Kielder

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