I haven't posted anything for about 10 days (I have been working on a calendar of British Birds for 2020) and so I thought I would come back with something special and I hope you will agree with me that this picture fits the bill.
You may think I am over stating things by describing this as the loveliest view in the world but those are not my words but the words of the leading art critic of the Victorian Era; John Ruskin (he was also an artist, social thinker and philanthropist). He described this view of the River Lune as seen from the churchyard of St Mary's Church in Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria as being"the loveliest view in England, and therefore the World".
A painting of this view by JMW Turner described "priceless possession" was sold at auction in 2012 for £217,250
Well beauty is in the eye of the beholder so you may disagree with that statement but I am sure you will agree that it is pretty spectacular indeed. It is certainly a great view of the English countryside. This picture was taken after a few days of heavy rain, local roads were flooded and lots of water was coming off the hills raising the level of the river which was flowing extremely fast rushing towards Devil's Bridge about a mile down river.
In some ways this view reminds me a bit of the view of the Wye Valley from Symonds Yat Rock which I think could compete for the title of loveliest view... but then I would say there are other views that could compete and I am sure you will have your own candidates, why not leave a comment with your suggestions.
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.
Today I have chosen a couple more pictures from my visit to Kirkby Lonsdale last weekend. I had gone down onto the river bank and ventured out where the river widened and went around a gentle bend. I daresay that after heavy rain there would be no chance of getting so far out as I did as the pebbles beneath my feet were part of the river bed.
I was drawn to taking the first picture by the muted colours and the smoothness of the stones as they led me away from the river bank. I also like the second picture with the brightly coloured leaf caught within the small still pool. It is a small reminder that summer is gone and we can look forward to lots of rich autumn colours.
Later in the week I will post some more shots from this visit, with some great views of Devil's Bridge.
Two similar abstract images today.
As I stood on the bank of the River Lune in Kirkby Lonsdale last weekend I noticed the different patterns in the water as it moved, some places it was almost still and in others it was rushing along as it was forced between the rocks. I have tried in these pictures to capture the motion and to me focusing on these small parts of the river it looks like brush strokes on canvas
