Messing About in Boats

Derwent Water, near Keswick is a spot that I always enjoy visiting. On my recent visit I was tempted to take a boat out and enjoy the lake from a different perspective but in the end I settled for a walk along the shore.

Cat Bells and Skiddaw

Here are a couple of atmospheric morning views of the fells around Derwent Water taken from the jetties at Keswick.

The first shot was taken in black and white partly because there was very little colour in the shot anyway but also because I really like the effect particularly as it emphasises the smoky quality of the wispy clouds. I have added a slight coloured hue to the finished image just for a bit of warmth. The snowy peak in the background is Skiddaw which is 931 metres high. 

Skiddaw is an unusual name and I was chatting to someone the other day and together we wondered who names the fells and mountains and what the names might mean. I have done a little bit of research and courtesy of wikipedia it seems the name Skiddaw is derived from Old Norse skyti or skut + haugr which means "archers hill" or "jutting crag hill", an alternative version offers the word skitr meaning "dung, filth or shit", which would give the full meaning "shit hill" which doesn't really seem fair given that it is a stunning feature of the landscape. I do have some colour shots to share at some point because the sun did eventually come out and then you will see just how stunning it is.

The second image is taken looking towards Cat Bells which is partially obscured by the trees. I love the stillness of the water and the reflections of the wooden jetties and the trees surrounding the boathouse on the island. Cat Bells is about half the height of Skiddaw (around 431 metres) and it gets its name from the term "Cat Bields" meaning shelter of the wild cat, not that there will be any wild cats there now.

The snowy peak in the background to the right of this image is Causey Pike which at 637 metres is quite a modest peak. I don't know how it got its name so I cannot help there.

Skiddaw from Derwent Water

I was up fairly early after a cold night under the stars and got down to the shores of Derwent Water before the crowds arrived and before the sun got too high in the sky. I think it was well worth it too because the view was stunning and I was able to get some nice undisturbed shots ( I wasn't so lucky later in the day at Castlerigg but that's another story).

When I arrived here there was another photographer setting up his gear. He really was committed to his art as he had his tripod set up in the water and he was dressed in waders so he could get the perfect angle for the shot. With the blues sky, thesnowy capped peaks of Skidaw reflected in the cold lake and the highly varnished lake cruiser being prepared for its days work I think there was a perfect combination for a stunning image.

I wasn't as well prepared (at least not to get wet) as my fellow photographer but I was equally as committed. To get this shot I needed to go out onto a jetty into the lake. It was closed off and there were signs warning against using the jetty as it was under repair. I wasn't going to let that stop me though and decided that it was worth the risk if I could get a great shot.

In my opinion the risk paid off, what do you think?