Been a while

Sorry.
Weather has been awful and I've been suffering from Vertigo - okay that's my excuses for not blogging out of the way.
Gale force winds today interspersed with torrential rain so not terribly promising for photography.
But, the clouds were moving quickly so I had the idea of doing a long exposure at Sycamore Gap, trying to get the tree sharp with movement in the clouds.
I thought that if I could get a gap in the rain I might get some shots so I headed off to Steel Rigg.

Light on the land at Steel Rigg

View over Peel Crags towards Hotbank Farm

For a change I went straight up the steps at Peel Crags, probably my least favourite climb up, at one point the steps are about 10" wide, not good if you have big feet like me!

On top you could really feel the force of the wind, I'd read there would be gusts of 40mph and I could believe it.

I was blown over twice as I went up and down steps on the various parts, no coincidence that the steps are in the gaps and the wind was swirling around there.

I was suprised at just how many people were walking the Hadrian's Wall Path, those walking east to west were walking directly into the wind, many of them had waterproof covers over their rucksacs and these were acting like mini parachutes. Hard to walk in the wind never mind having a drag factor as well.

Hadrian's Wall on Peel Crags

Walkers on Highshields Crag

From Castle Gap west to Winshields Crag

Sycamore Gap

So eventually I arrived at Sycamore Gap, I tried the long exposure but the wind was shaking the tripod and the filter holder on the camera lens too much.

I stood for a while waiting for light to hit the gap, I wanted the dark storm clouds behind if possible. I also hoped for a rainbow, but then I hope to win the lottery every week and I don't get that either :)

Had lots of blue sky and fluffy white cloud shots but eventually my patience was rewarded, with the light lasting for about 10 seconds, just long enough to take a photograph.

As I stood there with my tripod several people sidled up to me with their cameras, obviously believing I know where the best viewpoint was - a tripod doesn't mean I know what I'm doing much of the time.

Walked back on the lower path, foolishly thinking I'd get some shelter from the wind, on a wide open plain the wind came right at me, so fierce that the bags under my eyes were flapping. I kid you not.

I'll end with a plea to please put the catches on the gates, doesn't matter if they were off when you went through, Hadrian's Wall crosses farm land and animals pass through open gates. Thankyou

Wheatears and Winshields

I've had a horrible day for all sorts of reasons, things were going from bad to worse so I decided to get out and walk off my mood.
Off to Winshields with my new compact camera, it's one of those camera's described as a bridge camera with a lens that allegedly goes from 35mm to 850mm.
Because the weather has been poor I've not had a chance to try it out and while it was showery today it wasn't bad enough to put me off.
Climbed to the top of the hill, pressed some button that I shouldn't have and wiped out the battery - it's been one of those days.
Called in to Winshields Camp Site Tea Room for a coffee and got chatting to Billy about Wheatears.

Juvenile Wheatear

He gave me some tips on where to find them so tonight, after tea (TT has been engrossed in the Tour de France coverage) I headed off out again with my 200-400mm lens.
I was really too late for them, found one juvenile fluffed up on a rock but non of the nice males, though I suppose most adult birds will have lost their breeding plumage by now and are reverting back to 'little brown jobs'

I had the presence of mind to put my 18-200mm lens in my pocket and I was so glad I did.
Up at Winshields Trig Point I came upon a technicolour sky.
I have never seen anything quite like it.

You could see for miles tonight, Criffel, the Scottish mountain way beyond Dumfries looked as if it was just a mile away, amazing.

Not much light to the east, just a quick burst on the top bit of the Wall then it was gone.

When I got to the bottom of the hill I looked back and all the colour had gone to be replaced by big black clouds, nature putting on a show.
Now in Gilsland at 9.30pm there's not a cloud in the sky.

Hope you don't mind if I just share one of my garden bird pictures with you, a Nutchatch. We have two adults feeding young although they keep them well hidden in the thicket of the oak tree. I'm hoping they will bring the youngsters down within range of the hide if only to teach them about peanut feeders.

To the heights

Well when the alarm went off at 3.25 and I looked out of the window I could see mists over Walltown Crags.
Today's destination was Winshields Crag, the highest point on the Hadrian's Wall Path at 1132 ft, strangely enough it's not a particularly strenuous climb and it has some magnificent views in all directions.
I always think it's a shame that so many people walking the Wall from East to West are so 'heads down let's get this over with' that they forget to turn around every now and again and enjoy the scenery.
Masses of mist at Cawfields yet when I got to Steel Rigg there was just a tiny wisp on Crag Lough.

Dawn at Steel Rigg

I headed up the footpath on Winshields Crag, it's been kept cropped by walkers and of course the ever present sheep so it's a nice surface to walk on. It's also dry, going through the longer hay fields, full of dew soaks the feet.



Heading up Winshields Crag

At the top there's a trig point, it's badly in need of a coat of paint but I suppose trig points are obsolete now with satellite mapping and GPS.

The mists over Sewingshields Crag were pretty impressive, the smaller hill on the right of the picture is Kings Hill where I blogged from last.

Morning mists over Sewingshields Crag

The sun started to come up way to the north of my position and with it came mists from Greenlee Lough, a nature reserve maintained by Northumberland National Parks Authority.

I've heard that on Sunday there was an Osprey fishing on the Lough, I don't know if it's a regular visitor or just passing through but I shall be going there hoping to see the bird in action.

Greenlee Lough hidden by mists

Another morning of bright light with next to no cloud to diffuse the sun, it seems I can't get enough of those rays though.

I'm using the new Nikon D7000 for these shots, it's a very suprising camera, the exposure is awesome and I'm finding that I don't need to use my ND Grad filters at all. I was waiting for the D300s upgrade but then of course the earthquake in Japan threw all plans out of the window and I decided to buy the D7000 in the interim.

If this is anything to go by the D300s replacement will be amazing.

View from the top of Winshields Crag to the east over Crag Lough

And another of those 'Golden Hour' shots to finish off with.

 From Winshields Crag

On the wooden fence next to the trig point is a small brass plaque in memory of a young man called Darryl

(Daz to his friends) who died fighting in Afghanistan aged 26 so today's blog is dedicated to him.

as always the photo's here are copyright of Joan Thirlaway and can't be used without written permission.

Great Balls of fire

Up early and out for a sunrise.
No cloud to speak of so I knew it wasn't going to be a long outing, once the sun clears the haze of the horizon it gets too bright for the camera.
Although it was cold there was no mist, other than a tiny bit in the Tyne Valley so I thought I'd go up onto Winshields Crag, this is the highest point on Hadrian's Wall so the views in all directions are great.
Sheep and lambs were still sleeping as I started my climb, one of the gentler slopes to my mind.
The sky was beautiful, lots of colours as often happens pre-dawn.

On the way up Winshields, 5.15am on the last day of April

Looking over Steel Rigg and Crag Lough to Hotbank Farm

Looking over Hadrian's Wall to the east, the golden glow appears as the sun prepares to break the horizon

Sun is just peaking through to the left of Sewingshields Crag

Natures Golden Globe, with the Greenlee Lough and Broomlee Lough showing in the early morning light.

On the way back down as the sun becomes too bright for my camera, I love seeing the way it lights up the land and the colours it brings to the sky. If this was a painting it would seem too gaudy.

Bradley Farm tups enjoying the rest. These are the rams of the flock taking a well earned rest after fathering the lambs. They are only used for two years on any one flock as once their 'daughters' become stock ewe's they're sold on.

Back to Steel Rigg and the Blackfaced sheep of Hotbank Farm, these sheep jump over the dry stone walls, obviously thinking the grass is greener on the other side and, their tiny lambs soon learn to jump with them. The way the dry stone walls are constructed means there are hoof holds although their antics do help to keep our teams of local dry stone wallers busy.

I have to apologise for my lack of skills with Photoshop (I use Elements 9), no matter how hard I try I just can't do more than the very basic adjustments. My images would, no doubt, benefit from some gentle (and I stress gentle) HDR work but I'm just not able to do that.

I try to get the images right in camera, using ND grad filters but sometimes the extremes of contrast are just too much for the camera to cope with.

I hope by showing these images I can inspire a talented photographer to get out onto our beautiful crags and do them justice in the way they deserve.

As always the images used on the blog are copyright of Joan Thirlaway and cannot be used without written permission.

If you are planning a trip to Northumberland I urge you to get hold of the superb publication by Northumberland National Parks available as a download

http://www.joanthirlaway.co.uk/

Hadrian's Wall : Winshields Crag part 2

I promised yesterday that I'd upload the photographs looking east, and here they are.
It's worth mentioning that you are walking through fields on this bit of the Hadrian's Wall Path and soon there will be lots of lambs. If you have your dog with you, please, keep it on a lead.

The view east from the highest point on Hadrian's Wall, Winshields Crag

The just mist wasn't clearing, but in the sunshine it was beautiful, larks singing and a hawk circling above my head.

Walkers come out of the mist

A couple who had walked from Housesteads appeared through the mist, they stopped to take off their coats it was so warm. They are walking the Pennine Way in segments, this path has a dual purpose, both Hadrian's Wall Path and part of the Pennine Way.

From Winshields Crag to Highshields Crag

Two high parts of the Hadrian's Wall Path and vastly different weather conditions, sort of sums up how unpredictable this part of Northumberland is.

Always wear clothing in layers so you're always prepared.

Coming to Steel Rigg with the Bradley Farm ewe's waiting for their lambs to arrive.

And back to Steel Rigg

Met a man called John Miles in the car park, he wrote a book about birdwatching in Dumfries and Galloway, the Solway bits of  Hadrian's Wall.

He just said he'd written a book and was now doing another with updates, good old Google gave me the information.

It's currently out of print but I shall track a copy down!

Good job he didn't mention what it was about when we met or he'd still be there  answering my questions :)

You just never know who you're going to meet.

If you double click the pictures you can view them at a larger size.

All photographs on this blog are copyright of Joan Thirlaway and cannot be used without written permission.

Hadrian's Wall : Winshields Crag

Early morning mists started to clear as I made my way along the Military Road.
I'd checked the Northumberland National Parks Webcams and was hoping that the views would be interesting from the highest point at Winshields Crag.
Parking in the Steel Rigg car park I crossed the road to start the gentle climb up to the trig point, turning around I could see the mist gathering behind me, obscuring views that had been visible only seconds before.

I actually love that, scenes change quite dramatically, Mother Nature performing a dance like those ladies, with the huge fans, used to do in the Folies Bergere.

View from the trig point looking over towards Greenlee Lough

Mist was coming at me from all angles view west from the trig point on Winshields Crag

The view disappeared down towards Steel Rigg so I wandered west along the Hadrian's Wall Path towards Caw Gap, I'm quite fond of this particular view although it's awkward to photograph.

Using a wide angle lens to get all of the twists and turns in gives you masses of foreground that's just grass, zoom in and you get the Wall cutting across the picture. Never mind, it does allow you to follow the ups and downs to be tackled when "walking the Wall".

From Winshields Crag to Cawfields Crag, the house you can see in the right of the picture is Burnhead B&B imagine the views at sunrise and sunset from those windows.

Hoping the mist had lifted a little I wandered back the way I'd come, it was a really lovely day to be out, I heard Skylarks and a Kestrel, it felt spring like. People were beginning to appear on the walk and I stopped several times to chat.

View to the trig point approaching it from west to east

When I got back to the top the mist was still swirling, so I sat on a handy rock and just enjoyed the day.

As I took loads of pictures I've decided to spare you any more today and I'll upload  more from this outing tomorrow.

All photographs used on this Blog are copyright of Joan Thirlaway and cannot be used without written permission.

26 02 11 Hadrian's Wall

The most popular spot on Hadrian's Wall is probably Steel Rigg, certainly on a nice sunny day during the summer the car park gets packed.
You do see the Wall from the car park so anyone with a disability can enjoy the views without having to clamber anywhere, and you can get a good photograph along to Hotbank.
The fitter visitors can climb up the rock steps to Peel Crags and then follow the remains of Hadrian's Wall along the the Crags to Hotbank Farm, a footpath goes behind the farm and returns to Steel Rigg on a track running parallel to Hadrian's Wall .
You get the Roman view and the 'barbarian' view in one walk, during the summer months you're walking through hay meadows full of buttercups a beautiful sight.

Here's one I took earlier :)

A November day on Castle Gap.

Although you access Winshields Crag from the same Steel Rigg car park, it's never as busy, maybe because you're immediately heading uphill people are put off making the effort.

Winshields Crag is the highest point on Hadrian's Wall and the views are well worth the climb.



The view over Steel Rigg from a little way up Winshields Crag on a blustery autumn day

There's a campsite at Winshields Farm, just to the south of this spot, imagine waking up in your tent on a nice morning and watching the sunrise over Hotbank

20 02 11 : Hadrian's Wall

Cawfield Quarry on the Hadrian's Wall Path

Most photographers like to use water in their shots, you only have to look at the winners of big landscape competitions to know how it can enhance a photograph.

On the high part of the Hadrian's Wall Path we only have two areas of water that are easily accesible and Cawfields Quarry is one of them.

This is an early morning shot with the rising sun just catching Hadrian's Wall on Cawfield Crags, taken last October so the sun is rising to the south of the Wall.

It's a useful morning stop because the lake here is deep so you can often find mist rising off the water.

Wildfowl don't use it very often for some reason.

Crag Lough

The second area of water is Crag Lough and it's best for sunsets.

The rights to the fishing are owned by a syndicate and from March to October the boats are on the Lough.

You have to cross farm land belonging to Hotbank Farm to reach it, as always please treat the land and animals with respect.

Sometimes the cows will come down to drink or just paddle in the Lough and if they place themselves nicely it can enhance the shot.

From this angle you look west, Hadrian's Wall runs along the top of the crags to the left side of the picture, the peak in the centre is Winshields Crag with Steel Rigg beneath it.

This was taken in September last year.

This Lough also is good for mist in the early mornings but that would be from the Steel Rigg viewpoint.

All photographs used on this Blog are copyright of Joan Thirlaway and cannot be used withpout written permission