Tarn Hows, Lake District, Autumn
Our new jam is sunrise hikes.
Our new jam is sunrise hikes.
After summiting Loughrigg Fell as the sun rose up last weekend, we ventured out for another sunrise hike. This time we started from Yew Tree Tarn near Coniston, and hiked up through the woods in a ravine called Glen Mary to find a delightful succession of waterfalls called the Tom Gill falls. Following the gill, you eventually pop out at Tarn Hows, where we were greeted with crystal-clear reflections and the sun rising up above the surrounding fells.
We took the Tarn Hows circular trail anti-clockwise to hitch up onto the crags above the tarn known as the Howgraves crags. Lots of cuddly Herdwick sheep were happily grazing around the crags here. We then rejoined the trail anti-clockwise before exiting at its northwestern junction towards the Cumbria Way. This takes you back towards the A593, north of Yew Tree Tarn, where we followed the path alongside the road before returning to the car.
Incredible views, peaceful sounds, gorgeous light, and cuddly sheep. What’s not to love?
All photos shot on a Fujifilm X-T2 with my new Samyang 35mm f/1.2 lens using a customised Classic Chrome film profile.
A fairly still Yew Tree Tarn with the first of the day’s light just starting to hit the crags of Holme Fell (317 m/1,040 ft). The last time we saw this tarn was early summer, and it was completely dry.
The first of the cascades known as Tom Gill falls. Starting to get some autumn colours in the Lake District now.
The main waterfall of the Tom Gill falls, dropping 30 ft. This is a vertorama, or even a “bokehrama”, comprised of six landscape frames at 35mm/f1.2, stacked top to bottom.
Looking back to my lovely Lisabet as we continue up the Glen Mary ravine.
Eventually we pop out of the ravine onto Tarn Hows, with crisp reflections and golden sunrise light.
Perfect reflections of the south bank of Tarn Hows.
Another vertorama comprised of three landscape shots at 35mm/f1.2, stacked top to bottom, showing the glowing woods we came out of.
A beautiful Herdwick ewe, giving me that characteristic quizzical and curious look from her perch.
As we climb up the crags above Tarn Hows another Herdwick ewe emerges from the bracken, giving me a look. Behind her is the glowing face of Wetherlam (763 m/2,502 ft).
One or two people have arrived on the Tarn Hows trail as more sunlight illuminates the fells and woodlands. High above is the Old Man of Coniston or Coniston Old Man (802 m/2,632 ft), the highest of the Coniston fells and once the highest peak in Lancashire before the formation of the county of Cumbria.
The Langdale Pikes peep just above the woods around Tarn Hows. This is a 4-shot vertorama, stacked top to bottom, at 35mm/f1.2.
Looking down to Tarn Hows from the crags above it. Beyond are the Grasmere Fells.
An 8-shot vertorama, highlighting this naked tree as it catches the light.
Another flock of Herdwicks grazing in the woods around Tarn Hows, with the rising sun breaking through the canopy.
We exit the Tarn Hows circular trail onto the Cumbria Way, which rises gently towards the A593. Along the way we’re treated to sweeping views of the Coniston Fells and their autumn colours. This is a 3-shot vertorama, stacked top to bottom, each shot a landscape frame at 35mm/f1.2.
Where there’s a winding dry stone wall, there I am trying to photo a composition.
On the way back home we stop off at Staveley for a bacon butty and a flat white at More? Bakery.
She loves a good brew.
Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, Autumn
In all my time of living in Cumbria I’ve never properly checked out Appleby-in-Westmorland.
In all my time of living in Cumbria I’ve never properly checked out Appleby-in-Westmorland.
Today we rectified that.
Appleby-in-Westmorland is a small town located in the northeast of the historic county of Westmorland. Whilst Kendal was the major trade town of historic Westmorland, Appleby was the county town and administrative centre where the Assize Courts met.
As a result, Appleby has a different atmosphere compared to Kendal; the latter feels more modernised whereas the former is much quieter and has maintained a lot of its historic charm.
We took the route to Appleby via Tebay, stopping off at the Lune Gorge M6 Viewpoint as well as the Lune Gorge itself, before arriving at Appleby for lunch and a solid potter around. We also checked out the grounds of Appleby Castle, which was founded in the early 12th century.
On the way back home we diverted off the main road to get another Bucket List item ticked off: Rutter Falls.
All photos shot on a Fujifilm X-T2 with a Fujinon XF 18–55mm f/2.8–4.0 lens using a customised Classic Chrome film profile.
The M6 was the first motorway constructed in the UK, and a serious feat of engineering was required to route the M6 through the Lune Gorge here.
Just before reaching Tebay you can stop off and scramble around the Lune Gorge. Here the River Lune turns south and drastically narrows, cutting out this fine gorge before broadening out again near Kirkby Lonsdale.
There’s a layby off the A685 that allows one to enjoy the views of the Lune Gorge and the surrounding fells with the M6 running through it.
We scrambled down the sides of the gorge to get close to the roaring water for better photos. My lovely Lisabet, here, providing a sense of scale and colour contrast.
As close to the rapids of the Lune as I dare.
A sign of the times: masks everywhere at Appleby-in-Westmorland town centre.
A simple composition of the pillar in Appleby town centre called Low Cross, itself a copy of High Cross just up the road near the castle.
Cumbria is quickly transitioning into autumn and the trees are starting to look real nice.
This is High Cross near the gates of Appleby Castle, framed by some lovely autumn trees.
Inside the grounds of Appleby Castle the views open up and we can peep over the trees towards the North Pennines.
Much like in Wetheral, a lot of the geology around the River Eden—which runs through Appleby—consists of deep red sandstone carved into fantastical shapes.
Up into the grounds of Appleby Castle, lots of reconstruction and landscaping going on.
The way to the castle from the Moat Walk.
Inside the well-kept courtyard of Appleby Castle you get a clear view of Caesar’s Tower, a largely intact Norman-era keep built around 1170AD.
The keep is currently in the process of being made structurally sound again by Historic England after years of neglect.
Appleby Castle was founded by Ranulf le Meschin in the 12th century. Perhaps its most notable resident was Lady Anne Clifford, who took up residence in the mid-17th century. She made a number of improvements and expansions to Appleby Castle as well as other properties that her family owned, such as Skipton Castle, Pendragon Castle, and Brough Castle.
Slap-bang in the middle of Appleby town centre, an area known as Boroughgate, is the Moot Hall, which dates from the late 1500s. The Moot Hall was made to conduct the business of the Borough of Appleby, established by royal charter in 1179. It is one of only a few early town halls that still serves its original purpose of conducting the business of the borough.
Everywhere you look in Appleby you are surrounded by historic buildings retaining a lot of their original forms and features. In fact the town contains 143 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England: 6 are listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, 10 at Grade II*, and the others are at Grade II.
A decorative date stone attached to the Moot Hall, giving the year when Appleby-in-Westmorland was granted its Market Charter: 1179AD.
On our way back from Appleby we took a small diversion to check a beauty spot we’ve been wanting to see for a long time: Rutter Falls. The waterfall is situated on Hoff Beck in an impossibly idyllic location alongside a picturesque old mill that was once used to grind corn. In fact the nearby village of Great Asby was still powered by electricity generated from this waterfall until 1952, when the National Grid finally arrived.
Mallerstang, Yorkshire Dales, Autumn
One of my favourite things to do is to show my Dad new places to hike and photograph.
One of my favourite things to do is to show my Dad new places to hike and photograph.
So on Sunday my Dad came down to visit and we headed out to Mallerstang—perhaps my favourite Yorkshire Dales valley—for a hike full of vistas, beautiful light, and pretty waterfalls.
I think, judging from his exclamations, he rather enjoyed it.
All shots taken on a Fujifilm X-T2 with a Fujinon XF 18–55mm f/2.8–4.0 lens using a customised Classic Chrome film profile.
Hell Gill Force, finally with a good bit of water flowing.
The beautiful profile of Wild Boar Fell (708 m/2,323 ft) with some clear late-afternoon light streaking across it.
We took a route through Mallerstang that I’d personally never done before, from Hell Gill Force and up onto Slade Edge, which is a small limestone plateau that rises above the middle of the valley.
Slade Edge offers wonderful vistas, both towards Wild Boar Fell on the western side and Mallerstang Edge on the east. Here, my eye spies a meandering drystone wall and I can’t resist the photo.
We got some delightful light shows on this hike. The expansive views of Mallerstang, with Angerholme Wold on the left and Mallerstang Edge on the right. In the distance, the North Pennines.
Across the valley to the gashes and crags of Wild Boar Fell, with High White Scar on the left and The Nab on the right, both towering above Aisgill Farm.
A solitary barn near Hanging Lund, below the slopes of Mallerstang Edge. Sunlight escaping from between the clouds scans across the fellside.
Back near Cotegill Bridge, I took this shot of the Settle-Carlisle railway line with Wild Boar Fell above. I then realised that I were surrounded by parked cars and plenty of people, setting tripods and cameras and step ladders. Why? Probably trainspotters, waiting for a steam train coming down the line.
A nice little waterfall near Cotegill Bridge, with some rather vivid yellow spongey moss everywhere.
Last light of the day, and probably my best shot.
Teesdale Waterfalls, North Pennines, Autumn
On the final day of our mini-break we decided to enjoy a proper good hike around Upper Teesdale.
On the final day of our mini-break we decided to enjoy a proper good hike around Upper Teesdale.
We’ve been to Upper Teesdale a few times before, mostly for quick excursions to the epic High Force waterfall. But now we’re fitter and healthier, we felt capable of more, so we parked at the Bowlees Visitor Centre and took in lots of waterfalls around Upper Teesdale.
Upper Teesdale sits within Country Durham near the border with Cumbria, and is also entirely within the North Pennines Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). As well as enjoying the protections of being with in the AONB it’s also a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), for its diverse range of habitats and being one of the most important botanical areas in Britain; Upper Teesdale features a vast mixture of nationally rare flora, including some that are essentially relicts of the last glacial era.
As cool as all this is, Lisabet and I were here for waterfalls and vast open landscapes. Within a relatively small area we were able to visit Summerhill Force (in Gibson’s Cave), Low Force, High Force (from above), and Bleabeck Force. The area is a veritable treasure trove of watery delights!
All photos shot on a Fujifilm X-T2 with a Fujinon XF 18–55mm f/2.8–4.0 using a customised Classic Chrome film profile.
A few metres from the Bowlees car park we chanced upon our first waterfall, which we initially thought was Summerhill Force itself. A pleasant little drop.
After trekking back to the Visitor Centre, then across the road and down into the woods, the canopy opens up and we are treated to the spectacular site of Low Force.
In actuality, half a kilometre upstream, this is Summerhill Force, which drops over a large limestone overhang known as Gibson’s Cave.
The rock here is Whin Sill, the exact same rock found at the head of High Cup Nick (you can read about our hike up to this epic valley here). The rock is extremely hard and resists erosion, forming columns and tessellating block pavements.
Not one of the tallest waterfalls, at only 18 ft high, but Low Force is certainly powerful and a damn impressive site.
Around the falls, the woods start changing colour. Autumn is coming.
You can more clearly see the rigid column structures that the Whin Sill rock is known for. Fellow hikers in the background provide a good sense of scale.
What I love about Low Force is that it’s very easy to get right next to the falls, and really feel the roaring power of the water as it crashes down, carving out chunks of land.
The upper section of Low Force. Just a delightful scene, on what turned out to be a beautiful day of clear light.
Soft light in the woods around Low Force.
After crossing Wynch Bridge (carefully, it’s a suspension bridge built in the 1830s), you can catch site of another set of cascades with Low Force in the distance.
Low Force, this time from its southern banks, with soft light highlighting the central pillar that separates the falls.
On our way to High Force I catch some Swaledale sheep mucking around on a raised boulder.
The epic High Force, and my first time photographing the waterfall from above. The falls plunge a sheer 70ft through the hard Whin Sill rock in the area. A truly awe-inspiring site.
Looking straight down the sheer 70 ft drop of High Force. Definitely a weak-knee moment.
From above High Force and looking back into the gorge the waterfall has been cutting for thousands of years.
We sat right next to the Tees above High Force for our picnic lunch. The red-brown colour in the water is from all the peat the river carries from the moorland of the North Pennines.
Families enjoy the sites and sounds of the Tees, hopping between boulders or pausing for food and drink.
Beyond High Force the landscape of Upper Teesdale really opens up, and we can make out some of the peaks of the North Pennines.
Our final destination in Upper Teesdale: Bleabeck Force.
It was lovely to see so much heather (Calluna vulgaris) in Upper Teesdale.
A dead Juniper tree (Juniperus communis) enveloped by a boulder.
A somewhat rundown farmstead, still apparently in habitation.
Watlowes Dry Valley, Yorkshire Dales, Summer/Autumn
We finally got a week off.
We finally got a week off.
The pandemic, and its subsequent lockdown, has been pretty intense for me and Lisabet. I took on extra roles and responsibilities, with less available work time, and Lisabet’s job changed fundamentally. And we continued working throughout the lockdown.
So we were so ready for a break, which finally arrived at the end of August.
We stayed a few nights in a cosy B&B just south of Skipton, a beautiful market town on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. On our way we took a scenic detour and stopped at Malham Tarn for a little stroll down to the Watlowes Dry Valley and back.
As its name suggests, the Watlowes Dry Valley is in fact the site of an extinct waterfall. The outflow from Malham Tarn once channeled out a deep gorge and powerful waterfall from all the surrounding limestone, before turning southeast and dropping over Malham Cove, in what surely would’ve been the UK’s biggest waterfall (estimates suggest the waterfall over Malham Cove would’ve been 980ft wide and dropped 260 ft).
However, at some point in history, the outflow from Malham Tarn stopped running through Watlowes and Malham Cove dried up. Nowadays, the stream suddenly disappears into the ground 500 m from the tarn, in an area now known as Watersinks. Below here, the stream travels through a myriad of underground caves before emerging above land once again at Aire Head, just south of Malham village.
All photos taken on a Fujifilm X-T2 with a Fujinon XF 18–55mm f/2.8–4.0 lens using a customised Velvia film profile.
It’s clear to see how the river used to flow through this gorge, cutting out chunks of limestone and deepening the ravine as it did.
The gorge deepens and narrows.
Looking back at some fellow hikers, taking photos at the site of the extinct waterfall.
The river would’ve crashed down here as a waterfall before turning southeast and cutting out a valley on its way towards Malham Cove.
One of the limestone crags above the gorge.
The extent of the Watlowes Dry Valley, with the sheer face of Comb Hill to the left and Ing Scar to the right.
After returning back to the car, and then navigating through a frankly overcrowded Malham village, we stopped off at Town End Farm Shop for refreshment. The views from the farm back to Malham are sublime. Highlighted in the distance, you can just make out the curved wall that is Malham Cove.
A seriously beautiful farm cottage at Town End.
Across the road, another lovely farm cottage.
Whilst waiting for Lisabet, I noticed a small butterfly land on plant pot near and seemed preoccupied enough for me to snag a photo or two of it. Turns out this is a Small White butterfly, or Pieris rapae.
Colwith Force, Lake District, Summer/Autumn
The sweltering heat of July is giving way to the rain and thunder of August.
The sweltering heat of July is giving way to the rain and thunder of August.
A lot of this week—especially in Cumbria—has consisted of heavy downpours, with some lightning thrown in for good measure. This has made getting out for some solid hiking rather difficult.
Today, after a washed out Saturday, we decided to throw caution to the wind and head into the Lake District first thing to get some steps in, and maybe some photos too while we’re at it.
Given all the rain we’ve had, we decided to visit Colwith Force from Skelwith Bridge again, because this gorgeous twin-falls is beautiful after lots of rain. By the time we reached the upper section of Colwith Force, the rain really started to come down hard. We walked the rest of the route out of the woods that houses the waterfall, and followed the road back to Skelwith Bridge, getting progressively more damp and sodden as we did.
All photos shot on a Fujifilm X-T2 with a Fujinon XF 18–55mm f/2.8–4.0 lens using a customised Classic Chrome film profile.
Loughrigg Fell (335 m/1,099 ft) is already turning a rusty red. Autumn is coming.
Autumn is by far my favourite season, so seeing all the ferns turn orange and red is a happy sign for me.
A misty moody shot of the Langdale Pikes tussling with the rain.
The Lake District is home to some ridiculously quaint and pretty cottages.
This is Tutsan or Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum androsaemum). As the berries contain hypericin they are toxic to humans, causing nausea and diarrhoea if ingested.
The way to the woods that houses Colwith Force. In the distance the Tilberthwaite fells are obscured by the incoming rain.
Everything was looking particularly lush in the rain.
The twin-falls of Colwith Force, positively roaring with power.
The upper section of Colwith Force. You could feel the sub-bass roaring of the crashing water before you saw it.