Thirteen Go Wild in the Peak District!
Friday 13th March saw 13 photographers travel to the Peak District for a weekend photography workshop. On Friday the group explored Bakewell (and its cafes), practised using slow shutter speeds and filters beside the river in Lathkill Dale, and visited Ashford in the Water with its medieval sheepwash bridge. Saturday brought a misty start on Curbar Edge - with some imagination needed to appreciate the views. Padley Gorge with its wonderful woodland and pretty tumbling stream, (more slow shutter work), was next on the itinerary. The afternoon was spent exploring a rather windy Stanage Edge with abandoned millstones and amazing weathered gritstone outcrops. One member took his photography to a new extreme here, (mentioning no names John), but even continued taking photographs as he lay injured on the ground! We ended the day with a scenic drive to Winnats Pass. On Sunday morning our luck with the weather ran out, but some of us still braved the rain for some rather damp photos at Monsall Head and then Magpie Mine, (an abandoned lead mine). We then travelled to the western side of the Peak District into Staffordshire and to The Roaches and Hen Cloud - a prominent sandstone escarpment carved by the weather into an amazing landscape of strange rocky shapes. After lunch at the Roaches tearoom (delicious Staffordshire Oatcakes), we prepared to brave the weather and venture up The Roaches, and were pleasantly surprised when the rain stopped, the wind dropped and it turned out to be a lovely sunny afternoon - but still with those moody skies to enhance our photos. Well done Arthur for making it all the way to the top! A lovely end to the weekend before returning to the bus for the journey home. All in all a very enjoyable weekend of great locations, brilliant company, lots of laughs, much eating, and hopefully some amazing photography. Go to the
Field Trips and Outings Gallery to see more images from the trip.
Dorset Trip September 2019
Seven members of the club enjoyed a trip to
Dorset in September. We stayed in a lovely old Oast House at a fantastic location, (once we found it!), right in the middle of
Weymouth. Wild and windy, (but mostly dry), weather was a photographer's dream giving us stormy seas and cloudy skies. We all particularly appreciated the spectacular Dorset coastline with visits to places such as
Kimmeridge Bay, Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, Portland Bill and
Chesil Beach. The area is full of amazing landscapes and places of interest and our four days there only gave us a small taste of what
Dorset has to offer. Go to the
Field Trips and Outings Gallery to see images from the trip.
Secret Forest
Our recent visit to the
Secret Forest was certainly interesting. The path through the enchanting woodland leads you past gnarled and twisted ancient trees, shimmering leaves and sudden patches of sunlight, and through 'scowles' (limestone rock formations). Photography was challenging in the low light conditions, but the stunning natural features made it worth the effort. We also saw a number of fairies along the way! Then emerged from the forest to an area of replicated iron-age round houses. Refreshments in the quirky 'curiosity shop' cafe were also much enjoyed. Go to the
Field Trips and Outings Gallery to see images from the
Secret Forest.
Lacock Visit
Nine of us enjoyed a lovely sunny Saturday at Lacock Abbey and village. Lacock is known as the birthplace of photography, (Henry Fox-Talbot), and there was certainly an abundance of photographic opportunities during our visit. The picture-postcard village is full of old buildings, with narrow streets, picturesque cottages, a church, three pubs and a packhorse bridge! The medieval Abbey, which later became the home of the Talbot family, is owned by the National Trust along with the extensive grounds. It also houses the Fox-Talbot museum of photography. Go to the
Field Trips and Outings Gallery to see some of the images from the day.