Lanscape moods

The steep walk from Dovestones to the top of Chew reservoir might be arduous but it has its rewards. Not least, this lovely Silver Birch tree. Another favourite tree for me with a few snaps of it now over the years. It looks good in all seasons but I do like it in this kind of light and background. Nice full screen PiPs

On a cold February day, when the air is still, there is no finer place for such mirror reflections. Enjoy another Dovestones walk with me here.

A view South West over to the village of 'Thornton in Lonsdale' from the high lane north of the Ingleton Waterfall walk.

Another retro picture here for the lack of brand new exciting photos in this C19 lockdown. Taken whilst on a skiing holiday some forty years ago at the nearby village of Zell-am-Ziller, in the Austrian Tyrol. I took this just a short time before taking the same cable-car to the top ski slopes. The original on Kadachrome 64 35mm slide film Enjoy full screen

The sun starts to dip and already the wonderful Ennerdale Water lake is in shadow but we can still enjoy the fells of our Western Lake District looking to the South.

Up in the heights of the Timafaya National Park it can get a bit wild. Since Lanzarote gets on average only 18 days of rain compared with our 184 in NW England it’s also very barren and dry. One of the few animals that can survive is the dromedary and for some time, people have been making use of that. Here we see one of the very regular tourist ‘camel safari’ tours that captivate the visitors. You can sit in relative comfort, two at a time for about 30 minutes, up and down (sic) on these trails gazing at the black ashen slopes. ~ Not for me, much too slow and not the best way to photograph the scenery I thought, but I managed to get some shots of other folk enjoying themselves. You too, enjoy the spectacle and marvelous alien scenery here. As usual best view full screen on black.

As we return to the port from the fire mountains we pass through a most unusual scene of semi-circles along the base and sides of the broad valley. This is actually a vineyard were the famous Malvasía grape is cultivated resulting in excellent wines. To me, even though the wines were indeed very good I was entranced by the unique scenery. As usual best view full screen on black. The valley of La Geria, which has been declared a 'Protected Area', is Lanzarote’s main wine-growing region, occupying about 20 square miles (52 square kilometres) and stretching on both sides of the road from Masdache to Uga and right up to the volcanic slopes. This area produces most of Lanzarote’s excellent wines, of which 75 per cent are made from the Malvasía grape, one of the oldest known grape varieties. Best known as a honey-coloured, very sweet wine with a rich flavour, already praised by Shakespeare hundreds of years ago, today the Malvasía grape produces a wide variety of quality white, red or rosé wines, from very sweet to very dry. Located on the edge of the badlands and covered with black volcanic ash, the vineyards of La Geria valley look like they have been transplanted here from another planet. The Lanzaroteños found an indigenous way of cultivating vines on this arid and hostile ground. They dug more than 10,000 funnel-shaped hollows into the thick layers of picón (coarse volcanic ashes), planted the vines, only one vine per hollow, filled them with soil and poured thick layers of picón over it, as the porous volcanic granules ideally retain the night humidity to feed the plants. In order to protect them from the constant winds and drying out, they built low, semicircular walls around them. This unique cultivation method results in a prosperous wine industry, renowned for excellent wines, which can be sampled and purchased in a number of local winegrowers’ bodegas (wine shops). La Geria has become quite a popular attraction, it looks like a gigantic and spectacular piece of landscape art.

Put here to accompany the adjacent photo of the same scene taken a few days back (May 2020). This taken a few years back in Jan 2014, experimenting in long exposures (see exif here).

A view from the hilltop town walls towards the north west here. As can be seen, this is wine country and so vineyards dot the whole area. We can also see, as with many other medieval towns, there are also new dwellings beyond its walls -a necessity in the reality of today. Enjoy this sultry vista in full screen.

I conclude my ‘Memories of Tuscany’ with another beautiful view of its rural countryside taken on our last day, on the drive back from Bibbona. Here we see another hillside dwelling in those rustic reds along with their interesting out- houses. The trees look a little like Almond or Olive, but the stars of this scene to me, are the red poppies blowing in the breeze. See PiP. I hope you have enjoyed my virtual tour into this most beautiful and historic part of Italy and maybe it will induce you too, to take a visit someday. As usual, best viewed in full screen.

This mountain range described as the northern backbone of Mallorca runs from the southwest to the northeast. We see here, of course the Mediterranean sea looking north to the Spanish mainland and Barcelona some 180km away and behind to the right is Puig Major the highest mountain of this area. Our road continues ahead along this coast now toward the famous Cap de Formentor lighthouse and then on to Pollença. Enjoy this monochrome rendition in full screen.

As we reach the end of Loweswater and start our journey right-ways and up, we look further up the valley towards the Crummockwater region. We are treated here to the rainbow effect of the wet atmosphere and heavy clouds to the left looking at 'Whiteside' on the left and 'Brackenthwait Fell/ Gasgale Craggs' on the right. Enjoy full screen as always here.

Another mini-holiday takes us to the North Yorkshire coast for a week of basking sunshine! Instead though, we get views and weather like this but it has its compensations, in dramatic photos and splendid airy cliff-top walks. Here we are just north of Port Mulgrave on our way to the old village of Staiths. PiP Enjoy full size.

Our second full day here in the Lakes and its Crummock Water for us, despite the bad weather forecast and a constant drizzle as we set off. - So here we are just starting along this muddy Western shore from the South. Rain gear donned and a quick wipe to clear the water drops from my lens,to capture this one. I am sure that this is the average look of the lake and its surroundings. Fortunately, the weather was to improve before we got back. Enjoy.

Onwards we trek along the shores of this lake. Underfoot is quite wet along this path but at some places stones and rocks make things a little easier. Here in the seepage is evidence of natural oils and mineral leakage too with the reddish pools. The interesting volcanic-like fell to our left is called 'Rannerdale Knotts'. - Our way continues perhaps for another mile before our turn-around. Enjoy full screen.

Another view from the eastern shore of this water showing the weather and lighting on the local fells. Enjoy full screen

Autumn is often my favourite photographing season and with scenes like this you can understand why. After weeks of rain and characterless weather at last we get some autumn mist. So here I am at my favourite walking area with my camera again. Just like last year I come across some dreamy tranquil moments of calm as I gaze across Dove Stones reservoir itself. It is quite early but already these are many walkers here and the carparks are nearly full, perhaps thanks (maybe also to my regret) to people like me popularising this area with their beautiful pictures. This starts a short series of photos, all taken in the same week, just minutes from my home during lockdown two. Pip shows mist last year. Enjoy full screen

An hour or so walking around Doves Stones reservoir and I am on my way home. However just a few hundred yards from my walk car-park, I see this wonderful lighting aberration to my left. An emergency stop and gallop to the other side of the road in order to capture what I can. We are seeing here ‘Indians Head’ (see the nose, mouth and belly) on the left of middle horizon and the end of the ’40 row’ line of cottages on the bottom right. To our left we can see the great green dam wall of Dovestones reservoir itself and just above that, the entrance to Chew valley; another fine walk and photographic venue for me. Of course the thing that makes this is the lighting. The beams of sun breaking through the high mist here, lighting up golden trees and field alike. Ah bliss! Enjoy full screen