Travels t’Up North

October - November 2021

This photography adventure has me travelling north to the Yorkshire Dales then spending time at the Whitby Goth Festival where I will be visiting and walking with a friend. Then I head to Northumberland. Autumn colours, dry or wet? - let's find out! Read more

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- Nov 3, 2021, 8:05pm
- ⛅ 5 °C
- Altitude: 196 m
- England Falstone 55.18833, -2.4633355°11’18” N 2°27’48” W
Day 10
Kielder Water Car Park
November 3, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C
Given the weather forecast for the two weeks I'm away, I'm surprised I even got the opportunity to photograph nighttime landscapes. I had no idea what the forecast was for tonight, but just fancied taking the detour to the Kielder Forest area, simply to see what it was like.

I'm heading toward the Northumberland coast and to get to Kielder involves a left turn at the right moment, then a drive of about 20 miles to get to the large reservoir where you are allowed to stay overnight for a small charge. This includes access to toilets but there's nothing else available.

The final part of the journey was a frustrating drive, not because of bad roads or anything, but because there was the most amazing sunset. Yes, it was the best I've seen in ages but there were no safe places to stop that also provided anything useful for a photo. When I arrived at Kielder Water the display was almost over but I snapped it on my phone, which is the main photo of this footprint. But it's nothing compared to what came before.

You can see the car park here is quite large, especially as I'm the only person here. Photo 3 is the view from the van as it was getting dark and you can see the clouds lurking ominously. A short time afterwards though, I was amazed to see the clouds part leaving a wonderful display of stars, one which was even better than I'd seen in Goathland ... by far.

In no time I'd set up the camera and was photographing the Milky Way to the north - a view I don't often take because it's not usually all that visible compared to the view to the south. Here though, it was exceptional. Wow!

At about 8.30 the clouds began to appear again and that wonderful sky started to fade away. A park Ranger arrived a little later to check I had paid for my overnight stay, then I was once again the only person here.

The clouds stayed put but I was pleased I'd been able to see a clear sky while I was here. It was a very pleasant surprise in fact.Read more
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- Nov 4, 2021, 9:24am
- ⛅ 4 °C
- Altitude: 196 m
- England Falstone 55.18833, -2.4633355°11’18” N 2°27’48” W
Day 11
Morning View
November 4, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C
One of the advantages, or disadvantages depending on your viewpoint, is you don't always know where you will stay for the night when travelling in a campervan.

So here I am, in Kielder Water car park having not set the alarm so at 9.30am this was the view as I peered out of the window. A solitary small van with two people preparing their bikes for the day with nothing else and no-one around except the colours of autumn lit by golden sunshine. Later, after I'd had breakfast, I grabbed the second photo before sorting things to leave.

You may think me lazy waking at 9.30, but this place just kept giving and at midnight I was once again setting up the tripod under a magnificently clear sky. I was playing for a couple of hours then, towards the end as I photographed towards the northern sky, the camera started to 'see' the merest hints of pink and green, though to my eyes the sky was black. Was that my imagination, or was I getting the most subtle effects of an Aurora? Who knows, but there was definitely colour in the later captures that were not present in those taken earlier. Spooky or what?Read more
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- Nov 4, 2021, 4:09pm
- ⛅ 5 °C
- Altitude: 198 m
- England Falstone Stannersburn Whickhope Burn 55.16333, -2.4933355°9’48” N 2°29’36” W
Day 11
Too Good to Leave
November 4, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C
Upon leaving the car park, the first task was to visit Kielder Waterpark so I could purchase a parking ticket for my overnight stay. I needed coins or 4G to pay last night and I had neither so I was relieved when the Ranger had allowed me to buy my ticket today.

Kielder Waterpark is just over 3 miles from where I was parked and the drive there was stunning. It was so stunning that by the time I was purchasing the ticket I had decided to stay until tomorrow.

The first photo here was actually the last of the day, but it makes for a good main photo. Part of the afternoon was spent doing woodland photography (this is Kielder Forest after all) and taking some scenic shots which often look great when I take them, but somehow lose their charm when I process them. I'll wait and see.

It's now 6.30pm and outside it's totally dark so in a while I'll look to see if my photography is over for the day. I hope the skies clear not only because I'm in one of the best dark sky areas in England, but because the KP index earlier was 8.33 - I had a brief data connection at the Waterpark. The index goes from 1 to 10 and indicates the strength of the solar wind that causes the Northern Lights. That's really high so there may well be a chance the Lights might appear tonight.

It was fingers and toes definitely crossed but that didn't help I'm afraid. For most of the evening there was the odd area of open sky visible but later it clouded over completely.Read more
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- Nov 5, 2021, 6:03pm
- ⛅ 9 °C
- Altitude: 4 m
- England Bamburgh 55.61333, -1.7183355°36’48” N 1°43’6” W
Day 12
Bamburgh Castle
November 5, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
My view from the window this morning isn't quite as good as yesterday but in only a few paces it gets much better, as you can see in photo 3.

After breakfast I packed things away for my travels and set Google Maps to take me to Bamburgh and, if you've followed my travels, you may know I've been here before, towards the end of the Scotland trip. I wanted to visit again and see if I could get better photos than last time but there are other coastal photo opportunities nearby, so it was a case of go furthest north and work southward.

The journey here was extremely scenic because Google took me on quite a number of small roads lined with trees which were displaying their full-on autumn colours. I arrived in Bamburgh with enough time to park up and be ready for a sunset photo. There was a sunset of sorts but the best of the colour was in the opposite direction to where I hoped it would be. Even so, I still managed to get three photos involving the castle which I'm happy with and the main photo today is one of them - the last one I took when it was almost dark. It's taken from my proper camera because the phone simply can't cope when the light fades - photo 4.

Tomorrow is the last planned day of photography so hopefully the weather will be an aid rather than a nuisance, though the forecast does say gale force wind in the afternoon. Oh dear!Read more
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- Nov 6, 2021, 9:24am
- ☁️ 10 °C
- Altitude: 5 m
- England North Sunderland Seahouses 55.58667, -1.66555°35’12” N 1°39’54” W
Day 13
Such a Day About Nothing
November 6, 2021 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
I woke up to the sound of the wind this morning, though it wasn't raining - yet. The main photo today is a phone panorama through the front window which, I'm sure you'll agree, is another great view to start a day. Then the rain came.

There has been a pattern on this trip, of poor weather before lunch then quite pleasant afternoons and today was to be the same again. The wind howled and the rain poured and some brave souls still ventured out onto the beach to walk their dogs. Not many though.

My morning was therefore dedicated to sorting out competition photos for the photographic society and also catching up on email that had accumulated whilst I was out in the wilderness. However, I was eventually pleased to see things brighten up and a hint of sunshine appear.

I spent the afternoon on the beach, taking a stroll and attempting, badly, to find compositions in the rocks and pools. The highlight was the appearance of a rainbow which I captured on my camera, but forgot to take with my phone.

The footprint photos today are a bit on the bland side because that's what my day has been like really. As I sit in the van and write this, the sky is clear outside but the van is being shaken by the force of the wind. Long-exposure night photography just doesn't work when you have to keep chasing your tripod across the landscape.Read more
Traveler Great views indeed, Rob. The final image looks a bit Bamboroughish to me. Enjoy the rest of your stay up North.
11/19/21Reply
Traveler Yes, I was there but I’m back home now. I must post a final footprint and finish this trip. Already it seems ages since I was there.
11/19/21Reply
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Travels t’Up North

Kielder Water Car Park

Morning View

Too Good to Leave

Bamburgh Castle

Such a Day About Nothing