Playing catch-up part 3

Six more photographs, one of them taken this morning.

Forecast has, once again, headed towards rain - fortunately even with rain there have been bright spells through the day.

Of this batch of six photographs four of them were taken during the day, and on a couple of occasions I've met up with people who exclaimed with surprise to find me out and about with the camera in daylight hours.

I went off to Steel Rigg for sunrise this morning but it was shrouded in a bank of fog, I hung about hoping the rising sun would burn it off, 15 minutes after sun up and it was obvious this wasn't going to happen so I packed everything up and went to Caw Gap.

You can see the bank of fog hanging over Winshields Crag in my picture here, so I think I made the right decision to move when I did.

Caw Gap August 2010 (NY726668)

Crag Lough from Highshields Crag June 2010 (NY763678)

Rapishaw Gap June 2010 (NY780685)

Sycamore Gap June 2010 (NY761677)

Willowford Bridge June 2010 (NY621664)

Winshields Crag July 2010 (NY743675)

Well that's today's selection, another six to come tomorrow.

Here and there.

Haven't had many long walks lately, it seems like I've dashed out when conditions look good, snapped a few photographs and dashed home again.

Sounds like I'm full of busy doesn't it?
But really I'm not, I just don't know where the time goes, one of those 'age' things I suppose.

We've had lovely clouds in deep blue skies, setting Hadrian's Wall off to perfection, and Walltown always does me proud when there are nice clouds to photograph.

Walltown Crags, there were no planes to leave contrails so Mother Nature provided some of her own!

The volcano in Iceland erupting was supposed to bring rich red sunsets and sunrises - so I headed out to Crag Lough thinking the reflected colour in the water would look good.
I arrived early so I climbed up onto Hotbank Crag, one of those bit of Hadrian's Wall that gets the pulse racing, it's a steep climb.
Evening light is hitting the north face of the Wall right now and there's no footpath up to that side.
No, I can't just climb over it, you can see where people have though and scrapped off the lichens with their scrambling. It's got so bad that the Footpaths Officer is getting signs made to put along the trail asking people not to climb on the Wall. Think of all the cloning out that will intail.

Hotbank Crag looking east

There are new boats on Crag Lough, white ones with blue covers, they don't have quite the wow factor the old mahogany boats had but I'd rather have them there than not.

Crag Lough sunset

One of the resident swan's came swimming towards me, I often see them on the Lough but they don't often come within camera range.

Swan on the Lough

It was an okay sunset but not the big dramatic event I'd been hoping for, nice without contrails though.

So to another day and I'm heading out to Caw Gap, this is one place you can get to the north side of the Wall without climbing over it, it's not a particularly easy path but you're on the right side for the light.

The sunset was shaping up to be a bit more of an event than last night had been, I perched myself on a narrow bit of grass, taking care to remember not to step back and don't look down.

North side of Hadrian's Wall at Cawfields

Some lovely colours in the sky and the sun went down as a big ball, as usual I took so many photographs that I haven't had time to go through them all yet.

Sunset from Cawfield Crags

I started to head back down to the car, it would take a bit longer because I had to backtrack almost to Caw Gap to cross through the gap in the Wall and then retrace my steps on the official Hadrian's Wall Path. As often happens, once the sun went down the sky coloured up with a multitude of shades.

The sky over towards Thirlwall Nicks was gorgeous.

Panorama from Cawfield Crags looking towards Thirlwall Nicks.

The views on the way back to the Cawfields Park were a joy to behold and I kept stopping to snap 'just another shot'.

The moon was up by the time I reached the car, a beautiful sliver of a crescent moon with Venus shining bright beneath it.

Yet again I was reminded how lucky I am to have all of this on my doorstep.

Catch you later.

The joys of early morning

As the year progresses the sun moves back around Hadrian's Wall.

A quick check of the Metcheck site tells me that I have promising conditions for a sunrise shot.

For a change when the alarm goes off and I look outside I discover the forecast was right, so often weather conditions change by the hour, and I'm up and ready to go, keen to get back into the swing of early mornings.

I'd got my timing wrong, should have been up and out a good 15 minutes earlier, and then I was delayed having to defrost the car, but eventually I was underway.

As I was short of time I headed to Caw Gap, from parking the car I can get into place within 15 minutes, so it's a good standby viewpoint for me when time is short.

View towards Winshields Crag

The sky was a beautiful rich red as I parked the car but again these things change quickly, it had faded to a more gentle hue by the time I got everything up and ready.

I took a few photographs, the view here has a great lead-in line of Hadrian's Wall and then follows the line of the Wall as it climbs up to the highest point at Winshields Crag, if my sun position website was correct the sun should be coming up right in front of me.

I stood by the Wall listening to the world come awake, the dawn chorus seems to happen about an hour before dawn as the darkness fades, but the evocative call of the curlew, and the raucous call of the pheasant, helped me remember why it is that I love this time of day so much.

Even the putting of the shepherd's quad bike, as he checked his flock for overnight arrivals, seemed to fit in to the gentle pace of a day waking up.

Pippets and rooks fly before me, too fast to be captured on camera, lambs called and ewe's answered, I take a big deep breath of our fresh Northumbrian air and know what it is to be content with your lot.

Sunrises over Caw Gap

Eventually the sun comes up over the hill and I capture the scene and maybe I have taken the same sort of shot many times before, but I just love this time of day and photography is a great excuse to be out there.

View west from Cawfields to Walltown

It didn't take long for the sun to rise and get too bright for my camera, I wasn't quite ready to go back home so I took the long way back past Gibbs Hill where I could see mist rising from Greenlee Lough.

Road to Gibbs Hill and Greenlee Lough

I'd like to photograph the Lough there properly on sunrise but it's a difficult place to park and one of the landowners gets really ratty if you park on the side of the track.
On this occasion I pulled over took the photograph and then turned back the way I'd come, heading down to Steel Rigg for another quick picture before finally taking the road home for breakfast.

Steel Rigg

Catch you later.

Doesn't time fly

It's been a year since I first started blogging my way along Hadrian's Wall, that's a lot of words and photographs shared.

Looking back I see that last year was a much better year, weather wise for photographs.

I can't remember the last sunrise I was up for although the last thing I do each night before I switch off the computer is check the Metcheck site to see what the weather will be for the next day.

TT has dibs on the car on Tuesday and Thursday mornings but that leaves another 5 days each week when I could go out if conditions were right.

Hopefully we're getting all of the horrible weather over and done with early in the year so a lovely summer awaits us all.

Cawfields Crag from the road

Saturday morning was brighter than expected so I went off to Cawfields simply for the excercise.

Spoke to a man wandering around the lake there with a clipboard. He was waiting for some divers who were coming to do a survey of the quarry lake, apparently there's some weed that grows in the deeper part of the lake that's not good.
NNPA and the Police (didn't quite understand why they were involved) wanted it surveyed so they could dredge the lake and remove the weed later in the year.

Stormy weather over  Cawfields

I wandered off along to Hadrian's Wall, the blue sky was rapidly disappearing and I wanted to get some photographs before the light went. I like this bit of Hadrian's Wall, it twists and turns it's way up the Crag a nice substantial chunk of masonary and covered in lichens which gives me something to look at while I'm waiting for the light to hit the spot I've mentally marked with an 'X'

Lichens on the stomes of Hadrian's Wall, like a shot from Google earth

I set up the tripod  but I was hand holding the camera to take some shots of the Wall stones.  I kept looking to see how the sun was doing, a brisk wind was moving the clouds at a fair pace and  I could see patches of light dancing across the landscape so I was fairly confident that if I was patient it would get to me eventually.

Thorney Doors

Wouldn't you know it just as it was getting to my 'X' someone stopped to talk to me, hardly anyone around as it was early yet Murphy's Law in action again. The guy was a photographer so I explained I'd been waiting for the light to hit ghe stones and would he excuse me a minute while I took the photo, blow me if he didn't walk right into my shot.
Boy was I cross and thank goodness for the clone tool.

Caw Gap

I spent a nice couple of hours wandering along towards Caw Gap, of course at the highest, most exposed part of Cawfields Crag the heaven's opened and I got absolutely soaked.  I was luckier than Christine and Dave from Burnhead B&B who were out for a run and heading home running directly into the wind and icy rain.
Made me feel positively sluggish and I'm determined to be more energetic.

Caw Gap and Bogle Hole

We have a snow forecast for next week, I hope this time they'll grit the roads so I can get out of Gilsland.
Catch you later.

Bright light through the fog on Hadrian's Wall

Woke up yesterday to a beautiful morning, just a light frost with a clear blue sky.
As soon as I was able, I got my camera and headed off to Hadrian's Wall, there's a certain point on the road out of Gilsland where Walltown Crags appear much closer than they actually are, don't know why but they do, anyway yesterday I could see some mist swirling about the tops of the Nicks.

Could be interesting conditions, a couple of years ago I was out in similar conditions and took a photograph that won me a DSLR.

Yesterday the interesting mist turned into thick fog, I called into Cawfields Quarry just in case something inrteresting developed but no, fog it was, just two people appearing alongside the Wall like ghostly centurians of long ago.

Mist at Cawfields

Reluctant to go home I set off to visit the good folk at Saughy Rigg Farm, one of  the Hadrian's Wall B and B's, beautifully situated for visiting the best bits of the Wall.
 
Brad was in the middle of extensive refurbishment works so I didn't stay long but headed down to the Northumberland National Parks Authority Visitor Centre at Once Brewed. 
The best place ever for information on Hadrian's Wall!
It only opens at the weekend during the winter months and Pam was on duty yesterday, I hoped she might have some leaflets about the Illuminating Hadrian's Wall event, I keep meeting people walking along the Wall who have heard nothing about this event.
I thought I'd have a few leaflets in my bag to hand out to people who express an interest in the night of lights.
Guess what, there are no leaflets it seems all the information is online.

Had a word with Peter, he was one of the NNPA Wardens and has recently retired, he told me the fog only started at Housesteads and that the local hunt was meeting at Limestone Corner. I set off east, saw the hunt gathering through the fog which had obviously moved east since Peter travelled the road and decided that I should just give up on photographs and head home.

As I drew level with Winshields Farm Campsite (tel 01434 344 243) I noticed a chink of blue appearing through the fog.

I turned up towards Caw Gap and then headed up the Hadrian's Wall Path towards Cawfields. This is one of my favourite stretches of Wall, the views are lovely yet it still has that feeling of bleakness.

Cawfield Crags

Cawfield Crags looking towards Walltown

The sun broke through, catching the stones of Hadrian's Wall and the mosses and lichens that grow on it.
(My challenge this year is to photograph the various plants growing on and near the Wall)

Cawfield Crags above Thorney Doors

I took some shots, including a group of four walkers, enjoying the fresh air and not at all put off by the varied weather conditions.

A walk on Cawfield Crags

After ten minutes the sun disappeared and the fog returned, never mind I had a couple of photographs to share with you and I went off home happy that my excursion had been fruitful.
It's almost a year since I started this blog and I'd like to thank those few who have followed my ramblings from the beginning.

Catch you later,

Joan

Calm and collected

Well I've just about recovered from the traumatic events of the last two posts.
The decision to sell all my camera equipment has been put on hold and a spell of beautiful weather has tempted me back out onto the Wall.
There's a scrubby little hawthorn tree that hangs over Hadrian's Wall at Caw Gap and although I have this particular shot on my website it's long overdue an update.

I headed out to Caw Gap, a blue sky and amazing clouds, I have a personal mission to get another of my shots onto the BBC national weather spot. They don't say where the shots are taken, so I'm looking for one that is undisputably Hadrian's Wall.
Alas, Hadrian's Wall at Caw Gap is not the best example, in the main it's just single width and in lots of places it's falling down but I entertained myself for a while, trying to compose a shot that included all of the important elements. Harder than I thought!

Masses of people out walking, one Dutch lady passed me dressed as though going to an afternoon tea dance with sling back sandals and a handbag, not ideal for a muddy hike up and down the Hadrian's Wall Path. The majority of people did have appropriate gear and lots of folk are using two walking poles, everyone I asked agreed this made an enormous difference, it's something I shall try when I'm not carrying a tripod.

I spent several hours out in the September sunshine, took masses of 'chocolate box' photographs and came to the conclusion that this bit of the Hadrian's Wall Path has some of the most amazing views, especially to the west.
Two photographs today, one of the wonderful sky and the other looking west along the line of Hadrian's Wall to Cawfields Quarry then onto Walltown in the distance.



Catch you later.

Rainy days

My goodness have we had rain, it's poured from the heavens along with strong winds which must have made walking the Wall a real challenge over the last few days.

There are sections of the Hadrian's Wall Path that get really boggy and if you don't have good walking boots and gaiters you could get into trouble.

I've just bought a new pair of boots, the do say waterproof on the label but I've yet to find a pair of boots, that aren't rubber, that actually do what they say on the label. Still there's always a first time.

I've been waiting for a break in the weather to get out and see how comfortable the boots are, just after tea tonight there was a chink of light in the sky and hoping that a sunset might be in the offing I set off for Caw Gap.

Rather than go up the steep path I followed the track that skirts around the edge and discovered a quagmire.

Took me ages to work my way around it and all the time I could see lovely light on the other side of the crag.

Scrambling up the grass bank I came to a herd of cows, I'm not usually nervous with cows but these had some very young calves. I took my time passing through them, making sure I didn't get between a cow and her calf.

I also talk to them all the time, nothing but gibberish and they do sometimes roll their eyes at me but I got through unscathed, to the spot I'd planned for my photograph.

It was a very windy, I use a carbon fibre tripod because it's light enough for me to carry but in a good wind it's not that stable. Even worse I was on tussocky grass.

I settled down to wait for some colour in the sky and got the fright of my life when a couple of cows came up behind me and snuffled loudly in my ear.

Nothing much happened sunset wise and the cows were becoming curious so I decided to cut and run, well more cut and crawl as I didn't want to spook them. Don't know if you remember I had a bad fall a few months back, that was at Caw Gap as well, and I'm beginning to wonder if it's jinxed for me.

Nice big moon tonight so maybe I'll get a sunrise outing tomorrow.

Couple of Radio 2 presenters are walking the Hadrian's Wall Path and were getting lots of nice publicity - wish they'd brought some of that southern sunshine with them.

Catch you later

And Standing Stones

This area is awash with history but some of it dates from long before the Romans came.

The area around Kings Crag has a real mystical feel and has bronze age remains dotted throughout the landscape, we have Kings Hill near Sewingshields and King Arthurs Well at Walltown. Ancient Northumbrians leaving their mark but now overshadowed by the Emperor Hadrian's Wall. If stones could talk what stories they could tell :)

As you drive along the Military Road from the west you'll come to the Milecastle Inn, as you approach the turn to Caw Gap glance to your left and you'll see two stones in the field.

Like me you may at first think they're simply stone gate posts, left in place when a wall was demolished. It was only after studying an ordnance survey map that I discovered they were the Mare and Foal Standing Stones. (grid ref: NY725663)

There is a public footpath through the field with a stile access just up from the Milecastle pub.

I crossed the stile and started up the field, I couldn't see the footpath clearly, the field is all lumps and bumps of the type beloved by the Time Team guys, bet they'd have a great time arond here.

The walk across the field took longer than I had anticipated but I did manage to reach the Standing Stones before the sun set completely.

Up close you can see they are spaced too far apart for gate posts, and they do have that 'atmosphere' you get around these ancient stones.

It's quite difficult to photograph them, you need to be very low down to get them against the sky and my knees gave up bending much some time ago.

Nice colour in the sky and I took a dozen or so shots from different angles before it got dark. The one here has Cawfield Crags and the Nine Nicks of Thirlwall in the background.

I decided not to go back down the bumpy field but headed for a gate, alas unbeknown to me, there was an area of boggy land between me and the gate.

I plowed straight in, got boots full of thick black sludge and had to pull myself out getting covered in mud in the process.

Headed back to the car wishing I'd left an offering to the stone, have you noticed how people hammer coins into the crevices of standing stones?

I'll be doing that next time, for sure.

From the Caw Gap road there's a nice image of the stones against the sky, they look tiny but I guess a good long lens will remedy that, and there are some nice old hawthorn trees on the skyline to the left making a nice setting for a photograph.

Catch you later :)