On Location 11th February 2020
Winter in Upper Teesdale in the north pennines of England can be long and harsh. Sometimes though a covering of snow in conjunction with a bit of winter sun can make for some beautiful conditions. So it was on this day and with camera, dog and boots all safely on board in the car I headed up into the dale. My plan was just to capture the conditions and perhaps come back with some good references for future paintings.
I didn’t have to go far before I had to stop the car. Shortly after leaving Bowes on the moor road the sun was shining on the trees. In the distance the winter skies told the weather story, sunshine and snow showers.
A couple of miles further on my next stop was at The Butterstone. This natural feature on the moor is so named as it was used during the plague of the 17th Century. Traders would leave goods here in exchange for coins left in depressions filled with vinegar on the top of the stone.
Moving further up the dale I had to stop for the obligatory shot at Whistle Crag.
The was a fast moving snow shower heading our way so I didn’t stay around for too long. Driving right up past High Force I stopped at Hanging Shaw car park.
Even the simplist of scenes were transformed in todays conditions.
The white farms and houses of the upper dale sat comfortably in the landscape.
I would imagine that some livestock were sheltered inside this barn, their winter feed was close to hand in the tin shed.
Across the valley Cronkley Fell forms a high rugged wall beyond Birk Rigg house.
To the right is the distant Knott Hill farm with the low building of the quaintly named Pudding Street in the middle-ground.
It looked as if another bank of snow was coming from behind Laneside.
There are not too many single storey houses in the area but this one seems to hunker down into the landscape.
The road winds its way up towards Langdon Beck. It then continues on up to Alston in Cumbria.
The sky was getting dark so I took shelter back in the car and headed up the road. Once the gloom had lifted I stopped at Langdon Beck.
The small hamlet of Langdon Beck alongside the river of the same name. With my photographs taken it was time to head home.
One last stop to take this shot of West Friar House at Ettersgill. The drop of a couple of hundred feet from the upper dale made a lot of difference in the snow cover. I was glad that I had made the effort to see for myself those wonderful conditions up at Forest. My head was full of ideas….back to the studio to make plans.
Thanks for reading.
