A Christmas Eve wander in the dark

It was Christmas Eve, the children were tucked up in bed after exhausting themselves with excitement about the the next day and I'd been at home all day and now it was dark.  I have invested in good lights so I am not restricted too much by winter day-light hours - there are not enough of those at this latitude.

I headed out via Rampton at 9pm and the roads were unbelivably quiet. There was little evidence of any people on the streets at all.  Just flashing Christmas decorations and cosy lights peering from between curtains.

I joined the bridleway near Rampton Breakers - I been confronted by a couple of different dogs down here in the past.  In the dark, alone, my mind and imagination play tricks and you wonder what evil may jump out.  Of course nothing ever does and after a while I settle down.  I joined the Guided Bus track.

I went out with two lights.  My commuting light, plus my newest offroad light (a T6-XLM led), that was unnecessary, it can light up everywhere for at least 50 metres.  My phone's camera just cannot pickup the low light away from the centre spot. You get a much wider vision and subtlety with the naked eye.

Just a fraction of the visible light

I love to see all the different lights and patterns at night, and the Guided Bus track is really dark in places.  I read that a cyclist nearly ran over some people lying on the cycleway - they were star gazing.  Good bicycle lights help avoid the unlit but as the lumens go up, some lose and I also hear that plenty try to commute or run along here with inadequate lighting and get annoyed by those who blind them until they are close.

Longstanton Park and Ride looked amazing as I approached with such a vast amount of lights over the car park. Hundreds of lights in the air like Chinese Lanterns.

Longstanton P+R from a distance.

A close up of the building and one cycle rack.  There were no cars, no buses running, but a few bikes in the racks. It is strange to see so many lights for almost no purpose other than to light empty parking spaces.  I wonder what use this lit up space might be good for. Free flood-lit football pitch anyone ? 

I love thing small things that pop out at you, such as the horse crossing points and the excellent green glow of a man and bicycle:

Horse crossing

Glowing bicycle and man

Light patterns cast on fence.

That rear light is new.  It is a Cat-Eye TL-LD610 with 5 LEDs.  It think it is fog-light bright if you catch it at full focus.  I dare not use it on flashing mode, that would be just too evil. I think some of the rear lighting has gone too far, and the flashing of some is so distracting it prevents car drivers seeing past you to overtake safely.

The only wildlife I saw was one rabbit.  I was a little early to see a sleigh in the night sky.

The next day, I received this t-shirt as a Christmas present from my luverly wife :-)