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Little Tin Houses

An analog journal of alternative & rural living.
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  • by Amy Spires

Where the Bike Goes

August 29, 2026

A little part of me longs to live somewhere where I can ride to coffee shops, book shops, village high streets and supermarkets by bike. I’d love to do all my ‘normal’ every day errands by bike, but living so rurally, my bike rides tend to lean towards the scenic micro adventure angle. Don’t get me wrong, I am 100% not complaining about that, I absolutely love it. The day to day errands is something I’ll look forward to in the future, but for now, I love documenting the epic places my little 90’s bikes take me.

From morning loops around the local streets with Steven, stone bothies hidden in glens, hilly landscapes with the sheep and old ferry keeper’s cottages on the coast, me and those bikes have been around.

I’ve found myself becoming a little manic with checking maps for lines that might be gravel tracks. I check strava, google maps, komoot, every time I go anywhere new. I’m always keeping my eyes open on my already known rides, looking for new tracks I may have missed, and planning when I’ll be able to head down and explore them.

Riding bikes has taken me to places that the car can’t get to, and I never would have had the motivation to walk to. I’m looking forward to many many more new buildings and landscapes to photograph, and then being able to whizz home on one of my trusty steeds.

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An Old, Hidden Church

August 20, 2026

Some places you only find by accidentally stumbling upon them, or because somebody has trusted you with the location. This old church was the latter, so I’ll probably never repeat where it can be found.

I’ll go as far as saying it’s tucked away in a quiet bay somewhere on the Isle of Skye, down a gravel track. It’s hidden so well that you’re walking practically right past it without even knowing, until it’s suddenly appears from behind a heathery hill.

We’ve visited this church again since, and both times had to navigate hordes of sheep (there were a few cheeky stampers the second time) but no humans. I keep saying I’d like to visit on a day with good weather, and actually be able to sit outside and spend time there rather than getting absolutely blasted by wind but that’s the joy of island life. It keeps you on your toes.

Analog-Ish

August 07, 2026

Let’s be real, life is expensive, and I’m a person with many hobbies. I love a good activity, and activities sometimes need gear. I can’t keep spending money on film… well, not as much as I used to. To be honest, the cost had started to drain the spark of spontaneous shooting out of me. It’s been a struggle to talk myself into always carrying a film camera with me, but I found something that brought the urge to document back to life.

A 20 odd year old DSLR. A Nikon D50, to be precise. Steven bought it for £50 as a surprise birthday present for me, and I absolutely love it.

There’s something about the photos… they’re clearly not shot on 35mm, but you can see that they’re not the same perfection as modern digital cameras. The focusing is softer, the colours aren’t as dramatic, and it’s exactly what I needed.

The camera is so old that it won’t function with anything bigger than a 2GB SD card, but it’s more than enough for the grainy little digital photos it takes. It’s so cheap to buy, that I’m quite happy to have it round my back when I’m out on my bike, stopping now and then to shoot something off the side of the track.

I’ve become trigger happy, and I love it.

I’m still using my film cameras, but more reservedly, and it’s nice to have something that fills the gap and keeps my brain looking for frames in the meantime.

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