During a very grey and largely wet Christmas week staying in the Lake District we did have one beautiful day which just happened to be Christmas day. Instead of opening presents and pigging out on chocolates and roast dinner we got up early and did a wonderful walk up Coniston Old Man and around to Dow Crag. As well as being a lovely mountain walk I had some good winter light to get some nice shots. Continue reading
A walk around the south side of Wensleydale.
A circular high level route from Conistone in Wharfedale.
A did this walk to find overnight wild camping locations but it turned out to be a superb walk in it’s own right. The views up and down the valley are incredible and at this time of year the wild flowers are at their best in the limestone meadows. Unfortunately my camera decided to pack up as I got to the best of the flowers – c’est la vie.
Although I’m extolling the wild flowers I’ve decided to convert these shots into black and white. When shooting in mid-day mid-summer the light isn’t entirely flattering and the colours, although lovely in real life, don’t add to the drama. Converting to black and white lets me concentrate on the shapes and textures of the landscape.
This walk follows a fantastic high level balcony that is taken by the Dales Way, with limestone edges for company, with a higher return to the high moorland of Conistone Moor. As you climb the terrain changes and you move through geological layers to a gritstone layer. The gritstone bedrock also changes the vegetation. At the top you can look down over the head of Nidderdale.
The carpets of wild flowers get even better as you get closer to Grassington but this was where my camera stopped working, so no more shots.
I hope to return soon and try overnight wild camping to get sunset and sunrise colours.
This is a classic circuit of the hills above Coniston. Up to the Old Man of Coniston, around the head of the valley to Dow Crag, along the ridge and back along the Walna Scar road. A change in character from last week’s route, the snow was nearly all gone and replaced by ice and frozen turf. Continue reading
Nowadays it isn’t often that you get so much snow in the Lake District. Add in clear blue sky and no wind and you have a perfect mountain day.
Joy and I did a wonderful walk around Swaledale yesterday. Despite a less than good forecast it was perfect walking weather, cool but bright and calm. We were there visiting our friends Richard and Polly at The Old School Gallery in Muker. They’d had their second open evening, which was a great success, and I’d also taken some new prints to put into stock there. Continue reading
Joy and I went to the Lake District for a weekend in Ambleside this weekend. The weather on sunday was glorious with a lot of snow from about 500 metres upwards. We did a walk from Grasmere, up Easedale and back along the ridge to Helm Crag. Continue reading
My last post was Snowdon from the back way, this day was about approaching it from the side. A little-used ascent route, not surprisingly because it was horrible (more later), then the great Crib Goch north and east ridges and the horseshoe route to Snowdon summit.
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This route is a less popular way to top out on Snowdon, with some nice airy ridge walking near the top and plenty of squelchy bog trotting towards the end. Views are, as usual on Snowdon, either tremendous when clear or non-existent when the clouds come down. Continue reading
I’ve done this walk before but not for some time. Starting in Langdale, it climbs up clockwise towards Crinkle Crags summit, traversing the several crinkles then coming back down via The Band.
Anthony Shaughnessy 