Where will Zander head to next you might be wondering. As budgetary constraints would have it, within the close vicinity of home. It’s also not always easy being alone, but it’s a circumstance which allows for an efficient shoot in and out with little dollying around. During a recent visit to Calshot, I took Merlin (the drone) up in wet and windy conditions but today the weather was fine. Blue sky but with a September chill in the air. It’s set on a spit on the mouth of Southampton water with incredible panoramic views of Fawley oil refinery, the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth. Views that can only be improved by Merlin. In fact, I plan to return to see and hopefully get a shot of a mammoth cruise liner or container ship which once I had a job driving cars off. Believe it or not!
Calshot was one of Britain’s most important military airfields. It was a base for flying boats and marine craft, high speed and air-sea rescue launches. From here, 500 men were rescued from Dunkirk in 1940 and it supported the D-Day invasion. From a nostalgic point of a view I have particular fondness with Calshot as it’s the place where, as a boy of about 10 and a pupil of Durlston Court School, we visited the activities centre there. One of the activities I did well in was indoor cycling in the velodrome. I was like a dart and overtook the other boys leaving them with the smell of burning rubber! Being a keen cyclist of years by that point obviously helped. There’s an extensive climbing wall - another activity I used to do with my old friend Nick who is now married with children and living in New Zealand. It’s now popular with beach hut owners, campers, kite and wind surfers and paddle boarders. Or single men such as myself, taking a stroll with their dog or in my case Merlin the drone.
I wrote about Hurst Castle in my last post and coincidently, this is the site of another Tudor artillery fort, constructed during the 16th century - the time of King Henry VIII. In 1533 there was a disagreement between Henry and Pope Paul III over his divorce to Catherine of Aragon. The nephew of Catherine, Charles V - Archduke of Austria also took it as a personal insult. The result was that France and the Holy Roman Empire formed an alliance against Henry. Invasion of England seemed certain and so was the construction of forts along the English coastline. This will be a great place to come back to when I can afford the entry fee (£5) and quite rightly I was not allowed to enter. Instead and probably most interestingly I flew Merlin around the fort to get a superb view which my subscribers get to see. A snapshot of time, place and nature which cannot be copied, replicated or enhanced to 4K. What’s more, no one told me I wasn’t allowed to be flying my drone there. I have no doubt they will do again!
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