Sometimes there's magic

I've been up for a sunrise two mornings in a row, not a particular hardship at this time of the year when the alarm's going off at 5.20am.

I was hoping to catch mist at Cawfields and when I got there it was misty but so much so you couldn't actually see anything. I kept on the Military Road and turned off for Steel Rigg, the sky was a wonderful red, and although there was no mist today it was worth a shot. There's a marquee on the field at Steel Rigg at the moment, the daughter of the Hotbank Farm family gets married today and the guests will all enjoy that wonderful view from Steel Rigg.

Took half a dozen shots until the sun started to rise then I headed back to Cawfields to wait for the sun to burn off enough of the mist for me to get a shot.

I drove along the road until I was above the mist, found a safe place to park and waited.

Cows came to see what I was up to but as it didn't involve fodder they quickly lost interest.

There are some wonderful bog areas along Blake Law, some rare mosses and plants grow there.

Being full of water as soon as you get a cold clear night the mist forms. I imagine it has done that since time began and I like to imagine the soldiers of Rome up there on the Wall surveying the mists in exactly the same way that I do today.

I took loads of photographs, mist twirls and dances across the landscape so each second is totally different - parts of Cawfield Crags appear and disappear from view making each photograph unique. The sun came up and tinged some of the mist with a golden glow and caught the spiders webs in the reeds at my feet. It was just magical, I wish you could have been there with me it's something money can't buy.

Catch you later...

www.joanthirlaway.com

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.

Another game of catch up

8.30am and I was out at Once Brewed as requested.

Managed to have a catch up chat with Michael the Ranger until the crew from Radio 2 arrived at 9ish after breakfast at the Twice Brewed.

Off up to Steel Rigg so they could be filmed by for a bit on Look North.

They were suitably impressed by the scene at Steel Rigg, Stuart Maconi is doing a tweet with photographs he's taken along the way.

They walked back and forward for the camera and while they stopped on the top of Peel Crags to be interviewed, I legged it along the bottom track to catch them at Sycamore Gap.

I don't know who planned the trip for them but I'm guessing they looked at a map measured the distance and thought it was an easy trek.

Of course the terrain isn't flat, the climbs are steep and the descents are too, especially when it's muddy underfoot.

Because they were doing a show at 8pm they were in powerwalk mode, way above my speed, so I was taking the flatter tracks that run parallel to the actual Wall to try and get ahead of them.

I'm definately too old for this :) At Cuddys Crag, Mark Radcliffe and his team flashed past without stopping.

Stuart was walking with David McGlade, the Hadrian's Wall National Trail manager, they kind enough to wait for me and so I have more photographs of Stuart.

The publicity they're giving the Hadrian's Wall Path is priceless and they seem to be mentioning everyone they come into contact with ( except me which probably means I was a total nuisance)

Be nice to get back to proper landscape photography, the view never has a deadline to meet, much more my pace.

Catch you later.