British TV is said to be of superior quality to that of much of the rest of the world's , the truth of this is debatable but one thing at least is certain  BBC programmes are shown in their entirety without advert breaks.  The BBC also makes programmes, often,  reckoned to be of minority interest. Some of these gather a cult following sufficiently large, or vociferous, to bring the programme into  the main stream.  Local Heroes is an example of this phenomenon. LH at Adam's home page .  The host/ narrator/ originator of LH is Adam Hart Davies, who rides his bikes (  Adam and his bikes  ) about the countryside wearing outrageous bright cycle clothes & talking about the lives and work of past scientists who lived at whatever place he is visiting.

I feel a particular affinity for Adam and his programme as it could easily be me the audience could be watching.  I took to cycling to work in the early 90's customised & decorated, bikes for similar motives ( I had a mountain bike, a race bike, a folding "Bickerton" bike and a Shopper (small wheeled, no cross bar, basket on a front carrier, sturdy shoulder bag on a rear carrier) I still have all but the Bickerton, which disappeared whilst on loan to a friend.). I also dress in bright clothes.  I talk about my bike and of going into "Christmas Tree mode" as I fix flashing LED lights over its fluorescent and reflective paint, and patches. I have had a number of e-mail exchanges with Adam about science and about the "Heroes in the Greenwich Area" he seems to read and answer all mail. aj@hd.org

We booked our August holiday (1999)  near Sway in the New Forest  before we knew of the eclipse ( my pic of eclipse ) and before we knew anything about Sway.  Earlier this year I became interested in the work of Charles Lyell  and on 5th of July (1999 ) there was Adam in the South Central area of England, visiting the New Forest area, talking about Charles Lyell (  Lyell  ) and then the concrete tower at Sway (Sway's claim to fame) . Another interest of mine is the history of astronomy and how ideas about the sun and the stars developed and in this same 5th July programme  Lockyer  was mentioned along with  stonhenge  .

My photo of Sway Tower