These three shots were taken along the impressive Whinlatter Pass which after a drive through the Honister Pass was actually quite refreshingly easy. I didn't stop to take pictures along the Honister pass as the conditions were quite scary and when I reached the end of the pass there were signs warning that from that direction (the Buttermere end) the road was closed.
Along the Whinlatter pass however it was a bit clearer and while snowy and icy in places it was nowhere near as difficult and the views as you can see were spectacular.
I really really love this picture. I had pulled into a little car park alongside Derwent Water to eat my lunch and looking back I saw this magnificent view. I took a number of shots from slightly different vantage points and I watched this cloud slowly moving towards me across the lake.
I love the colours in the sky and in the reflections, I love the pristine snow on the slopes of Skiddaw and I love the way the cloud appears to hang so low in the sky giving a great sense of perspective to the overall image.
I am especially pleased to have captured this image because as I clicked the shutter first time nothing happened, my memory card was full and unusually for me I didn't have a spare with me. I almost decided that my day's photography was at an end but determined to capture what is one of the best shots of the day I scrolled through my card and deleted a number of images I had taken earlier in the day. I think you will agree that was a good decision. I think you can also see why, like so many other people I am so drawn to the Lake District and why I always have my camera with me.
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.
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?
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.
