The golden hour

Another sunrise, it's coming over the horizon at
about 6.10am now so it's not quite as much of a struggle to get up early.
A clear sky with stars everywhere except right in front of me, meaning the sun was coming up through a big dark cloud.
I climbed up to the viewpoint on Winshields Crag (NY743675) and enjoyed the gentle sounds of a morning coming to life. The sky coloured up in a subtle watercolour effect and I happily recorded the scene.
From here you get a panoramic view to the east, over Crag Lough, Hotbank Crag, way over to Sewingshields and beyond. It's a great spot but because people generally walk the Wall from east to west, people simply don't turn around and miss out.
Then it all seemed to be over and I headed down the hill thinking of breakfast, but, as often happens, the light changed.
I did a very quick about face and headed back up the hill at as fast a pace as I can manage, arthritic knees and all, every step of the way I'm repeating my mantra to the light, 'please wait, please, please wait'.
I passed the two lambs at a trot and was amazed when I got my tripod set up to find them posing so nicely for me, probably stunned by my antics.
It's always difficult shooting photographs straight into the sun, you always get flare, I carry a bit of black card to shield the lens, sometimes it works and with this shot here I had only one intrusive flare spot to clone out. But the Wall is just so beautiful bathed in golden light I just had to try to capture it.
I took loads of shots, a big flock of finches were landing on the Wall then flitting up into the light like sparkling butterflies, moving to quickly for the camera shutter speed to record them, but beautiful to see.
Thank goodness for digital at least I can take photographs with a chance they'll work, it seems to me you have so much more latitude than was ever available with film.
I love being out when the world wakes up and usually I'm alone but I could see another photographer high up on Peel Crags. When I got back down to the car park at Steel Rigg I stopped for a chat with his wife. I think maybe my car coming into the car park had woken them up, he's a professional photographer called Don Bishop from Somerset, and I look forward to seeing what he managed to get of our bit of Northumberland - he's also a renowned steam train photographer and author of several books.
http://www.steamrecreations.co.uk/
There was another Pro photographer at Steel Rigg but he was still asleep in his tent (camping on the overspill car park - and you all know what I think of that sort of behaviour!)
until we woke him up gossiping. He obviously wasn't a morning person and was grumpy, but then you do meet all sorts on Hadrian's Wall.
Catch you later :)

Sewingshields

Nice sunny day on Tuesday so I took the chance to get out in the fresh air and headed off to Sewingshields Crag.

It's coming to the end of the school holidays and everyone seems to have headed up here to Hadrian's Wall at the first hint of sunshine, the car park at Housesteads was completely full, fortunately I know of a space not to far from Sewingshields and managed to park.

It's a steady climb up to Kings Wicket, the hay had been baled up in rolls and I spent some time trying to get a picture against the blue sky, but the angles were wrong. Grass hay doesn't have the same wow factor that a nice straw roll has does it?

Once up on the Hadrian's Wall Path I was amazed at the numbers of people about, this is usually one of the quieter spots, but in an hour I must have been passed by thirty or forty people.

Great news for the local economy.

(But here comes the grumpy bit!)

I was, however, dismayed by the numbers of people climbing over the Wall, it seems the signposts at Kings Wicket and Kennel Crag by the wicket gates need to be clearer. Folk were going through these gates, which are for the Penine Way, discover they're on the wrong side of the Wall and instead of retracing their steps they climb over.

At this point the Wall is also a field boundary and I wonder how these folk would feel if someone went climbing over their garden fence -I'm sure they'd object.

Of course if they'd been watching the Look North programme the other night they'd have seen Paul Paxton on one of his 'great short journeys' out at Cawfields and standing on the Wall - not setting a good example.

A real autumnal feel in the air now, where has the year gone?

Soon my season for sunset shots will begin as the sun moves back around towards the line of the Wall.

It's a lovely season with low light and gorgeous colours, already the trees are laden with berries, are we in for a snowy winter I wonder?

Catch you later.

The High Point

I've been treating myself to one of those fancy 'flashing light' spirit levels for my camera, so needing to give it a try out I headed off to Winshields Crag (NY742675)
It's the highest point on Hadrian's Wall and the views are spectacular in every direction.
You park in the Steel Rigg car park, and as it's still the main holiday season the car park was full with the overspill field in use.

(By the way I should mention, the car parking charge is £3 a day but you can go from Walltown to Housesteads and points in between on that one pass -BUT if you're coming for a week get the £8 pass from the Once Brewed Visitor Centre it's much better value)
Back to Winshields, head back out of the car park, turn right over the wall stile and head up the field.

I've noticed there are loads of butterflies warming themselves on the stones of Hadrian's Wall and plenty of wild flowers for nectar, on Thursday there were also masses of black flying insects!

A couple of gates to go through on your journey up hill, please do remember to close the gates behind you and latch them properly, the Wall is single skin for a part of the way up although the foundations of the wider Wall are visible.

Eventually you reach a good solid chunk of Hadrian's Wall and just beyond that is the white (well decidedly off white at the moment) trig point. I believe with all the new technology these trig points are now obsolete but it would be a shame if they weren't there.

Had a chat with one of the NNPA Rangers who was doing a survey to see what jobs needed doing over the coming months. It's easy to think the Hadrian's Wall Path takes care of itself but it would be a very different place if it weren't for the work of the Northumbria National Parks Authority and their team.

I love the view east back down the line of the Hadrian's Wall Path, especially using a zoom lens to exagerate the bumps and curves of the land. I stood around for a while waiting for some light, patience is a virtue, and had a chat with the farmer who came up the easy way, on his quad bike.

Then the light came and I spent the next ten minutes running back and forward to try and capture my shots.

There's a new Cafe at the Winshields Farm Camp site, the farmer had recommended the home made scones with blackcurrant jam, so I felt obliged to do some research on your behalf.

I have to report the coffee, scones and welcome were excellent.

Took ages to clone out all the insects and the spirit level worked a treat.
Catch you later.