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Thanks. I'm sure local communities will be delighted when this is finished (or cancelled), as I know it some areas it's causing significant daily disruption for months at a time.

It looks bad at the moment but a large part of the work you can see is for temporary works (access roads, site compounds etc) or for environmental mitigation works - new woodlands, grasslands and aquatic habitat. The extent of that can be seen on the large scale plans of the new route on the www.Gov.uk website. HS2 itself is no wider than a dual two lane road and the majority of it will be in tunnels or cuttings.

Absolutely, and for a vanity project because we must have a train that can get between Birmingham and London in under an hour, as the existing 1h3m isn't fast enough apparently.

Lost ancient woodland and copses will take 400+yrs to regrow, and any other woodland will take decades... And it is wider than 2 dual lanes, because of the cuttings you mention. Overall it uses more land than the M40 ever did...

@@theboy-uk The definition of 'ancient woodland' is woodland that has been in existence for 400 years or more. The reason is because it is very unlikely that woodlands older than that will have been planted by human beings. Consequently, you can't create an ancient woodland. What you can do is transplant soil from ancient woodlands to new woodland areas as this contains the bugs and nutrients necessary for bio-diversity. HS2 Phase 1 will destroy 0.005% of the UK total of ancient woodland and, should the whole 345 miles of the route be completed it will account for 0.018% of the UK total. We have 2,200 miles of motorway - all of it wider than HS2 and some (such as the M40 through the Chilterns) double the width. How much ancient woodland was destroyed in constructing that network may never be known. The use of cuttings as a means of reducing noise and visual intrusion is a major feature of HS2 and shows the far greater environmental constraints put on the project than on late 20c motorway construction. However, motorways such as the M40 have no tunnelled sections over their entire length whereas HS2 has many miles of tunnel where land take is minimal. So, given the much greater width of the M40 and the fact that it does have cuttings and embankments (plus sprawling junctions and service areas), the idea that it has a lower land take than HS2 is questionable.

@@martinsloman6905 I'm glad you finally accept that it will take centuries to restore ancient woodland. By the same token, established woodland, not technically ancient, will take decades, if not centuries to get to the state they were destroy. Clearly you don't travel on the M40 much. Even the M40 cutting at Stokenchuch - which I think is the cutting you are referring to (the one that's at the start credits of The Vicar of Dibley etc, for those of a certain age) - is significantly narrower than most of the cuttings shown in these videos. For reference, the M40 didn't touch any ancient woodland.

Do you think so? Interesting, as I think progress remains stubbornly slow...

Had they closed the 421 again? They seem to do it quite a lot, and not sure they are making much use of that haulage road bridge to reduce disruption - but have you noticed how much it sags in the middle!

not noticed the sag. caroline.

No need to rush when you can milk the magic money tree for as long as the taxpayer will bankroll it ;)

Given the obscene amount of taxpayer money sunk into this, I hope you're right. But as a very regular user of both competing lines between London and Birmingham, I can tell you that there simply aren't the required passenger numbers to make HS2 viable. So unless something dramatic happens soon around passenger numbers, it's already a dead duck....

THanks :)

Thanks. Shame I'm probably too old to have a go myself... ...mind you, that geezer at the Olympics was knocking on a bit, so maybe I should!

Probably not going to happen, as the dates are all over the place - the description and title always have the main month that most of the segments are filmed (and not always in order due to access constraints)

Thanks. Unfortunately it's had to be closed temporarily, as there are some issues with the groundworks - it appears there may be some glass in the topsoil used.

Even in murky conditions, the whole area remains so dramstic.

Thanks. I guess HS2 will suffer the same fate as CML has most of this week, where it runs at ground level over the flood plains. Interesting you think the 2 existing London to Birmingham lines are overcrowded, as this is not something I experience outside of a couple of trains London bound morning peak, and I use both existing lines very regularly. Additionally, HS2 won't help as hardly anyone travels the full route between central Brum and central London, as by about Northampton/Milton Keynes (WCML) and Banbury (CML) most of the trains are near empty. From ground level, those cutting slopes at 6m actually look like they have been purposely turfed - not that easy to tell from the air. No idea why they would go to the expense and work of turfing though? Unless the grass is needed for erosion or stability? Which in itself should ring alarm bells as that will need expensive rework at some point in the future... #JobForLife

​​@@theboy-ukHS2 runs on viaducts over flood plains. Passenger figures between destinations are very diificult to obtain because they are confidential to train operating companies. However, according to the Birmingham Post, 13.6 million people travelled between the West Midlahds and London in 2017/18. The grass is needed to prevent erosion. That is normal practice. Slope angles will be laid down in railwsy standards and are usually a minimum of 1 in 2.5.

@@martinsloman6905 Errr, no, HS2 isn't always on viaducts across flood plains. You'd be surprised what info the TOC's are willing to give with a FOI request. However, neither Chiltern or Avanti will give passenger numbers from central Brum to central London, claiming such figures are unknown to them - difficult to believe, as, like any business, they should know what is happening on their networks from ticket sales. The information isn't really commercially sensitive either, as each of the TOCs have an unbreakable monopoly. It's odd they have felt the need to turf it, when the bridge in that area hasn't been completed, which will likely involve having to remove it (or damage it). It's not common to see Network Rail do similar on other routes when they repair cuttings and embankments, which is why I found it odd. Even if the Birmingham Post's number as correct (and they aren't viable when compared to the published combined Avanti and Chiltern combined figures over their entire networks for that year), 13m is only the tip of the iceberg of the required 180m that HS2 have said they need to carry in their original business plan to Government. And obviously the commuting world has changed forever, so post pandemic figures have the trains carrying around 60-65% of the passengers they carried in the 2018 peak. So by your own argument, you have proved HS2 is unviable, and now agree with all the official reviews that it offers poor value for money. Excellent.

​@@theboy-uk Boy, you have raised some interesting questions. If you are right that there are flood plains where HS2 is not on a viaduct, why do you think that is? Also, if there are areas where slopes have been 'turfed', though future construction works will disrupt them, why do you think that is? As an engineer, I will always ask questions like that. I don't presume to know the answer. Some time ago, I referred you to the HS2 Engineering Options Review. If you read that, you would get some idea of the complexity of the route selection process. Flood plains are only one issue. They need to take into account topography, nearness to settlements, ground conditions, archaeological sites, waste tips, vertical and horizontal alignment etc etc. They also have to provide a massive Environmental Impact Statement that is scrutinised by planning authorities. There will be local water management authorities that will take a great interest on the effects of construction on catchments and aquifers. You make a lot of judgements based on minimal understanding and your need to denigrate the project. Why not identify one or two engineering misjudgements on the project so that we can investigate them in greater detail?

@@martinsloman6905 Yes, as an engineer, I have an inquisitive mind. As to your questions, who knows, but as you already know as somebody who has seen many of my HS2 construction progress videos, they do appear to like to rework stuff. But, can you blame them when they have an open chequebook and not completion targets.... There is nothing special about HS2, it's just like any other project, albeit on a larger scale than many.

Thanks, the weather was unusually kind for the week or so that this video was filmed in January. Unlike the last few weeks where I have been trying, unsuccessfully so far, to do an updated video on progress!

Well some of it will take decades or even centuries to recover. But the blunt point is HS2 has always been somebody's dream looking for a purpose.

​@@theboy-uk I suggest you take a look at HS1, Boy. That was completed 17 years ago and I think you would be hard-pressed to find any evidence of the construction works.

@@martinsloman6905 HS1 was not built in the same way that HS2 was. You probably never saw the construction, but land grab was minimal, and temporary use of land was returned to farmers who are far better placed to manage it than having to set up a new organisation (tax payer funded, no doubt, probably run by the corrupt rail industry) to manage the waste land. Geopolitical tensions in the last 3 years have highlighted how we need to be more self sufficient in this country, and not be at the mercy of whims of other nations for essentials like wheat. But HS2 always had other plans of grabbing a massive amount of land. And then thought what a great idea it would be to use the land for wildlife habitats... ...right next to high speed trains. Maybe its a plan so ASLEF can demand danger money for their members?

@@theboy-uk OK but you accept that a certain amount of land is always required for temporary works such as haul roads, construction compounds etc. On completion of the works, the land can be restored and handed back to farmers for food production. So why does HS2 involve large areas of land to be taken out of food production? You use the term 'land grab', which is emotive but not correct. As you well know, land was acquired through Act of Parliament with the support of both main parties and both Houses. That is a legal process whether you are happy with it or not. You also tell us that HS2 hit on the idea of using this 'grabbed' land for wildlife. This does raise the question of why they did that. Surely they would have had some reason? Instead they give the land over to wildlife. Why? How much rental do barn owls pay them? If this is a temporary ploy and the real motive is to sell the land for housing then doesn't that pose difficulties? I might be a rail enthusiast but I would stop short of buying a house next door to a high speed railway. Actually, some opponents of HS2 such as Lord Berkeley and MP for Buckingham, Greg Smith have suggested just that. Make HS2 a road and have a long strip of car-dependent housing through the Chilterns and beyond. Great lovers of the environment! OK, so much of what you said doesn't stand up to scrutiny but there may be one thing we can agree on. I appreciate the need to maximise food production but our country is one of the most environmentally depleted in the world - partly due to modern agricultural practices that have resulted in the removal of woodland, hedgerows and meadows on a grand scale. Hence, the modern drive for 'rewilding' (i.e. taking farmland out of production and returning it to a natural state). The advent of HS2 led to the opportunity to rewild a strip some 100 miles long by Phase 1 as mitigation for the loss of nature due to the rail construction. There's nothing wrong with that in principle and much is made of the wildlife corridor being created. However, is this always the best use of land considering some will likely be Grade 1 farmland? My argument would be that the environmental benefit of HS2 comes from its ability to move passengers and freight from more polluting forms of transport. Rewilding should be seen as a totally separate project.

@@martinsloman6905 HS2 are NOT returning ANY land to the original owners. They are keeping the lot. Other projects rightly tend to return the land to their original owners for things like food production.

The less work you do, the longer the job takes, and the more money you can make. Its a fantastic scam....

@@theboy-uk Somebody invented a perfect recipe for life there.

@@robodrone5662 Yes, and we both need a new job there!

@@theboy-uk My application form is ready.

@@robodrone5662 There is a queue, get in behind me!

Be careful, your predictions might become true!

HS2 is about increasing rail capacity not reducing journey times.

Quite. And that's OUR money. One can only hope that the new Chancellor cans it to make a dent in that claimed deficit, as it doesn't really serve any purpose to anyone, except those lining their pockets from building and running it.

@@martinsloman6905 Now you know that is rubbish. You already know there are no capacity issues on CML or WCML outside London bound morning peak. And you know the freight argument is hollow as well ;)

​@@theboy-uk Seems to me that I have posted a fair amount of information from Network Rail, HS2, the DfT etc contradicting that point. I even referred you to the Transport Select Committee proceedings where evidence is given on oath before Parliament. Your response was to say that they were biased and we must rely on evidence from yourself without any verification.

​@@theboy-ukYou only have money because you live in an economy where that money can be made. The strength of the economy relies on industry and commerce that is facilitated by infrastructure. High speed rail is a means of increasing transport capacity. That is important for everybody. The West Coast route from London to Birmingham, the North and Scotland, which is served by both motorways and railways is close to capacity and is likely to exceed that capacity in the next decade. Both the West Coast Route Modernisation project of the early 2000s and the more recent introduction of 'smart' motorways has helped relieve short term capacity issues but HS2 is the medium to long term solution. By freeing up capacity on the existing rail network for freight and passenger services, we can not only improve rail connectivity but free up space on the motorway network. Also, because HS2 has minimal environmental impact, it helps the country to achieve its carbon reduction targets.

You can live in hope, but I fear politically too much has been spent on it it, and major media outlets like the BBC will be hostile to such a cancellation. Trouble is, its not just the build costs (and the hidden business costs to local business due to the major disruption), its the ongoing subsidy's needed to run it, which in the first proposal from HS2 was at around 50-60% per full priced fare, if they succeeded in getting 576,000 passengers a day. Trouble is, in 2019 (peak passenger numbers) across both Chiltern and Avanti networks (the two other London to Birmingham lines) was 120,000 passengers a day across their entire network....

@@djengines When complete, HS2 will be about three miles from the centre of Tamworth mainly in cutting through open country. Sure you're not confusing it with the A5, which cuts the town in half and is wider than HS2?

I'm so glad it will be worth the disruption and cost because nobody will use it, let alone the nearly 600,000 passengers a day to "only" need 50-60% subsidy on every fare.... ...but don't let the brainwashed fanatics for this white elephant hear you say such things....

​@@theboy-uk You know what I'm going to do now don't you Boy? The sort of thing brainwashed fanatics always do - ask people for the sources of their statistics. The story so far. These statistics come from a booklet handed out to you by HS2 at some consultation meeting you attended. Though you have memorised the statistics, you can't find the booklet as it is somewhere in your attic, which you will clear out at some unspecified time in the future. You could post an on-line link to this booklet but that would cause problems with the algorithm. Actually in your last statement on the subject you informed us that you had in fact already posted all this information. Unfortunately, you didn't say when or where. Still, we live in hope.

This particular one was taken in Janaury, where the weather was nicer than it is currently (which is why the early Autumn update videos haven't finished filming yet!)

As I've said previously, its green credentials have repeatedly been called into question. So I think only the most devoted fan of HS2 could even begin to agree with your last sentence. As for the rest, I think you might be underestimating how far along the construction is, and how daft some of the order of construction is... ...but then we all know this was never any more than a rail industry project for the benefit of those in the rail industry, paid for by the public.

@@theboy-uk Boy, I think we have established that you are not a devoted fan of HS2 (took me some time but I got there in the end). So, please let me know of a UK major infrastructure project that could be described as greener than HS2.

One thing I should add, Boy. I had been looking forward to your next video about HS2 - mainly because I wanted to know which funeral march you were going to use as musical accompaniment. I suppose there aren't many that are 45 minutes long but you could try the Beethoven march from Eroica as an alternative to Chopin or maybe the Saul Dead March by Handel. There's also a lovely one by Purcell from the Funeral Music for Queen Mary.

@@martinsloman6905 Well as somebody who previously wanted to compare to motorways, how about looking at the M40 extension. Or sticking with rail, EWR. Who on earth claims that HS2 is green???

@@martinsloman6905 Thanks for the tips - it's really hard to find longer classical clips that aren't under some form of copyright for specific recordings. I shall have a looksie :)

Wouldn't life be boring if we all always agreed, LOL. The next set are coming, just a bit delayed.

@@theboy-uk ie agree to diagree ;-)

@@pedromorgan99 We can't always agree with each other, so it's fine to agree to disagree :)

@@theboy-uk So we in agreement that we agree to disagree with each other; until the next update ;-)

@@pedromorgan99 Exactly. I suspect we will still be in disagreement after the next update as well :)

Yeah, the latest videos are still in progress - I have lots of short clips filmed already, but need a load more still, even to make short videos. The weather has been a bit unkind over the last month when I started this round, so filming progress has been slow, not just dodging the wind and the rain but also many of the footpaths and bridleways are too boggy to walk through.

Glad you liked it, and your van featured, LOL!

Took about 6 attempts, but finally managed to get one where the sun set into the sea, rather than the haze, I'll get that uploaded when back in Blighty. Hyperlapse at 2s intervals, flying forward at about 1kph to get that effect.

Eventually managed to get one where the sun disappeared into the sea, rather than haze. I think it was the 5th or 6th attempt, LOL. I'll get that edited and uploaded when I get back home.

@@theboy-uk It is not easy to get ideal shots. We try and try again.

@@robodrone5662 Absolutely :)

I'm trying to get one where the haze doesn't obscure the sun before it sets in to the water, quite unsuccessfully!

Glad you enjoyed it :)

This video is not licensable for multiple reasons, sorry.

I believe it's been in the planning stage for 10 years, and cost nearly £250,000 to build. So I hope it gets treated with the respect it deserves and becomes a useful facility for many, many years 👍

Wow, hopefully

@@WilliamAllen-o2y Fingers crossed 👍

We used to tie a sledge to the back of my mate's dad in winter. Guess that's not allowed now.

Indeed, shall we start taking bets how long it will take?

I was trying to stay far enough away so as not to upset the parents who don't want their kids filmed :)

🤣

I only heard about that on the news the other day. Why on earth do they think its remotely acceptable to pump anything other than rainwater into an inland lake, grrrr.

@@theboy-uk The excuse is they need more money and lots of it.

@@davidharle952 Money alone won't help, it needs a plan as well...

Us mere mortals don't get the special tour, LOL, I would have loved to go up. It certainly was a windy day, I almost didn't bother with the drone, but glad I did, and the mighty Mavic 3 coped well.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it as much as I'm currently enjoying your Beaches video :)

Glad you enjoyed the video of these reservoirs, and thank you for your support.

Despite being early July, it was a cold, damp, windy day! Thanks for watching and your support :)

No shortage of water in the Lake District in northwest England. Lovely place, even when the weather isn't great :)

@@theboy-uk Such views are always attractive.

@@robodrone5662 Exactly, and I love dramatic countryside, where mountains meet water 👍

@@theboy-uk Then the effect is stunning.

@@robodrone5662 Not quite as sunny as Lake Garda, but still epic 👍

Sure is a lovely place to fly, with a fabulous view. Even if it was very windy!

Oh you lucky boy - about the tour inside, not the late night foghorn - I find lighthouses fascinating :)

@@theboy-uk I used to work for the Met Office and we used to go to St Bees to check out their instrumentation. That was in the days when lighthouses had keepers.

@@StevieProton Epic 👍

The mighty Mavic 3 was really struggling in the wind, obvious from the footage that as it flew towards the sea, it was making little progress! It truly is a gorgeous area, and certainly no shortage of water!

@@theboy-uk Green colour is spectacular.

@@robodrone5662 It was set to HLG (as normal with my videos), sometimes I think this can overemphasise the green hues...

@@theboy-uk It looks fresh. Fine effect. Such places are very attractive.

@@robodrone5662 Indeed they are :)

Thanks for you kind comments and support :)

Thanks :). It was short but sweet :)

I guess 50 years ago they were a long way from the cliff face, but I imagine that red cliff rock is a form of sandstone? That erodes quite quickly. After all, its only about 10-15 miles up the coast to Dawlish, where the railway famously got washed away a few years ago!

I think you need to capture at a much, much higher frame rate, that was 60fps, and all over and done with in 2 frames!

And keeps the pilot on their toes!

Thanks :)