Bessyboot

Much of Cumbria is flooded by a green tide of bracken in summer. It isn’t my favourite plant and its a good place for ticks to hide. It usually stays low and I left it behind as I started the relentless slog straight up the steep flank of the hill.

Porth Or, Sunset

Porth Or

Seaside trips are at the mercy of the tides, as well as the light. High tides aren’t so useful as I like to see the exposed sand and rocks. The headlands and cliff tops along the coast of the Lleyn Peninsula are lovely but generally just grass-covered, difficult to get foreground interest. The light helped though, as the sun went down, and the sky was good. There was also a full moon, which you can just see in one shot.

Porth Or, Sunrise

Porth Or, Whistling Sands

The strange long run of hot and sunny weather has been making it easy to plan overnight wild camping trips. I chose the seaside this time because the hazy air isn’t so good for mountain views and anyway, I just like the seaside.

Crimpiau – part 2

I think I’m getting better at wild camping as I slept well again (by bivvy-bag standards, at least). A very calm and warm night helped. I got up to a promising sky with a rainbow of colour on the horizon. The air was much clearer after the haze of the evening with a nice bit of mist trapped in the valley above Capel Curig below. There was also a tiny half moon, which looks even tinier in my wide-angle photographs.

Crimpiau – part 1

Crimpiau is a minor top in Snowdonia, an eastern outlier of the Carneddau. It’s only about 450m high but has one of the best views in North Wales that takes in the three highest ranges – Snowdon, the Glyders and the Carnedds. It’s quiet (I didn’t see anyone else the whole time I was there) and has lovely shapes and textures in the foreground.

Penllech Beach

Moon setting over Penllech Beach shortly before dawn

Revisiting a location doesn’t always work well. Sometimes it means you’re better prepared but often, especially if conditions were exceptional last time, it’s just disappointing. I went to Penllech Beach on the Lleyn Peninsula, North Wales, last week for an overnight wild camping trip.

The Heights – part 2

The Glyders from Yr Arddu

The morning after the night before (see Part 1), half past four, and the alarm wakes me up after a surprisingly good night’s sleep. Everything is wet, covered in dew and condensation but the cameras and my boots were well wrapped up.