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.

Part Of The Circle

As well as shooting pictures of the whole stone circle at Castlerigg I selected this stone for special treatment. I loved the colour and shape of the stone and from this perspective I think it makes a great image.

The stones at Castlerigg have been standing for around 5000 years and when they were erected they must have served a purpose, perhaps for a ritual with some spiritual meaning. Now they are cold, abandoned and mysterious. But a closer look at the stones show them to be host to colonies of moss and lichens which give them rich tapestry of layers of colour and texture.

Stone Circle

Last week I posted some black and white images of the stone circle at Castlerigg. They were taken in the morning, before the sun had broken through the clouds and they are dramatic and powerful images of a truly amazing place.

After I left I went down to Keswick and then drove in a loop taking in the Honister and Whinlatter Passes stopping to get some great landscape shots before heading back to Castlerigg where I was blessed with another chance to photograph this magical and inspiring spot before heading home. 

The light in the early afternoon was perfect and the snow covered fells look superb, the sunlight on the stones gives them a warm, almost golden glow in stark contrast to the cold grey of the morning.

When I was a child growing up in the south of England I had seen pictures of the lake district but it seemed so far away and it always seemed unlikely that I would ever get the chance to visit. Now I live just a couple of hours away and so I can visit pretty much whenever I want. Even though it is no longer "out of reach" it still remains a place of wonder and I have lots of great memories from days out walking in the forests and fells or camping trips, memories that I will treasure. 

For Ben and Cat

So yesterday's post was a bit on the serious side and I promised that today I would share something a little more upbeat. When I said that I had no idea what I would choose but as things turned out the perfect opportunity came up right at the start of my photo shoot today.

With the promise of clear skies and knowing that there would be plenty of snow on the lakeland fells I decided to head up to Castlerigg in the hope of capturing a beautiful sunrise. I nearly abandoned this plan on the journey up due to really hard driving rain but I was so keen to get some good pictures I carried on.

I arrived at Castlerigg shortly after sunrise but as you can see from these pictures it was grey and overcast with no sign of the sun so I chose to shoot in Black and White as it better captures the mood of this wonderful site.

When I arrived I was greeted by a young couple Ben and Cat who had travelled up from London to see some snow and they had gone to Castlerigg just as I had to experience the sunrise. They were clearly taken by the magical atmosphere of this 5,000 year old stone circle standing in the shadow of the majestic fells and in spite of the damp and cold, and  the lack of sun they were happy to sit within the stones and absorb the essence and the history that can be felt here especially when you have the place to yourself.

Ben and Cat were so open and friendly and chatting with them was the perfect start to my day. I promised them that I would dedicate my blog post to them and that is what I have done. Thank you both for such a friendly greeting.

I took a number of shots of the stones from different angles and I have picked two for today. With Ben and Cat in the circle I picked angles that would have them out of the frame but as I was finishing up I noticed that from a certain angle this lovely couple appeared to have become part of the circle and if you look at the second image closely you will see that one of the stones is not a stone but is in fact Ben and Cat.

Later in the day the sun did come out and after spending time elsewhere I returned to Castlerigg for a few more shots which I will share another day.

More Than A Pile Of Rocks

The last of my stacking photos, two different views of one and a third which is a combined stack and balance.

I recently read an article complaining about stone stacking and arguing that photographers should leave no trace and while I agree that in some locations it may have got out of hand and in sensitive locations it may be irresponsible and damaging to the ecology however on a rocky beach I don't see that it does any harm and they won't stand for long before returning to the natural chaos of the beach.

I really like the form of the first stack, it has a birdlike quality and it looks good looking right or left.

The final stack/balance was the most challenging even though it is not very tall, the challenge being to get the two uprights to remain upright and balance the top two stones. It was a relief to have it remain standing.