So for today I decided to get out and do some hiking, something I haven't really done too much of for a while and I headed off to where my hiking adventures began about 30 years ago in the Derbyshire Peak District.
I chose a circular walk starting from the village of Castleton to the top of Mam Tor and along the ridge dividing Edale and Hope Valley. It was a great day out with some absolutely stunning scenery. The walk is billed as the 10th most popular walk in the UK and although it was a weekday, because it was New Year's Eve there were a lot of other people out enjoying the hills too so it wasn't the quiet getaway I had imagined but it was fun nevertheless.
I decided to shoot this view of Mam Tor reflected in a small roadside pool in portrait mode and landscape mode. I had to be patient because although the water was calm when I arrived a couple of dogs went in for a paddle. After a few minutes though they moved on and I was able to get these lovely reflections.
It was such a relief to see the top of the hill bathed in sunshine because when I first arrived the whole ridge had been enveloped in fog and I had worried that I was in for a cold and damp walk with no views at all.
2019 has ended well for me, let's hope that 2020 gets off to a good start too.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
This lovely view of Ladybower reservoir was taken from the site of the old vicarage for Derwent Village and looking towards where the village originally stood before the valley was flooded.
It was a lovely spot and the light was fantastic. However this spot appears to be on the flight path for numerous airlines as can be seen from the many vapour trails criss-crossing the sky. There was no chance of getting a shot without them so I decided to make them a feature of the picture.
I loved this view and I took a shot with the water dead calm but as I was moving along the water's edge I stepped in the water making a slight ripple and so I decided to take another shot but one where I deliberately created a ripple and watched it slowly spreading out across the surface of the reservoir. While I really liked the image with the perfect reflection I thought the small rock centre left of this image combined with the ripple extending out from where I stood added extra interest to the image.
Along the route around Ladybower reservoir there were several frozen puddles. The ice wasn't particularly thick but it made a really satisfying crunch and crackle as I stood on it and a bit like jumping in puddles breaking the ice was irresistible.
Before breaking this ice however I too a few moments to get a photo. I love the different colours, the leaves held captive and the stripy patterns of the ice crystals across the surface.
Yesterday's picture showed a fantastic reflection on Ladybower reservoir and clear blue skies, bright with winter sun. But it had been at least -4C overnight and in spite of the sun temperatures remained below freezing all day and the shallow edges of the lake still had a thin crust of ice which made a pleasing crackle as I stood on it. I liked the jagged edges of the layer of ice and the patterns of the bubbles trapped beneath and that is what you are looking at in today's shot.
So today I got to go out and play and conditions were perfect.
When I started with my first DSLR my favourite lens was a Sigma 10 - 20mm super wide angle zoom but when I traded up to a full frame camera the Sigma would no longer fit as it used an EF-S mount rather than the EF mount on my current camera body. I have wanted a replacement for some time and having saved a bit of cash I was able to treat myself to a Canon 17 - 40mm f4 L series.
What a lens... It is now my new favourite lens and I am definitely going to get some use out of it.
I went down to the upper Derwent Valley in Derbyshire and took a stroll around the Ladybower reservoir, one of a number of connected reservoirs in the valley and as you can see from today's picture the water was mirror calm and the winter sun (following a very cold clear night) gave a perfect light.
This shot was one of the last of the day although I have a number of good images to share.
Just a word of advice always check the settings on your camera at the start of any shoot, and throughout the day too. Unfortunately I had somehow altered the resolution and didn't realise until it was too late and I have a number of nice but poor quality images that I cannot use. I know I can go back another day but I will be lucky to get such good conditions the next time. Oh well never mind eh! Enjoy this shot and the others that I will share...
These three pictures were taken in Cressbrook Dale, well the third one is actually looking across the top of the dale from Litton but the first two are of the unusual rock formation at the northern end of the dale. (which is where I found the crinoid fossils shown in my blog post titled Marine Fossils)
The feature in the second picture is known as Peter's Stone and as well as the rock that my daughter climbed (much to my surprise) it is also thought to be the place of the last public hanging in this country from the gibbet.
Today's shots were taken around the Derbyshire village of Litton.
At the weekend I went across to Derbyshire walking with my daughter. It was a great day and there were some great photo opportunities.
The pictures above are of what I think are fossilised Crinoid Stems in an outcrop of carboniferous limestone which was at the end of Cressbrook Dale near Litton.
