Sedbergh, New Year's Day, Cumbria, Winter
Happy New Year everyone!
Happy New Year everyone!
I hope you all had a merry time with those you love (which can also just be yourself). What are your goals for 2023? Let’s hope this year’s a little more… boring, shall we say?
To kick of 2023, Lisabet and I ventured east to Sedbergh. It’s been raining a lot in December, but we were hoping there’d be a teeny little break in the rain around lunchtime. And, incidentally, we had a table booked at the gorgeous Dalesman Country Inn for a New Year’s Sunday Roast.
We picked a trail that ran past the famous Sedbergh School, and down towards the River Rawthey. Here you join the Dales High Way and head east, past the Pepperpot and the ruins of Akay House, all the way to the New Bridge and back into Sedbergh, ready for a Sunday Roast.
Ultimately, we still got wet. But I did manage to get a few decent shots.
All photos taken on my Fujifilm X-T2 using my Vivitar “Series 1” 28‒105mm f2.8‒3.8 zoom lens. RAWs developed in Capture One for iPad, then tweaked and finished in Pixelmator Photo for iPad and Affinity Photo 2 for iPad.
Sedbergh, New Year's Day, Cumbria, Winter by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Sedbergh’s full of these beautiful little yards and alleys that are always so photogenic.
Plenty of Sedbergh’s yards are still cobbled, too. In the distance you can just make out the now-rusty hues of the southern Howgills.
The graveyard of St. Andrew’s Church as you head towards the grounds of Sedbergh School. The present church dates from around 1500AD, but material from earlier churches here have been incorporated into the current building.
Over towards Baugh Fell (678 m/2,224 ft), the heavens opened and dumped their liquid shipment all over the fell.
Just up the river bank along the Dales High Way is the Pepperpot. The story of its origin has been lost in the mists of time. One legend states that it was constructed as an isolation house for a local land owner’s daughter who had Tuberculosis. The ruins of this building were reconstructed in 2019 and the building has been given to the local community.
As the Pepperpot is perched on an isolated drumlin, it enjoys lovely views around Sedbergh. I enjoyed the way the trees and drystone walls created wandering lines across the frame all the way up to Holme Fell on the left.
A vertical photo of the same compositional idea.
Across the valley towards the Howgills, Arant Haw catches a little bit of afternoon winter light.
Into Akay Woods, a piece of mosaic flooring and a couple of these stone archways are all that remains of Akay House.
Before the heavens opened up again, I managed to sneak a clear view of the Howgills from the Rawthey footpath. The members of the Howgills seen here, from left to right, are Crook (461m/1,513ft), Sickers Fell (498m/1,633ft), and Knott (429m/1,407ft).
After all the rain we’ve had, the River Rawthey was absolutely gushing with water. At the weir near New Bridge, the curves of the weir and the water caught my eye and I lined up a composition. Turned out quite nice!
Paused at New Bridge to snap these mossy branches above a raging River Rawthey.
Did you enjoy these photos?
Sedbergh, Yorkshire Dales, Summer
After Saturday’s hike around Cunswick Fell for some glorious summer scenes, we sought more near the beautiful town of Sedbergh.
After Saturday’s hike around Cunswick Fell for some glorious summer scenes, we sought more near the beautiful town of Sedbergh.
I’ve commented before about the beauty of the Howgills and how Lisabet and I have barely touched them. The comely bumps and folds of these hills will see more of our footsteps in due course. But for this occasion I found a lovely hike that took us up towards the foot of the Howgills, through a couple of farms, and across some incredible wildflower meadows. We then joined the River Rawthey near Buckbank Farm and followed the river all the way back to the town.
A nice 5-mile circular, all in all.
Conditions, light, and scenes could not have been more cooperative for photography. The wildflower meadows beneath the Howgills were glorious.
All photos taken on my Fujifilm X-T2 with my Samyang 35mm f/1.2 lens. Images were made 80% in-camera using a customised Velvia film simulation, with minor edits in Lightroom and Affinity Photo afterwards.
The first of many wildflower meadows above Sedbergh we encountered, with Middleton Fell (609 m/2,000 ft) in the distance.
In the next field a few young bullocks and cows were giving us an inquisitive stare or two. We gingerly navigated around them, giving them plenty of room, but I did manage to fire off one photo.
The views across to Garsdale immediately started to open up. What glorious scenes.
Making our way northeast on the trail towards Ghyll Farm, the fell Crook (461 m/1,513 ft) momentarily darkens under the shade of a passing cloud.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off the sprawling views towards Garsdale. We really do live in a beautiful country.
I spotted this trio of trees with pleasing spacing between them, so I framed up for a composition with Soolbank in the gap.
A field full of buttercups and Knott (429 m/1,407 ft) bulging in the distance. Our destination is the stile over the wall, just to the right of centre.
Just one of many meadows in the foothills of the Howgills, brimming with buttercups. Above, clouds pass over Baugh Fell (678 m/2,224 ft), painting their own shadows onto the hill.
I paused at the top of climbing over the stile to capture this expansive and awe-inspiring view of Baugh Fell and Garsdale, with the characteristic drystone walls of Northern England and a horse grazing for good measure.
Some of the farm houses underneath the Howgills are a good two or three centuries old.
I largely don’t bother with focus stacking anymore. Opened this one all the way to f/1.2, focused on the fell and let the lens do the rest. All the buttercups. This would make a good smartphone wallpaper, actually.
After navigating through Stone Hall Farm we aimed for Buckbank Farm, which would allow us to join the River Rawthey. But not before taking a photo of this frankly ridiculous scene towards two of the southern Howgills, Crook and Knott, with meadows full of buttercups.
Approaching Ellerthwaite Farm, which would lead us to Buckbank and thus the River Rawthey.
Following on from Buckbank Farm we joined the bridleway southwest, which broadly follows the River Rawthey. Our next destination to look out for was Straight Bridge, which we would climb underneath to stay on the bridleway towards Sedbergh.
I always enjoy cows and bulls giving me The Stare…
Cows, trees, the Howgills, and fluffy clouds. A true Northern English summer country scene.
An interesting tree stump provided me with a lovely subject to frame in this composition.
The farm of Scrooge House with its fields of buttercups and the Howgills behind.
After pausing for a spot of packed lunch, we followed the bridleway by the river all the way towards New Bridge.
A rich and vibrant scene of summer colour I spotted by one of the becks that flows into the River Rawthey.
The way back to Sedbergh town. You’ve got to admit, it’s a proper lovely town, isn’t it?