Beat Herder Music Fest

…and a bunch from Beat Herder too!

Jodrell Bank, Cheshire, United Kingdom

I still have about a million photos that I took over the summer and not shared anywhere (did they even happen?!). Doing big bulk uploads to Facebook albums doesn't seem to be the done thing anymore, so I may as well post some more on here even if they're totes #latergrams or whatever! These were all from Bluedot ☺️👽 #bluedot #bluedotfestival

First Street Manchester

Nine years later and I can still ollie, pretty pleased with that! 🤘

Lovell Telescope

@bluedotfestival was so so good! We had a great camping crew, celebrated Shaun's birthday in boozy UV and LEDs style (with @thechemicalbrothers providing a modest soundtrack and light show), and the music, atmosphere and location couldn't have been better. Would definitely recommend for a close-to-Manchester but punching above its weight festival! 🚀🌍👾🔭 #bluedot #bluedotfestival

The Beat-Herder Festival

Beat-Herder definitely lived up to its 'an orgy of beats and barminess' maxim. Beautiful site set in a valley, loads of hidden venues and details, and a really mixed lineup (but not one so good that you felt bad for missing a chunk of it to explore a secret tunnel, go on fairground rides, or sit in a bunch of inner tubes for an hour) #beatherder #beat_herder #beatherder2017 #festival #festivals @beat_herder #herdemup

Lumb Falls

Manchester is too hot and everything smells of fire, so @marley.rude and I went swimming in Lumb Falls near Hebden Bridge. It was amazing - swimming in pools surrounded by ferns and greenery is pretty surreal, it feels a bit Jurassic Parky/pre-historic! . 🌿🌲💦🏊🍺 . There's a (relatively) deep plunge pool with a massive waterfall that you can jump into from the top of the rocks, and a more chilled out pool further upstream. The force of the waterfall is also great for giving yourself a neck and shoulder massage. You can get the train to Hebden Bridge and then get a bus close to Lumb Falls or walk up there via the path to Hardcastle Crags and then about 40mins further uphill from the National Trust place. #lumbfalls #wildswimming #microadventure #microadventures

Primavera Sound

I miss cycling with birthday hats on and the pool tequila life! Here's a latergram from Primavera and being a few rows back from the front at @CHVRCHES. Next up festival-wise is @beat_herder and following today's ticket purchase, @bluedotfestival! #primaverasound #ps2018 #chvrches #chvrches

Primavera Sound

When Bae takes you to the best places #followmeto #travel #wanderlust #adventure #wheretonext #coupleswhotravel #stayandwander #letsgo #letsgoeverywhere #creativetravelcouples #primaverasound #ps18 #couplescontent #takingthepiss #🚽 @followmeto @creativetravelcouplese

Sant Jordi Hostels

Nothing beats a bunk bed sleepover with this one #bunkbedlife #fivestar #savingitformarriage #couplescontent #glamping #primaverasound #ps2018

Sounds From The Other City

#SFTOC was great, as per always!

Kappabashi Kitchen Town

Another novel thing in Japan was the way some restaurants show off their menu with plastic models of the finished meals (see the first photo), rather than using photos of the food or fully translating the menu. There's an area in Tokyo called Kappabashi where restauranteurs go to get the things they need (knives, aprons, takeaway containers, fridges etc) and a handful of shops there also specialise in these plastic food models. The area is mainly for business-to-business sales, but the plastic food shops have become tourist attractions too. Everything in these pictures is a super realistic wax or plastic model - from the fake chopped onions on the burger to the condensation on the beer glass. You can see more pictures here: http://tokyo.for91days.com/the-plastic-foods-of-kappabashi/

Tokyo, Japan

My time in Japan lined up with the Sakura (cherry blossom) season, which is a big deal/a massive excuse for picnics and drinking (Hanami) in Japan. There were blossoming trees *everywhere*, and in most places people would set out blue tarps underneath them and eat and drink under the trees 🌸

歌舞伎町

Obligatory neon pictures of Kabukicho, the red light district area of Shinjuku. I had an interesting wander around here drinking Strong Zero (some delicious but 9% alcohol soda drink) dodging passed out/vomming Japanese dudes (at 10.30pm...), sketchy 'dancing tonight?' bar touts, and turning down invitations to go into 'soapland' venues (brothels disguised as bath houses to get around an anti-prostitution law). I walked past a small shop which seemed to act as a visitor information point for the sex industry with posters and a computer where (according to Google) you can pick out service providers and then arrange to meet them in nearby love hotels.

9H Capsule Hotel - Narita Tokyo International Airport

This was the capsule hotel that I stayed in at Narita on my last night in Japan to avoid having to get up too early to get to the airport and catch my flight. It was great, super well designed, really nice branding, great showers, robot toilets, and a surprisingly large pod/capsule. With earplugs in I slept really well and it was great to go from having a shower to being checked into my flight within about 30 minutes.

Tokyo, Japan

Not *all* the toilet in Japan are high tech robot butt washers (for example my hostel ones weren't) but the ones at the airport, many restaurants, and my capsule hotel were. For the fancy places, pretty much everything you've read about Japanese toilets is true - these have heated seats, some sort of deodorising function, can play wave sound effects for privacy, flush automatically as you stand, and have front and back bidet sprays (and some with driers) with adjustable water pressure. My Grand Designs mansion/lair of the future is definitely going to have a few of these! 🤖🚽💩

Paris, France

@marley.rude and I in Paris: the blue coat, balloons and tongues edition!

Paris, France

@marley.rude and I in Paris: the surprisingly strong beers, tequila and tacos, and window display posing edition

Something something Happy New Year, here's me as a spaceman

Win Hill

🌲⛰️🔆

Castlefield

Spooky start to the weekend! 👻🎃 . . . . #manchester #igersmanchester #fog #church #spooky