Brian Cookson
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Strava

I’m a big fan of Strava, and no, they aren’t paying me to say that, I’m a subscriber, so I pay them. I always faithfully record my rides. I find it useful to analyse my fitness and to see how my times up the local climbs compare over the years. I wish I had data recorded from my younger days in such detail, but then maybe that would depress me! If you’d like to follow me, providing you aren’t some sort of crazy stalker(!), then please click on the button.

 
 
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Instagram feed

This is a direct link to my Instagram feed. Why are there so many trees? Well, when the Covid-19 pandemic began, I started to photograph impressive, striking, or just otherwise interesting trees whilst out on my bike or on local walks. This quickly evolved into a Tree of the Day feature, which many people seem to like. I put them on Twitter too. They aren’t intended to be anything other than a reminder of normality and an encouragement to all of us to remember that we are part of a global ecosystem. If you click on them, there are a few words of text on each photo, with some background or other commentary. My original professional qualification was as a Chartered Landscape Architect, but I don’t claim to be a tree expert, my comments are just there for your appreciation and fun. @brian.cookson

 
 
At last, after a long period of dormancy, just the beginning of the buds breaking on my favourite oak Tree of the Day today. Still cold for the time of year, but things are definitely on the move in the tree world!
A nice mature Tree of the Day from Staveley in the English Lake District. It’s a Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana) - a long way from its natural home in the Andes mountains of Chile and Peru. It’s doing pretty well - many lose their
Two multi-stemmed Trees of the Day from the nice little bus station in the village of Whalley, Lancashire. They are white birches, probably Betula utilis jacquemontii, or a similar cultivar.
Something different. Not a Tree of the Day, a Milestone of the Day. I must have passed this 100s of times on my bike, but never really looked at it. Amazingly it has stood there, on a crossroads near Bashall Eaves, @forestofbowland, Lancashire, UK, s
Still no sign of Spring on my favourite oak Tree of the Day, at Chaigley in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, UK. From my bike ride this morning (Thursday). But it won’t be long now.
Two Scots pine Trees of the Day from my bike ride through the Trough of Bowland today.
A Scots pine Tree of the Day thriving outside ⁦‪@N_CyclingCentre‬⁩ Manchester, the home of ⁦‪@BritishCycling‬⁩ today.
An interesting oak Tree of the Day, still surviving with a severely damaged trunk, outside the splendid Coach an Horses pub and restaurant in the lovely village of Bolton by Bowland, ⁦‪@VisitLancashire‬⁩.
Today's Tree of the Day photo features a row of alders (Alnus glutinosa) just off the old Roman road at Higher Lees near Whitewell in the heart of @forestofbowland. A dull day, but always good to be out on the bike in the fresh air for a couple of ho
Here’s an update on my favourite Tree of the Day, the oak at the top of Chaigley. No signs of coming into leaf yet of course, but you can be sure that deep beneath the ground things are beginning to stir. Spring is just around the corner.
Any cyclist who has visited the famous ⁦‪Tolo’s restaurant in Puerto Pollensa, Mallorca, will have seen this Tree of the Day on the other side of the bridge. It’s a Mediterranean Pine, a bit wind damaged, but very characterful.
 

Twitter Feed

See what I’m Tweeting on about today! @BrianCooksonOBE