The commute to work today, on foot, heading for an area check survey.
Nearly there, this is the North Sea coast of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, Christof is about 500 miles to the south, across the sea in Belgium!
The site, looking towards the sea. The 70' deep hole connects to the sea by a tunnel. The fence is new - to stop people falling in, now the farmer needs to know how much land is in the 'forbidden zone' so it can be deducted off his official farm area.
First compromise of the day! Base sta set up on the corner post, saved carrying in the tripod.
View from the forbidden zone showing the tunnel out to the sea.
The old path past the edge of the hole, the grass and roots make a big overhang.
GDOP 1.91 - as good as I've seen anytime and way to good for this job, it'll be checked by Govt survey monkeys with GIS backpacks!
Fieldwork done and time to head back along the path, that's farming close to the sea - washing salt off the windows all winter, cattle are still indoors until the grass grows enough by May.
There's a lot of these birds about now, they nest on the cliffs. Fulmars, they're not seagulls but Petrels, related to the Albatross, beautiful flyers, gliding mostly.
The wind sculpts the grassy clifftops into weird shapes.
That's an Indian chief looking left at the end!
Thanks for looking.
Looks like a lot of fun! And you get paid to do that?;-)
Awesome pictures and commentary. You live there or just working there?
Ok! You've offically ruined my day. And on a Friday no less! Now I just want to hop on a plane and go there.
It looks much too calm to be Scotland. Whenever I've been there I would never think of leaving the base on a fence post-the wind would have blown it off!
You're right Moe, I was lucky today! I sometimes have to tie down the tripod! Funny to think all you people in the States were probably sound asleep when I was out there! The photos are deceptive, the air is 46F today (unusually warm) and the sea is 43F! Best to come across around June, then you'll get daylight round the clock!
Hey, that looks like my GPS setup!!!
Great Pictures and story! Thanks!
Artie
Great pictures. We have some places like that here on the Oregon Coast.
If I ever get back over to see Christof, I'll be sure to stop by and say Hi.
great pictures. looks like they must import a lot of wood there. It looks a lot like the east coast Newfoundland.
Nice spot... I've always wanted to sail around the Orkneys from the mainland. My fam lives south in Tain. Thanks for the pics, that's some sink hole.
Thank you. These kinds of posts are my favorite. 🙂
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Great Pictures and story! Surveying the fence would be great, would not want to locate the edge!
> Hey, that looks like my GPS setup!!!
Don
I just said that about your setup on 'the other forum' - on Alan Gallant's thread!
I've no complaints about the GSR2700 ISX, it runs and runs. Network RTK is a non starter for me, a lot of my work sites are remote and face the sea so post processing with Topcon Tools is normal practice. We don't have anything like OPUS here, just download the CORS Rinex files and off you go, usually takes 10 minutes.
Hi Daryl
You should contact Brian Kynoch at 'Sail Orkney' he's a fixer who might get you in touch with someone who needs crew or has a spare place. Orkney is on the summer routes round the UK and onwards to Shetland and Norway. A lot of Norwegian yachts come over right through the summer and especially around the 17th of May which is their National Day. What a lot of the visiting sailors like is that you can sail all day and tie up in a different island every night and enjoy the food and drink. If you're in Tain it's only a couple of hours on the bus and ferry to get across here - don't forget to tell me if you are coming!
(shameless link to a commercial website!) http://www.sailorkney.co.uk/
Hi Scott
I did it at 'arms length' and stepping very gently! On quarry edge surveys I usually use the bipod as a long arm, attached quite high up on the pole so it hangs vertical and have the data collector clamped to the near end of the bipod, that way you can easily get 6 feet back from the edge.
Daryl
Forgot to mention in my post that every time I see you in your excellent photos and videos I think of this guy (must be the hair and the beard!):
> Hi Daryl
>
> You should contact Brian Kynoch at 'Sail Orkney' he's a fixer who might get you in touch with someone who needs crew or has a spare place. Orkney is on the summer routes round the UK and onwards to Shetland and Norway. A lot of Norwegian yachts come over right through the summer and especially around the 17th of May which is their National Day. What a lot of the visiting sailors like is that you can sail all day and tie up in a different island every night and enjoy the food and drink. If you're in Tain it's only a couple of hours on the bus and ferry to get across here - don't forget to tell me if you are coming!
>
> (shameless link to a commercial website!) http://www.sailorkney.co.uk/br >Thanks for the info Artie. Done a bit of sailing in the west country, Mull, Coll, Tobermory. I'll let you know if and when I come over...I try to hit Tain once a year.
Very, very cool.
Artie,
nice and interesting story,
love the pictures and indeed a great place to be out in the elements for some surveying.
thanks for sharing,
Christof.
Thanks Christof, it's not every job that is that scenic! It's nice to get out near the North Sea. At the west side of the islands it's the Atlantic Ocean, it keeps the climate mild in winter. Next week it'll be a noisy, muddy construction site stake out and long lines for formwork in a concrete precast yard.
absolutely great report. It really is an amazing occupation we have - paid to see the world and in places others are probably forbidden too.
Thanks for posting.
I wonder what the rate of attrition is, or whatever one may call it when a hole implodes gradually.
Your setup on post. I use 'bugle screws' here (Australia) as the heads just fit the 5/8" of the tribrach and driven or screwed into a post (or other) the tribrach is better anchored than on a set of legs.
We used to have 'roofing nails' or 'springhead nails' that were about 3" long and had a head 5/8" diam. Modern ones the head comes off.