Blue in the woods

Unlike in other parts of the country, here in Teesdale we dont have many areas of woodland that at this time of the year have a great show of a carpet of Bluebells. Maybe the soil isn't quite right, maybe the altitude doesn't suit them or even perhaps they are here and I just don't know about them yet.

  Yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited out to a customers farm for a look at their Bluebell wood. The weather was just about perfect with bright sunshine filtering down through the trees. It was only a short visit and the flowers were just about at their peak so I was able to get a couple of good shots. I hope that I will be able to return there in the next day or two with the intention of capturing them at their very best.

Late afternoon on the fells

 Its the pleasure of being alone on the fells with the dogs that really takes some beating. Sure, it is nice on ocassions to walk with someone else but going where I want at my own speed gives me real freedom. So it was on this day where I actually did two walks but the second, started at 1pm meant that I was able to enjoy the afternoon and evening sun on a fine ridge in the North western region of the Lake District fells. A bit of an unusual route once again but covering some popular fells.

Late evening light on Catbells.

Even though I returned home very late it was worth the trouble as the hills in this light at this time of day are magical. More photos from this set are on the website: www.theteesdalegallery.co.uk and visit the On Location section.

Easedale excursion

  Some of the fells in the Central region of the Lake District are not all that high compared to others nor are they very dramatic but what they do have is a great location for observing some of the surrounding giants. Another early start saw me up on the hills on another fine day. Setting off from the quaint village of Grasmere I headed for a route that would take me over five Wainwrights during the day as well as getting close to some serene tarns.

Helm Crag and Grasmere.

On the route I found several interesting locations for possible future paintings or photographs and I have logged them in my notebook ready for a return visit. To see all of my photographs from this route then do take a look at the website: http://www.theteesdalegallery.co.uk/ and visit the On Location section.

Spring Bluebells already?

 Just a short walk this morning with the dogs along the banks of the River Tees from Barney. Once again it was weather more akin to high Summer than an April day.Not only are the trees coming into lush green leaf but to my surprise I came across a bank of Bluebells almost in full flower. Combined with the bright yellow of nearby Gorse bloom it made a delightful sight.

Bluebells and Gorse

There are a couple of places here in Teesdale where the show of Bluebells is rather special and I have made a note to take a visit there in the next few weeks.

Heading to the hills

  Another early start to make the most of this continuing good weather. I had planned a route which meant the early start should give me the best light on some of the fells that I needed to photograph. Unfortunately this still high pressure has come with the drawback of a large amount of haze. Even in the early morning light the effect of the haze spoilt some of the potential for great shots.
 I did come away with a good selection of photographs from what was a good route over Nethermost Pike and Helvellyn with a descent off Striding Edge. More importantly I obtained my target references for my painting project.

Striding Edge.

The full set of photographs from this walk can be seen on the website: www.theteesdalegallery.co.uk and visit the On Location section.

In The Press

 Following the recent photo competition organised by TBI I had to pop over to collect my runners up prize in Hartlepool. The press release about the event ended up in two newspapers yesterday, The Northern Echo and our local Teesdale Murcury. This is the photo from the NE.

Scafell Pike on a Sunday?

 Usually I try and avoid heading over to the Lake District on a Sunday especially when the weather is pretty good. However today I took a chance and headed west as the forecast for the coming week looked unpredictable. I was on for a long day out trying to obtain as many references as possible for my Wainwright Project. It was a glorious day with good sunshine but with light haze.

Afternoon above Wasdale Head.

I managed to obtain a few reasonable shots so watch this space for the results. To see the route and some examples from the day check out the gallery website: www.theteesdalegallery.co.uk and click on the On Location section.