Missing delivery

The forecast was for a cold morning with high possibility of frost and mists.
Mists are my Holy Grail so of course I was out early on Thursday morning rubbing my hands in anticipation.
There was frost on the car windscreen, and a few wisps of mist driving along the Military Road, but as I climbed up to Hotbank Crag and the vista opened out below me I realised that mist wasn't going to be a feature of this particular morning.
Obviously, the delivery of mist to Hadrian's Wall, had gone astray.
Lots of colour in the early sky, I'd had a very early start, I'd dropped TT off at work for 4.30 so I had plenty of time to stop and stare on my way uphill, and to get my breath back it was one of those mornings when I puffed and panted every step of the way.
And it was perishing cold up on the Hadrian's Wall Path, a reminder that Autumn has started and I was glad to have my hat and gloves, also glad no-one was around the see me in  my hat!

So here are the photographs.

Waiting for the sun to rise on the Hadrian's Wall Path at Hotbank Crag

Follow the line of Hadrian's Wall as it heads down Hotbank Crag, passes Housesteads Crag and swings left to climb Sewingshields Crag

Early morning light turns the water of Broomlee Lough into liquid gold

Just minutes later and the colours have changed as more light fills the sky, how quickly things change.

The sun breaks through the low cloud and just catches the stones of Hadrian's Wall

On the way down and one last glance back across Rapishaw Gap to Housesteads Crag

in the early morning light.

This morning the grey clouds are back, I was hoping for better from September, still it's early days and no matter what the weather there's always something to see on the Hadrian's Wall Path. Yesterday morning I was entertained by flocks of Pippits dancing along the Wall stones.

As I passed Cawfields Quarry I saw the missing mist delivery but hadn't time to go and check it out.

Have a good weekend.

as always the photographs are copyright of Joan Thirlaway and can't be used without written permission

If only

I was awake when TT got up for work and 4am so I decided I'd get up, drop him off at the farm, then go and takesome photographs.
It looked foggy but with a nice sky above the fog so I headed for the highest point on Hadrian's Wall, Winshields Crag.
Got to the top in plenty of time but nothing much was happening, some lovely colour in the top third of the sky but it was dull and grey in the bottom two thirds, not ideal.
Decided to give it up as a bad job but then I wondered if the Little Owls would be around at Cawfields and pulled into the quarry car park.
A Dabchick was diving up and down in the water and a Heron took off as I crossed the grass from the car.
Still lots of fog but some of the ducks took off and I grabbed a photograph.

Mallard through the mist

Then I spotted the sun coming up through the fog, amazing what a difference a bit of light makes to a photograph, and I took several shots before the sun was swallowed up by cloud and fog.

Let there be light

I headed up towards the Crags, figuring I was out anyway I might as well get a bit of exercise.

Took my camera and tripod but left my filters behind.

Cows were grazing right next to Hadrian's Wall, they huffed a bit as I approached, I don't think they like the fully extended tripod for some reason, but they moved off the path and I passed by.

One of the Buzzards I photographed last week took off and called above me, crows and swallows swooped and yet again the sound of the farmers quad bike as he checked his stock.

Hadrian's Wall on Cawfield Crags

Took a photograph of the Wall and then one of the brown cow before heading back to the car and home.

How now Brown Cow

Tree in the mist

The fog was still thick at Gilsland, I stopped to take a picture of trees in the fog.

Not one of those WOW mornings but then if they were all great there'd be no challenge to get up and go would there?

as always the photographs used on the Blog are copyright of Joan Thirlaway and cannot be used without written permission.

Kielder Water

Kielder Water is the largest artificial lake in the UK, opened by the Queen in 1982, surrounded by Kielder Forest and marketed as a holiday destination.

 It is also the site of England's largest hydro electric plant.

It's some 16 years since I've been to Kielder Water, and it's another of those places that's just an hours drive from Gilsland, so when  a friend suggested we meet up there it was a good opportunity to check it out.
It's heavily advertised with a super website and lots of sporty things to do, fishing, sailing, mountain biking even a Kielder Marathon.
Ospreys nest there along with other birds of prey like Goshawk, but it's a huge area and chances of seeing anything has to be quite slim.
There is a Bird of Prey centre at Leaplish.
It will be great for star watching and there is an observatory.
However, it's not a great place for photographs despite all the sales pitch and after all these years it looks just what it is, a reservoir in a commercial forest so I'd guess it will be a long time before I go back.
But if you're sporty it might suit you so please read the brochure.
It's a notorious place for midges but strangely on Monday there weren't any, lots of big black flies but nothing biting.

 The Osprey Ferry waiting to take people on a tour of the lake

Lots  of boats

Opportunities for fishing and sailing

 Young Pied Wagtail at the waters edge

Hello Sunshine

From my bathroom window at 4am this morning things looked promising towards Walltown.
Clear sky and a 4 degree temperature should have guaranteed mist, and there was mist at Longbyre as I drove through with yet another Little Owl flying across my bows through the mist.
Got up to the turn to Walltown and it had all disappeared.
I headed along to Housesteads Fort figuring that as long as I was up I might as well get some exercise.
The clamber up to the Fort was hard this morning, don't know why some mornings it takes more puff than others but this morning took a few more breath stops than usual.
Housesteads Fort had some tents up, guess there's a re-enactment group there this weekend, two people in brightly coloured flourescent jackets stood watching me come up the hill, I waved but they ignored me.
Finally I hit a flattish patch and headed along to Cuddys Crag, taking a small detour around the black Aberdeen Angus cow feeding a calf, she had that manic look in her eye so I thought it best to leave them to it.
No mist at all from Cuddys Crag, the sun came up and then it was too harsh and bright for photographs, end of July August is my least favourite sunrise time the early light has no softness to it.

Sunrise over Hadrian's Wall

I must have a dozen similar versions of this shot

One of the cattle tidies up the edges, a green strimmer

Looking west along the line of Hadrian's Wall. I'm standing on the only bit of Hadrian's Wall that is permissive footpath and that runs through the wood at Housesteads.

I thought this was interesting the way the light catches the many, as yet, unexcavated lumps and bumps outside the walls of the Fort.

When I got back to Housesteads Fort I was amused to see one of the 'flourescent jobsworths' had positioned himself to repel any attempt I might make to scale the Wall of the fort and wreck havoc amongst the tents.
Once I'd passed he returned to the shelter of his hut.
The fact that I'm a pensioner with a dodgy hip didn't seem to register, obviously in his mind anyone out at this unearthly hour must be up to no good.

Stopped in at Cawfields on the way home and the Little Owl adult was keeping watch from the telegraph pole, using the car as a mobile hide I got quite close but it's not the most picturesque of settings.

Birds on the Farne Islands

As promised some of the bird photographs I took on Inner Farne and on the Serenity II boat trip.
It's an amazing priviledge to be able to get so close to these wild birds and my only regret was that I didn't go earlier in the season then I could have made a few more visits.
The boat trip cost £13 and it's £6.20 to get onto the Island, free if you're a National Trust member so it's not an expensive day out.
I ended up with a short list of 49 photographs and I've selected a few for you here, the rest I'll be loading onto my Flickr page if you'd like to see more Puffins.

 Puffin, the Puffins breed in burrows and seem to stand 'on guard' at the entrance.

 Puffin in a mass of white Campion flower

 Puffin portrait

Classic fish shot of a Puffin

 Another Puffin with fish shot, they seem to land with their catch then watch a while to make sure it's safe to go down into their burrow to feed the chick.

Puffin with fish

Shag grooming on of the fluffy chicks

Razorbill

Tern

Early morning haze

The alarm rang at 5.20am and I rose to find a clear sky above fog, so I went back to bed, as you do.
But I did get up early and decided to have a trip out to Steel Rigg just to see if I'd missed much.
I was suprised to find a couple of cars already in the car park then I realised, it was the weekend so, people who have to go out to work would be making the most of this fine weekend weather.
It was a strange morning, the sun was a big golden ball but the land was sort of hazy.
Not exactly mist but certainly not clear and the sky just looked grey and uninteresting.
As I was there I took some photographs, but you can get an idea of just how bad it was when I say my total shutter count barely made it into double figures, and it's not unusual for me to have 600 photographs to wade through. I do tend to take the machine gunner approach thinking if I fire enough I'm bound to get at least one hit.
As I was heading back to my car two young men with camera gear came down Peel Crags, they'd been quite pleased with the sunrise ( just as well considering they'd got up at 4.20am to make the journey to Hadrian's Wall) and were heading off to Crammel Linn waterfall.

Steel Rigg and Hadrian's Wall in the early morning haze.

Hadrian's Wall with the crags beyond.

Saw two partridges, which was a plus and several of the Hotbank Farm Black Faced ewe's who'd jumped the field wall to get to the roadside grass, so it's not just us who always thinks the grass will be greener on the other side :)
The day went downhill rapidly from then on, so today I've spent the day gardening with plenty of coffee breaks so I feel rested and basked in sunshine.

Bellingham

A free day with promising weather had us thinking of a trip out.
It's ages since we've been to Bellingham, a Northumbrian Market Town just 30 minutes drive from Gilsland.
I wanted to visit the waterfall at Hareshaw Linn , it's in the ownership of Northumberland National Parks and has a well maintained pathway along the river edge.
This is known as the 'Waterfalls Walk' and there are several along the 1.5 mile walk, only two are accessible for photographs though.

The first waterfall by the picnic area

While the footpaths and bridges along the route are excellent, the views along the river are blocked by twiggy, scrubby branches.

 Lots of fallen trees across the river and while it's a natural environment and good for wildlife it does spoil the viewpoints as you can see in the following picture.

The scrappy saplings obliterate the view through to one of the waterfalls.

At the very end of the walk is Hareshaw Linn and you can get clear views of this waterfall and if you are agile from several different points.

It's an impressive fall and, in my opinion, well worth the walk along the track.

 Hareshaw Linn Waterfall, you know when you've reached it as the path ends here.

Detail in the waterfall

There's a car park near the start of the walk and it's less than 5 minutes walk into the town where there are plently of places where you can get a coffee or something to eat.

The Bellingham Heritage Centre is a museum of Northumbrian farming history and while I haven't visited I've heard it's very good.

It's only 17 miles to Kielder from Bellingham so maybe you could make a full day out combining the two destinations.

If you click on the photographs you will be able to see a larger version.