Having caught up on my backlog of wedding photography blogs, it’s now time to move on to some of the other things I got up to in 2016.  Some of you may be aware that I visited Gibraltar in 2015 in support of the Twister Aerobatic Team tour which saw them perform at Gibraltar National Day.  The team was invited back in 2016, having proved to be an extremely popular element of the day’s festivities.

Gibraltar National Day falls on September the 10th, and in 2016 that was a Saturday.  It initially looked like I would be unable to join up with team leader Pete Wells and wingman Chris Burkett as I had a wedding photography booking for Sunday the 11th.  But, having made Pete aware of my issue, I was told that the team didn’t want to do the trip without me (bless ’em!), so they arranged for me to fly home on the afternoon of National Day itself – before they’d even finished performing!  

Gibraltar Return

I arrived on the Rock late-afternoon on Wednesday the 7th of September, courtesy of British Airways.  On these trips I tend to do a bit more than *just* take pictures of the happenings, and it soon became apparent that this adventure would be no different!  Unfortunately, Pete and Chris, who were flying the Twister aeroplanes down from the UK, had got stuck in Portugal and would be unable to join me until early-afternoon the following day.  That gave me a free morning to reacquaint myself with Gibraltar’s narrow streets and wonderful views.  

I started off down by the new Mid-Harbour Small Boats Marina.  I’m not sure just how new it is, but it wasn’t somewhere I came across during my previous visit.  Conditions were glorious.

At the adjacent Naval Base, a Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyer, HMS Daring, was in dock.  Opposite was one of the Royal Navy’s Royal Fleet Auxiliary Bay Class Landing Ships, L3008 RFA Mounts Bay.  

I headed south to Rosia Bay, passing by Parsons Lodge Battery.  I parked in the public car park and sat down by the shore for a good 90 minutes, watching the boats and ships heading into and out of the area.  I’d heard a whisper that a Dutch submarine was due into the Naval Base, but it failed to materialise while I was there.  

I took lunch at Europa Point before starting to head back up the east side of the Rock, anticipating Pete and Chris’s arrival.  I’d only been there a couple of minutes when I spotted them on approach, so off to the airport I headed to greet them.  It sounded like they’d had quite an adventure, with the private airfield at which they’d stayed overnight coming under threat from raging wild fires.

The Rock Of Gibraltar

Another whisper had reached me, this time about the anticipated arrival of Royal Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, operated by No. 99 Squadron based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.  The RAF maintains a small base on the airport which accordingly sees occasional visits from (mainly) UK military aircraft.  Now, the C-17 is big and the Rock (specifically the Great Siege Tunnels) provides a fantastic viewpoint from which to watch airport movements.  This one promised to be rather spectacular, and I talked Pete and Chris into venturing up on high to see it with me.  It was even better than I’d hoped for, with the crew cleared to conduct a fly-through over the runway before landing.

The next morning was spent getting temporary Gibraltar national flag stickers applied to the Twisters.  Meanwhile Pete and Chris met with the authorities to discuss the plan of action for National Day itself and then briefed airport fire crews on rescue procedures associated with the Twister.  

The boys enjoyed a late-afternoon familiarisation flight, which I watched from back up on the Rock.  

Gibraltar National Day 2016

Gibraltar National Day 2016 dawned equally beautifully, but the wind had changed direction.  While it didn’t make any difference to me, it made a huge one to Pete and Chris and their displays for later in the day on the east side of the Rock.  

As with 2015, I headed into town and watched the pre-flypast activities in Casemates Square, which was bristling with people wearing red and white outfits.  Several groups of singers and dancers performed ahead of the political rally which provides much of the focus on Gibraltar National Day.  

The UK’s controversial decision to leave the EU was a big talking point this time around, and it is clearly something that the vast majority of Gibraltarians do not agree with.  Indeed, some of the speakers were treated to quite a frosty reception.  

Of course, one who received a much warmer reception was Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo.

At the conclusion of his speech, Pete and Chris performed a fly-through over Casemates Square, complete with a loop thrown in for good measure.  

The boys landed back at the airport and I headed back to the Caleta Hotel, from where I would watch their afternoon displays before I needed to get my luggage and head back to the airport myself to fly home.  They had one more display to put on after my flight had left.

It had been another great trip to Gibraltar – it’s such a beautiful place to visit – but again we left without doing everything we’d hoped to….  Maybe we’ll be back in 2017???

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I mainly provide event, wedding & commercial photography services in Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Rutland, Oxfordshire & Warwickshire, in towns such as Northampton, Kettering, Wellingborough, Oundle, Corby, Peterborough, Leicester, Huntingdon, Rushden, Towcester, Rugby, Daventry & Oakham.  I am, however, only too happy to travel beyond those locations – including internationally – to capture the magic of your event.