Latrigg above the layers. A recent period of high pressure over the country has given us a rather warm and settled period of autumnal weather. The colours of the foliage on the trees has been the best for many a year and this has been mixed with some days of mists which really put the scents of the season in the air. So it was yesterday that I had arranged to meet up with a friend for a walk in the Far Eastern lake district as the forecast for the day looked very promising. However the meeting wasn’t to be until 9am so that gave me a chance to get over to the area early with the hope of catching some shots of what promised to be a good dawn.
Fog hung in the low ground as I passed by Penrith at about 6 but as I had driven my normal route over the Stainmore Pass I was pretty certain that only a little height needed to be gained to clear the cloud. My first instinct was to visit Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick but as I approached the lay by used by visitors I could see that not only the mist was still quite dense there but already a number of photographers had their kit set up in the hope of some break in the weather as the sun rose.
I moved on, this time heading through Keswick to my second option- Latrigg. This low fell sits neatly to the north of the town and is one of the most accessible fells for all, even the well made paths mean that with some effort the summit can be gained by wheel chair users. Parking at Gale Road End it was a fairly easy stroll directly from there to the summit. I was in plenty of time to see the dawn. At this time of year the suns early minutes are hidden by the high ridge of The Dodd range of fells.
Sure enough as I reached the summit there below us was a blanket of fog sitting in the valleys to the south. Keswick and Derwentwater was completely shrouded with only the high fells breaking this quilt of mist. I wasn’t alone of course, several other guys were out and about ready to catch the impending light of this impressive scene. After a quick chat to one or two of them about the possibilities of capturing some good shots I set about the task of taking images which had my own take on the break of day. Here are the results, all taken with my Nikon D7100, 16-85mm lens and using Lee ND graduated filters.
Waiting for the light, as the first of the sun hits the high fells in Coledale.
The sun bursts over the summit of Great Dodd.
The ridges of the Skiddaw range rise up from the fog.
Beams of light across the valley floor.
The view to the south with Keswick hidden by the fog.
Soon it was off to my main walk for the day, a great route to the summit of High Street. The possibilities of a wonderful day on the fells were looking good. Watch this website for the follow up blog post.
Thank you for reading.
