Memories

 

I recently took my mum out for a day trip to the Lake District, we went to Keswick but on the way stopped off at one of my favourite sites; Castlerigg. I had thought mum had been before but it turns out she hadn't so t was really nice to take her round and shared some of my memories of visiting. Over the years I have been here for sunrises and sunsets, a lunar eclipse and a comet and I once met a lovely young couple who I photographed sat in the circle as the sun was coming up. Each time I have been I have met someone new and enjoyed chatting with them, which is unusual for me as I normally keep myself to myself. Perhaps there is something about this place that brings me out of myself.

Skiddaw Under The Stars

Camping at Lanefoot Farm in Thornthwaite was quite an experience and the views of the night sky were quite spectacular.

These two shots were taken from the lane in front of the farm. The first shows the snow covered peak of Skiddaw ( Englands 6th highest mountain at 3,054ft). The alien glow to the left of the image is most likely from traffic on the A66.

The second shot is looking towards Helvellyn (Slightly higher at 3,087ft). The orange glow is from the town of Keswick.

Both images were shot using my Canon 17 - 40mm wide angle zoom using a 30 second exposure. This has allowed just enough of the landscape to be visible and to bring out the stars. The long exposure also gives the clouds a soft, fuzzy almost ghostly appearance.

This was quite early in the evening, later on the galactic centre of the Milky Way would have been visible, although from this spot the light pollution would have spoilt the view. I met a guy the next morning who had been up at Castlerigg Stone Circle at 3am  getting some stunning images so that maybe a trip I will plan in the future.

Tarn Hows and Yew Tree Tarn

Today's pictures are a return to the Lake District for a few reflections.

The first shot is of Tarn Hows, there are some really good vantage points for some lovely views I think that on a sunny day this would be a great spot for a picnic after a walk around the lake.

The second image is of Yew Tree Tarn  which sits in the valley between Tarn Hows on the road from Skelwith Bridge to Coniston.

The last two pictures are from River Brathay between Skelwith Bridge and Elterwater which is an area I have visited a few times in the past. A couple of years ago I went on a short camping trip, when I stayed near Chapel Stile and got up at the crack of dawn to walk along the river and take pictures as the sun was rising.  It was a really memorable trip and these pictures and the pictures I will post tomorrow bring back some good memories

Milky White

Three more pictures of the falls at Tom Gill, today we are at the upper levels of the falls and the final picture is just a series of fairly shallow drops very close to the top. I really like this image and have a similar one as the wallpaper on my phone at the moment.

The first and second picture are of exactly the same section of the falls as if you needed me to tell you that. I have taken them using different exposures to create different effects with the water. I really like the first one with the water appearing as milky streaks, but I know that some people prefer a more naturalistic look and so in the second one with a faster shutter speed that is what you get. Whatever your preference I hope there is something in today's selection to float your boat! 

Tom Gill

After a week of pictures from Preston's Avenham Park I have moved on to a different part of the country today.  With the promise of dry and mild weather conditions I headed up to the Lake District.  Of course it being the Lake District the weather forecast didn't really count for anything and when I arrived at my first planned destination at Glen Mary Bridge between Skelwith Bridge and Coniston it was absolutely heaving down.  After a short delay I decided to head out anyway and I walked up to Tarn Hows via Tom Gill which is a series of waterfalls from Tarn Hows down to Yew Tree Beck. 

It was a fantastic walk up the path alongside the beck and I took my time getting a number of shots, so over the next few days I will be posting several more which I hope you will enjoy.

Cloudy Cumbrian Skies

Here we are again, on the edge of the Cumbrian Fells near Millom. Today's pictures focus on the cloudy skies (perhaps a common feature in this part of the country) but over the next few days you will see that the clouds gave way to a beautiful sunny clear evening.

The first picture shows the view from the campsite as I was pitching up around about 4pm. It looked a bit ominous but fortunately it did not develop into anything.

The campsite was along a narrow lane referred to on my Sat Nav as "the alley" but known locally as "the frying pan".  The story behind the name is that about 100 years ago a man staying in a guest house on the lane had stayed out late at a local pub.  He returned very late in a drunken state and then slept late in the morning.  The landlady having had a disturbed night refused to serve the man breakfast and as a consequence he killed her.  He was hanged for his crime in Carlisle.

The second picture was of clouds forming over Ulverston, they were quite dramatic, and I like the way the big Cumulus cloud rose up through the other layers of cloud.

Picture three is looking inland across the marina with a glimpse of the old harbour wall. The original harbour wall collapsed sometime around 1900.  This a result of the old mine workings under the sea bed having caved in.  The current marina was formed in 1905 when the "new" sea wall was built.

The final picture today is more about the shadows cast on the mountainside by the clouds and the glimpse of light breaking through. 

A Lovely Evening in Millom

Today I have spent the day in Snowdonia but the pictures I have chosen for my blog are from last weekends trip to Millom in Cumbria.  

We have some really fantastic countryside in the UK and I had one of the best nights ever last Friday camping at a new site on the North West coast between Millom and Haverigg. There were no other campers on the site so it was really perfect.  Over the next few days I will share some pictures from the trip, including my first attempt at shooting the night sky.

For today I have chosen some pictures of the sunset.  The first is looking across the fields to Millom with the Cumbrian Fells in the distance, you can see Scafell Pike and Coniston (if you know what you're looking for).

The second image I took along one of the lanes near to the campsite, I love the evening light as it breaks through the trees.  

The final picture was the view from my tent as the sun was setting, I don't think anyone can argue, that was a great view to end the day.  After that I got some fish n chips with a helping of battered haggis for my supper before settling down to watch the stars. Mmmmm what a brilliant night.

Devils Bridge

I have a number of pictures of this bridge taken recently, these are probably the best views and I think the last one is my favourite. You can see that it was a very cloudy day and so I was dodging rain showers for much of the time during my visit to Kirkby Lonsdale, but the sky adds a bit of drama to these tranquil scenes. 

This is a very popular spot with walkers and bikers.  The town itself is very picturesque and well worth a visit.