A little further up the mountain than yesterday, here are some shots of Llyn Llydaw, it was about 6.55am when the first of these three pictures was taken. The top of Snowdon was still shrouded with clouds but the calm surface of the lake provides a nice reflection and I liked the way the three rocks in the foreground add a little extra interest.
The next two shots are facing in the opposite direction to the first. I was enjoying being alone on the mountain and felt really inspired by the glow and the shafts of light streaming through the clouds. I then heard footsteps and noticed a jogger coming up the path around the shore of the lake. Can you spot her? She stopped to talk briefly before carrying on up the mountain. I was impressed by her energy but much preferred to take things at a slower pace, as I could really enjoy the light and scenery.
Having got up at 4.00am I was hoping for some cracking shots of Snowdon at sunrise. As I set off from home the sky was beautifully clear and there was a crispness to the air and so many stars. I thought this was a good sign. As I got closer however the clouds were building up and I started to question whether I had made a good decision, after all I could have stayed tucked up in bed.
Undeterred however I parked up at Pen-Y-Pass and set off up the Miner's Track shortly before 6.00 am with sunrise expected at 6.22 am. So these pictures show the early morning light illuminating the low clouds and the reflected light in Llyn Teyrn. As I took these pictures my early disappointment faded because I felt a real promise of good things to come.
A few more blooms from Bodnant today, the first picture I love, showing the delicate new tendrils of Clematis with the fine downy fur covering the new shoots, giving the promise of fresh green leaves and abundant beautiful flowers.
The next two shots are of different varieties of Primula, both were growing in the shade of larger shrubs. I love the central yellow star at the centre of these lovely woodland flowers but I particularly love the delicate heart shaped petals.
For those who have seen my blog in the past the flower in the final image needs no introduction but for newcomers I can tell you it is Turkish Glory of the Snow, I first saw this in the gardens at Chirk Castle and I posted some pictures about three weeks ago, why not go back and have a look and compare them and see which you prefer.
I have decided to take a break from the waterfalls for now, I still have a few pictures from that day out to share but maybe another day... For today (and tomorrow) however I wanted to share a splash of spring colour. Visitors to my blog will know that I love photographing flowers and spring is a great time to get some early colour.
The second day during my recent week off I got up at 4 am and set off for Snowdonia in North Wales to capture some early morning shots of the mountains at dawn. I have got some great images to share in the days ahead.
After my trek up the mountain and back I decided to stop off at Bodnant Gardens to see what I could see. I was a little disappointed to be honest because there were only a few different varieties in bloom although there was lots of fresh new growth and a profusion of greens.
The first flowers to see were the tulips at the top of the page, the bright sun really shows the flowers off at their best.
The next picture is of a Magnolia coming into bloom, the tree as a whole was loaded with flowers and was a spectacular sight but I felt that this individual flower made a great picture.
The next image is of a Hyacinth, I think they were getting to be past their best but I managed to find this specimen in a sheltered spot and so it was not too badly damaged by the wind. Again the sun helps to bring out the rich colour of this delicate flower.
The final picture today is my favourite from today's selection. It was a tiny flower, no more than a few inches tall and it was growing in the shaded border in a trellised walkway. The main feature of that part of the garden will be different varieties of Clematis and this little gem will probably be seen by very few visitors and so i was thrilled to spot it and get a few shots. It is a variety of Muscari called Pink Sunrise, which after my early start and the sunrise I had enjoyed seemed very apt indeed.
The first of today's pictures is of one of Yorkshire's famous three peaks. This one is Ingleborough the second highest of the three at 723m (or 2,372ft for those who like it in old money). I like this picture with the shadow of the clouds and remnants of snow around the peak.
Then after a short trek across the dale the trail comes to the River Doe and Beezley Falls followed very soon after by Triple Spout as seen in the final picture.
I saw this coil of wire perched on top of the stone wall by the side of the path. I thought it was an interesting feature and took a few shots from different angles. I had intended to post just one picture but couldn't decide which I liked best. Of the ones I took these two were my clear favourites but trying to choose one was more difficult.
If pushed I would say the second is the best image but you might have a different opinion...
These views are taken from Twisleton Lane, an old Roman road which leads from Raven Ray into Kingsdale. I was particularly keen to capture the sky and the dramatic clouds above the valley. I also like to dry stone wall, a traditional feature of the English landscape which adds some interest to the first and third pictures
I really like the second picture and I was intrigued by the cloud above a cloud, almost enveloping it.
After this I headed down the road to Beezley Falls and views of Ingleborough and I will share pictures from there in the days to come
Above Thornton Force (see yesterday's post) the River Twiss seems tranquil by comparison as it gently tumbles over a series of rocky ledges.
Getting the right perspective on these features it was necessary to get down low and in places it was quite tricky as the rocks were slippery and at one point I slipped and took a whack on my elbow, it wouldn't have been so bad but I had my camera to protect so I couldn't put my hand down to steady myself but I think these shots make the effort worth it.
This is probably the most famous and most photographed of the waterfalls along the trail. The river falls 14 metres into the pool and this limestone basin was apparently once part of a sub-tropical sea.
This spot was used as inspiration by the renowned British artist William Turner as you can see from the sketch if you click on the link which will take you to a shot of a sketch in Turner's sketch book.
When I first visited this spot some years ago it was absolutely heaving, the ledge beneath the falls was covered by so many people enjoying the sun and picnicking on the rocks so getting a good shot of the falls was impossible. On this particular day although the weather was lovely as it was mid week and early March there were very few people around and so I had plenty of time to get some pictures without getting any random strangers in the shot.
Having posted a few random/abstract images over the past few days I have gone for some more "traditional" views of the first series of falls at Ingleton for today's selection.
Yesterdays shots of the spray were from First Pecca Falls which is quite a spectacular drop although of course you can't really tell from those shots.
The first of today's images are of a sequence called Pecca Twin Falls which are further up the valley at the top of a steep climb. They're really quite picturesque and I loved standing here watching the water pouring over and listening to the sound as it thundered past.
The final image today is of Hollybush Spout. I don't know where the name comes from but what I like about this section is the way the rock face to the left of the image has been eroded and there is a significant indent showing just how much force comes over the falls.
Tomorrow I will post a few more pictures of other falls further along the trail so if you like these pictures be sure to come back tomorrow.
So I have finally got around to some of the pictures of waterfalls from Ingleton. I have some nice shots of the cascades and of Thornton Force but while watching the first of the main falls (Pecca Falls) I decided to experiment with different shutter speeds to capture the spray at the edge of the main falls. By using a shutter speed of 1/80 or 1/100 I found that it got the effect I wanted with the droplets having the appearance of shooting stars or the flying sparks of fireworks. I am really pleased with these pictures and hope you will be too.
These three pictures are of the same section of a footbridge across a river but taken from different angles and so they look like completely different things. The first picture looks as though it is upright rather than horizontal, it is smooth and shiny from the wear of many feet passing on it. The second shot although of the same section of the bridge is more angular and the texture changes as you look from left to right. My favourite shot is the third one, I like the perspective and the way the focus changes the further into the image that you look.
Just one picture for today, it is of a rocky outcrop on the path at Ingleton. As I walked up the path my first impression of this was that it looked a bit like the face of Mufasa in Disney's The Lion King but at second glance I wasn't so sure. Either way there is quite clearly a face in this picture and so I thought it was an interesting shot to share.
This week I have been off work again and although I had stuff to do around the house some of the week I did manage to get out with my camera twice and I have a nice selection of pictures to keep me going for a while.
On Wednesday I couldn't decide what to do until a friend suggested that I take a trip up to Ingleton Falls in Yorkshire where you can walk around a 4 - 5 mile trail by some quite spectacular waterfalls. I had been many years ago when my children were small and before I had a decent camera too so I packed my gear into the car and headed off in the hope of good weather and some great images.
Well the weather was really good and I will leave it to you to decide about the images but thanks to my friends suggestion I had a great day out and got some much needed time with my camera in the countryside.
So I can tell you will be wondering, if it was a waterfall trail where are the pictures of waterfalls? All in good time; because as much as I want to share them I also have other shots that I think are interesting and that deserve a spot here on my blog. I am also excited about the pictures I took on my other day out in Snowdonia but I am going to have to wait to share those too.
The pictures I have chosen for today are of the Money Tree, a feature along the riverside path at Ingleton. I remember this from my first visit all those years ago and how at that time we hammered a coin into the tree with the children. Now there seems like there is no room for any more money and people have taken to hammering coins in an adjacent tree trunk.
I don't know how or why this tradition started but it is an interesting feature, there is a similar one at Bolton Abbey and I recall adding my own coins to that one on my last visit. I really like the way the coins follow the contours and the grain in the bark, I like the texture it creates and I like the colours as the coins have become worn and weathered.
So today I have a question for you, can you tell which of the above images are reflections and which are not?
Obviously the second and third pictures are reflections, but what about the other two?
Well the truth is all four pictures are reflected images of trees along the banks of the canal. It was remarkably calm in places and so the reflections have a really clear quality and actually make better images than the trees themselves.
