Purton Boat Graveyard

I took a trip down towards Gloucester this morning to visit Clifton Cameras, who were having a hands on event with the new Nikon Z mirrorless cameras.  I made an early start, mainly to get through the traffic works on the M5 in the Black Country before rush hour, which allowed me to be down south before sunrise.  I'd planned a small diversion to the Purton Hulks along the River Severn.  It's my understanding that surplus boats were beached along the eastern bank of the river in the early twentieth century, next to the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal to counteract the erosion being caused by the tidal flow of the river at that point.

After that I made my way to Dursley, making it in good time and allowing a leisurely drink in a local cafe before popping into the camera shop.  I had to laugh, the Nikon representative there was based in Wolverhampton, just 7 miles from home!  Had a great time trying out both of the new cameras.  One of the things that stood out was that the EVF was amazing.  Take it from someone who has used various cameras with EVFs over the years, this was a step change in quality over anything I have tried before (and I've tried most of them!).

I also had a fascinating chat with the staff in the shop.  It was nice to realise in these days that this was still an independent, privately owned concern where all of the staff are steeped in photographic knowledge.  We had a good old chinwag and I also got a chance to chat to them about Blipfoto.  You never know we might get a new blipper or two as a result!