Northumberland Landscapes - Roughting Linn

Roughting Linn waterfall on the Broomridgedean Burn, Northumberland

Roughting Linn

Travelling around in the countryside looking for viable Northumberland landscapes is an enjoyable pastime anyway but so much more so when you find a gem like Roughting Linn!!

This has got to be our best find to date and at times will leave you wondering whether your anywhere near it at all but persevere and you will be rewarded with a delightfull fairy-tale dell into which the Roughting Linn drops on the course of the Broomridgedean Burn.

Like kids in the sweet shop we explored every inch of this magical place, taking many shots, far more than we needed.

The water flow level was just enough to give us a nice effect but not too much to blanket everything in mist and prevent you getting closer. Blind luck!

Click.

There wasn't a coffee or cake shop here, sadly :-(

The Shot

The light levels were low enough in the dell to allow a slow enough exposure without filters, especially if you composed without the sky.

A quick behind-the-scenes shot, courtesy of Jill

More Info

While we were here another visitor appeared and asked us if we knew where the Neolithic rock art was. Funnily enough we did, it was on our route card for the visit, off he went. We checked it out later, 50 yards or so on the other side of the main path we descended from. They are definitely visible but there isn't much contrast between the art and the surrounding rock, may be better after rain.

Links

Go This Place - Roughting Linn

The Modern Antiquarian - Neolithic Rock Art

Getting There

Just on the crossroads there is a verge big enough for a few cars, park here, cross back to the other side and walk up the path towards the farm, if you are still on the main path by the time you hear the falls then you have gone too far. After 40 yards (ish) you will see a track heading down the hill on the left. Follow this track down the hill and around in a horseshoe until you enter the dell where the fall is. Be careful on the track, as of May 2015 a tree fall has destroyed part of the track and a little scrambling is required.

Northern Landscapes - Jesmond Dene Weir

A view upstream on the Ouseburn over a weir in Jesmond Dene, Newcastle

Jesmond Dene

We were back in Jesmond Dene, Newcastle for this outing. Followers will recognise the name as we're quite fond of Jesmond Dene for Northern landscapes, a jewel hidden away in the heart of Newcastle.

We decided to walk right up to the North end of the dene this time to get some water shots before heading back along the Ouseburn to the car.

On the way through the dene we stopped at a picnic area and "lunched".

The Ouseburn is very picturesque as it flow through the length of the dene and you are spoilt for choice when it comes to picking shots, especially when time is of the essence. However, we simply could not pass this weir as the water level was just right to give a nice effect to the water.

There was a bit of a scramble involved to get down to the river (be careful), and we still had to stand in the water to get a good view upstream, but it was worth it.

Click.

The Shot

A slower shutter speed of around half a second was selected here to try a capture the "flow" of the water rather that the "detail". It came out well.

Shot with a Canon FD 28mm on a Sony A7r.

Links

Jesmond Dene website

Wikipedia - Jesmond Dene

Trip Advisor - Jesmond Dene

Getting There

We parked on Benton Bank and crossed the Armstrong Bridge to entering Jesmond Dene Park at the southerly end.

Northumberland Landscapes - Kielder Woodland I

[caption id="attachment_5691" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Woodland on the shoreline of Kielder Reservoir (I)[/caption]

 

Kielder

On the hunt for Northumberland landscapes again, we headed out to Kielder Water in the Northumberland National Park.

It's a huge landscape consisting of the Kielder reservoir and surrounding forest park.

We had little time here, as it was an hours drive to get there, so it was more of a scouting mission for a later visit but it went quite well anyway.

We started off with the cake and coffee, first this time, in the Tower Knowe Visitors Centre. I know, I know, it's usually last as a kind of reward but we like to mix it up (rock 'n' roll baby).

After food we headed down to the shoreline, time was passing quickly so we only had a short while to explore before heading back to the dam to try and get something there as well. The woodland along the shore is very photogenic and we soon came across the scene you see in the main image.

Sort of "Lord of the Rings" style.

Click.

 

More Info

Kielder also hosts the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park and was awarded Gold Tier Dark Sky Park status by the International Dark Skies Association (IDA) in December 2013 – the highest accolade the IDA can give. If astro photography is your thing you really can't miss this place.

Also, at the heart of the Dark Dky Park is the Kielder Observatory, astronomy facilities at there best.

 

The Shot

Still had to stand in the water for this one but the shot itself wasn't too technical. Shot with a Canon FD 28mm on a Sony A7r.

 

Links

Wikipedia - Kielder Water

Kielder Water website

Visit Northumberland - Kielder Water

 

Getting there ...

Northumberland Landscapes - Warkworth Weir

[caption id="attachment_4680" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Warkworth Castle over the weir on the River Coquet, Northumberland[/caption]

 

Warkworth

We've been to Warkworth, looking for Northumberland landscapes, a good few times, it has an iconic castle that's a magnet for photographers.

This time, however, something was different. The tide was just right to show off the weir whilst revealing a small patch of barely submerged land below it. The cogs started turning!

Wellies were in the car boot so out they came and into the water we went. Now then, I wouldn't recommend this as it was very slippy and the tide was coming in fast, on your own head be it (seriously)!

Getting below the weir afforded a nice view of the castle and village up the River Coquet. We took the shot and got out before the water came over the top of the wellies.

Click.

Drained the tripod then off into Warkworth for a bite to eat.

 

The Shot

As you can see, the water was very fast moving so it took a little while to get the tripod settled and stable and a short-ish shutter speed prevented any movement caused by the tide buffeting the tripod legs.

 

Links

Wikipedia - Warkworth

Visit Northumberland - Warkworth

Warkworth Website

 

Getting there ...

There is a layby off the A1068 (Beal bank)

Northumberland Landscapes - Morpeth Viaduct

[caption id="attachment_4669" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Morpeth viaduct crossing the River Wansbeck in Northumberland[/caption]

 

The Viaduct

A recent spell without transport allowed us the chance to find Northumberland landscapes in the more local area of Morpeth.

Following the River Wansbeck right through Morpeth we found a crossing just before the mill on the Whorral Bank, crossed over and kept going.

To our delight, there was a huge viaduct hidden along the valley. I had heard of the viaduct but was unsure of its location and wasn't expecting to run into it today.

The sun was providing dappled light through the trees and the river was lazy so the refelections were looking particularly good beneath the viaduct.

Click.

One of the more hidden Northumberland landscapes.

The Shot

It was very calm that day and there was little wind to upset the surface of the water. The River was lazy and the clouds were not moving so a long exposure would have provided no obvious benefit.

 

Links

Wikipedia - Morpeth

Northumberland Cam - Morpeth Viaduct

 

Getting there ...

You can park in Morpeth and follow the river or there is a layby on the main road, under the NHS Health Centre as you leave Morpeth, just before you start to climb up the Whorral Bank.

Lake District Landscapes - Loughrigg Tarn

[caption id="attachment_1485" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Late afternoon at Loughrigg Tarn[/caption]

Landscapes

On a more sedate landscapes photographic trip to the Lake District we visited Loughrigg Tarn.

Surely it must be one of the most picture-postcard, photogenic spots in the Lakes.

Followers of our landscapes work will know that we simply cannot pass up a "sun through the trees" shot, so when the opportunity presented itself late one afternoon we had to stop and set up the gear.

The sheep obligingly positioned themselves for foreground interest and the shot was in the bag.

As always, coffee next!

The Shot

Into the sun so the camera was positioned to hide the sun behind a branch whilst still capturing the landscape required, it can be fiddly ti set up but the effect is worth it. When the sun moves out slightly from the branch a flare will occur ..... click.

Wait a minute or so and, bingo!

Links

A walking route

Wikipedia information on Loughrigg Tarn

Visit Cumbria

Getting there ...

We turned off the A593 onto Ellers Brow, parked in the carpark at the top of Mill Brow Wood and walked to the Tarn. You can also drive up Foulstep from Skelwith Bridge to the same carpark.

Lake District Landscapes - Birks Bridge, Duddon Valley

Birks Bridge

[caption id="attachment_953" align="alignleft" width="200"] Birks Bridge[/caption]

We came across Birks Bridge, and the gorge it spans, purely by chance as we drove through the Duddon Valley hunting for landscapes, en-route to shoot at another location. It was raining and we'd been up early so we pulled over in the small "layby" next to the bridge to crack open the flask of coffee.

It had been raining all night and we could see the River Duddon was in full spate so, after coffee, we decided to take a look over the bridge. The water gushing through the gorge was much deeper than we had expected, a crystal blue colour in places, and the cascade from upstream was impressive.

Landscapes

So, out came the gear and we set up for a quick shot. I had convinced myself that I could climb down a small path to a ledge, on the upstream side, just under the bridge, for a dramatic angle. In reality it was probably just a fox track and would have been dangerous (and Jill wouldn't let me), so we settled for the safety of the bridge.

 

 

[caption id="attachment_954" align="alignleft" width="200"] Birks Bridge Mono[/caption]

 

A tight crop focussed on the upstream cascade just before it passed under the bridge and produced one of our favourite printed landscapes.

 

What's your favourite - Colour or Black 'n' White??

A7r, f11, ISO 125, 47mm, 0.5 secs

 

Colour and mono prints available in our shop

 

 

 

 

birks bridge, landscape, lakes, lake district, water, river, duddon valley, duddon, print

Links

National Trust - Birks Bridge

Wild Swimming - Birks Bridge

If you like our Lake District landscapes then check out another post - Lake District Landscapes - Skelwith Bridge

 

Getting there ...

Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year 2014

[caption id="attachment_917" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Tarbet Isle - The island of the drag boat or portage place[/caption]

Tarbet Isle - "The island of the drag boat or portage place"

We are very pleased to announce one of our images progressed through all judging rounds of Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year (SLPOTY) to achieve a "Commended" award in the Landscape category. One of only a few awarded from thousands of entries.

The image is available as a print from our shop

The shot was taken around the shores of Loch Lomond, Scotland in 2014. As we were scouting for shots around the Loch Jill spotted the Isle, looking magical, across the water, being backlit by the sun showing through some prevalent rain clouds. We could instantly see it would be perfect for a mono conversion. As luck would have it there was a layby nearby and we turned around and pulled over.

Anxious that the light would dissipate at any second and even more aware that a tourist ferry was approaching from the left that would destroy the still waters we needed to move fast. Jill grabbed the tripod, I grabbed the camera bag and we sprinted over the road and crossed the crash barrier, over a small fence, climbd down a wall then over the slippery remains of a collapsed section to the shore.

As we hurried along the shore Jill extended the tripod and I was fitting filters to the camera. All was ready to go by the time we reached the spot. The ferry was very close. There was just enough time for one 30 second shot before the ferry tore through the scene. In fact, it is only about a metre out out of camera-left in the image above.

A quick chimp at the image revealed a nice capture but we wouldn't be able to tell until we saw it on the big screen.

Then it rained, heavy.

Back home a little processing was done. Some dust spot removal, levels and curves were applied then a mono conversion.

What was produced, the image above, far exceeded what we were expecting.

Laughing to myself, when it's typed up it reads like an Indiana Jones movie!

Eqpt: Canon EOS 7D, Sigma 10-22, Formatt-Hitech Firecrest 10 stop IRND, Lee 0.6 SE ND Grad

Exif: ISO 100, f8, 29 secs, 12mm

Wikipedia - "Tarbet Isle is an island in Loch Lomond, Scotland. It is off Tarbet on the mainland. It is 10 feet (3.0 m) at its highest point, and 80 metres (260 ft) long.^"

Visit Scotland - "The small Tarbet Island on Loch Lomond is situated just off Tarbet on the mainland from where its name derives.

The island is privately owned and is largely covered in pine woods and oak woodland. It is a little north east of the island where the deepest part of Loch Lomond is with depth reaching 630ft.

There is a lovely circular walk on the island which climbs gently and offers good views over Loch Lomond and the island itself."

island, landscape, loch lomond, scotland, scottish, slpoty, tarbet isle, water, loch, award

Lake District Landscapes - Slaters Bridge

[caption id="attachment_845" align="aligncenter" width="950"] Slaters Bridge[/caption]

Landscapes

A glorious day hunting out landscapes in the Lake District (UK) afforded us the chance to visit and shoot Slater's Bridge, in the Little Langdale area.

A wonderfully photogenic spot as you can see by the shot above. Take Wellington Boots for a shot from the river Brathay.

I shouldn't have to say that landscapes abound in the Lake District so you should definitely not be spoilt for choice.

Links

Wikipedia - Langdale was previously known as Langdene meaning 'far away wooded valley' and referring to its distance along the flint route from Whitley Bay.^[1] Historically Little Langdale was at the intersection of packhorse routes leading to Ravenglass, Whitehaven, Keswick, Penrith & Carlisle, Ambleside, Hawkshead, and Coniston, Ulverston, Broughton-in-Furness and Barrow in Furness.^[2] Slater's Bridge which crosses the River Brathay in 3 spans supported by a large mid-stream boulder and stone causeways is a 17th-century, slate-built, former packhorse bridge on one of these routes.^[3] Today metalled roads from Little Langdale lead west over Wrynose Pass and Hardknott towards Eskdale, northwest by Blea Tarn to Great Langdale, northeast to Elterwater and east to the Skelwith Bridge - Coniston road.

Check out another lake District Landscapes post - Woodland Sun, Skelwith Bridge

Getting there ...

bridge, lake district, landscape, photography, little langdale, slaters bridge, water, river brathay