Los Angeles, David.'' Nice one, Coops. In my head the bar is called 'The Hairpin'.

Tim from north of the county: ''Hi John, got a handful of pics for this month's PC.  Firstly, one from the Santa Cruz district of Seville. A little known fact (probably) being that the streets here have been cleverly designed to perfectly match the wheelbase of a 2017 Dacia Sandero. Anything wider & you are stuffed. Secondly, the M1 at the back of us in Hucknall. This was mid-afternoon in the strange times of Covid; very eerie when there’s usually eight lanes of traffic here. Thirdly, The Embankment as No.1 daughter passes by in the London Marathon. I’ve got a raft more but will limit it to a final brace from tahn (Nottingham for the non-local contributors): Looking down Victoria Street towards Slab Square the filters maxed out a little to give an enchanting post-apocalyptic vibe. Cheers, Tim.'' Thank you, Tim. A most bodacious collection.

Claire's got four for us: ''A junction in Fairbanks Alaska'; a 20th century road under a Roman arch in Lincoln; the Angel of the North viewed from the A1 and a snowy road in Woodthorpe, Nottingham as seen from our house.'' Thank you, Claire. I have a feeling most pics of The Angel have a steering wheel in them.

Celia: ''Hi John, a couple from different locations. The first one is very local, a quiet lane running next to the river, all very flat and mellow - so the hills, rocks and quarry in the second photo from my trip to Wales last Summer (that is indeed a July sky...) were really exciting by contrast! C x.'' 

C than came back with a third: ''A beautiful day here and cooler than Friday's record breaking (and exhausting) 37 degrees! Enjoyed my view walking back home from the Co-op this morning.'' Thank you, C. Everything looks better when the sun's shining, does it not?.

Alfa Dave wants to make you a star: “It was only a winter's tale, just another winter's tale - so sang David Essex while he drove down the Gedling Access Road. When it snows I grab my camera and my son Jack takes photos out of the window.'' Nice one, Dave (& Jack) - teamwork makes the dream work.

Johnny Legs next, but no David Essex, alas: ''Colliery Way, Gedling. (''The eagle-eyed amongst you will realise this is the road formerly known as the Gedling Access Road - I love it when we go full on Partridge on North Norfolk Digital - JM).

Legs' second: ''Spurn Point.''

And finally from Legs: ''Earl Sterndale in the Peak District.''

Alyson from the Highlands: ''Not very dramatic, John (I'll be the judge of that - JM) but this is the road that leads to the steep slope that takes you into the village of Pennan where they filmed Local Hero. I still get really excited when I see the sea on the horizon - a lovely blue sky day.'' 

''And here's me and that red phone box...'' Thank you so much, Alyson. Good disguise with the glasses!

Ernie next: ''Two roads for you. One busy (Queensboro Bridge, Manhattan); one not so busy (the main track east on Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland). A stark contrast indeed, young Ern. Thank you.

 

Ernie then did a Celia and came back at me with a live update: ''Wallace Road in Canonbury. Just left the Snooty Fox (out of photo on the left), on our way to the Railway Tavern. Lord Styles sends his regards. You don’t know him but he supports Leeds so there is a connection of sorts.'' As with most of E's texts they make zero sense to me. I think you had to be there.

Charity Chic looks like he's being stalked: ''A blogger  heading for the bus to Prestwick for some charity shop exploration.'' Cheers, CC.

The Swede next and something of a confession: ''Photos of public footpaths or country lanes disappearing into the far distance are very much my default setting, as anyone familiar with my Instagram page will know. Sticking with the remit, here are a couple of examples of the latter, taken on my wanderings around these parts.'' Not a bad default setting at all, TS. Thank you.

Walter: ''Hi John, here are some pictures that are more of a calmer nature. One from an endless highway in Florida, one from the highland in Sri Lanka and finally one from a small village in Brittany.'' Danke, Walt! Can't get enough of those dashcam shots.

Pete Zab and his Fab Four: ''Four pictures for you, John. The street with the houses hides a bleak past, it was part of the Vilnius Ghetto. The buses are on Upper Parliament Street in Nottingham. The rain is on Mansfield Road in Sherwood and the snow one is Mapperley Rise/Winchester Street, also in Sherwood.'' Thank you, Pete. You document my backyard magnificently.

Swiss Adam: ''Roads old & new. First a two lane highway somewhere in the USA. East coast, I think, in the mid-60s. The picture taken by my grandfather on a family holiday when my mum was 16.'' (I need to see more of these - JM.)

''Second, Heptonstall, West Yorkshire: a village on top of a hill in Calder Valley where no cars are allowed.''

''Belfast in the rain.''

''A fork in the road in Castleton, Hope Valley.''

''And finally a two thousand year old road in Pompei.'' Cheers, Adam. Up with that sort of thing! (Titter ye not.)

Riggsby from California: ''Hi John, here are a few of “Metropolis II” by Eric Burden (US), on show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.'' Nice one, Richard. Puts my Scalextric to shame!

Kate: ''Harry has a huge fixation with crossroads. So all walks will involve a few minutes of just  standing before we cross them. The other pic is a Welsh road that I took purely to horrify American friends with it having a 60mph speed limit!'' Thank you, Kate. Harry looks like knows his Green Cross Code.

Vaughan: ''Firstly we have mirror-clipping on the track up to Camaes Head near Cardigan, Wales. Then the top end of Wienerstraße in Melk, Austria and two road scenes of the riverside drag and a street corner with excellent wiring in Can Tho, Ho Chi Minh's favourite holiday staycation.'' Cheers, V. A splendid quartet and no mistake.

Matthew & Sam: ''Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge in a Subaru rental, 1989.''

The next two are from Rosie (M&S's daughter currently living down under): ''The road to Milford Sound, NZ.''

''Arthur's Pass, South Island, NZ.''

''And finally from us a Rhodes road.'' Love 'em. I always remember the Golden Gate Bridge one hanging in your downstairs carsey!

K from the Kotswolds: ''Hi John, here’s one not far from Casa K, where the main road curves away to the left but the dirt track continues on to the horizon. I’ve never explored it as I fear the reality of the destination won’t be nearly as exciting as my imagined one!''

''Even closer to home, this is what happens to a public footpath when the corn's a growin'! Might be stretching the definition a little but round these parts the density of ramblers makes this a popular highway. Rather beautiful too!'' Not a bit of it, K! Like you say - it's a regular highway. Thank you, as ever. 

Neil ion his bike: ''Beanford Lane, Oxton. Very quiet.'' Thank you, Neil. How deep was that puddle?

And finally, a few of mine. Dublin - just up the road from my digs last week.

Big Sur, California 2022.

Radford, Nottingham.

Camden Lock, north London.

Newland Ave, west Hull.

When I lived in North Yorkshire (2010-2017), it's not widely known that I sold my soul to the Devil.

A quick reminder about our two little sidebars we run in conjunction with the main challenge - photos of sunrises & sunsets, and pictures of people - preferably people you don't know... 

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Sunrise/Sunset Reprise

Totnes, June 2026 - taken from Bridgetown.

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People Pics

I met this guy in Chapters Bookstore, Dublin 1 last week. I liked his shirt. For the purposes of Photo Challenge I'll call him Captain Haddock.