We walked in to the south east moors from Reddacleave Kiln area and headed north to go around the back of the Avon dam reservoir.  It was cold but sunny and the moors had that wintry feel which I love.  everything seems somewhat muted and we didn’t see another person all the time we were out.

We headed up the Western Wella brook towards Huntingdon Warren.  This smallholding provided food for the local tin mine and the warrens would have provided a good supply of meat in the form of rabbits.  The enclosed ground seen above is the main part of the farm – the remains of the buildings are just out of sight to the right of the tree.  Some remain of the workings can be seen down the valley with the tip of the reservoir in the distance on the right.

We headed up to the top of the hill behind Huntingdon Warren to the wonderfully named “Heap of sinners” which is a fairly large cairn and decided to stop for an early lunch break.  The above image was our view.  It captures the winter bleakness of the moors quite well for me.  As I am enjoying a little more image manipulation these days I’ve taken quite a bit of the colour out of this really only leaving reduced levels of blue and orange/yellow.  To me that has enhanced that wintry feel a little.

Getting to our feet after eating it must have been just about midday…  This was the view in the direction we were heading.  A brief conversation suggested a change of plan was wise but by the time we had put on a layer or two more the rain was with us, it became very cold and we got quite wet in the following half hour.

Hitting the main track running down the ridge in the direction of the car we looked back.  Rainbows are seen quite frequently however this one was nicely placed on the top of Pupers and all too often the weather is not the best for using the camera.  The weather bot north and west of us suggested that heading on back to the car would be wise.

A few minutes later there was a full rainbow the right hand end of which can be seen here.  Despite the wide angled nature of my lens I couldn’t get the whole rainbow in sadly.  This was the last shot of the day as the next batch of weather hit us immediately after this.  We agreed that the hail that came then was a little painful when it hit!  Overall a good winter walk however also a reminder that even the nice looking days can change quite quickly on Dartmoor.

Out for a walk a couple of weeks back now we decided to wander up the Redlake tramway on southern Dartmoor.  This was originally used by a small railway line which served the china clay works at Redlake however work stopped there in 1933 and there has been no rails there in my lifetime.  It is actually not the best walking surface however it is usually less wet than the surrounding moorland.

The “watery” sunlight in the top image shows that we got some sun however it was weak and the weather was more than variable.  The two images above were both taken just after we set off from the car near Ivybridge.  The left hand image shows that weak winter sun on the South Hams while the right hand image, which looks a little left of the left hand one, shows the interface between the good weather and the rain more.

Walking up the tramway we left it to head a little right handed at the base of Three Barrows (so named as it has three barrows at the summit).  It is one of the highest points of the moor in that area so gives – on a clear day – great views over the surrounding area.  The above image is taken part way up to the top and looking back south the way we had come.  The tramway can be seen lower down the hill heading off to the left.

Taken from the top of Three Barrows this looks roughly west over the valley of the river Erme.  The low winter light creates good contrast in the shadows here.  The small broken up granite in the foreground is known as “clitter” and is a regular facet of Dartmoor tors formed be erosion.

Dropping off Three Barrows north towards the tramway as the moorland was both rough and very wet around here, we reached the old china clay works at Leftlake which is roughly halfway to Redlake.  The remains are quite significant here and the pool seen above is where the granite was washed out to get the china clay.  An old bridge allows the tramway to cross the water course that flows out from the pool to the river Erme.  I have seen otters here but there was no signs of wildlife today.

We walked further north but at one point the actual tramway turned into something of a river which does happen in wet conditions so we decided to turn west and head down to the valley of the river Erme.  The image above epitomises this part of the moors in winter for me.  The ground is very rough with large tussocks of the straw coloured grass and rare patches of green.  As can be seen it is fairly featureless other then the obvious valley of the river and I guess it is not a very hospitable place for a fair weather walker.  However both my companion and I have been roaming the moors for many years enjoying both better and worse conditions than this and we agreed more than once on this walk that we preferred winter conditions frequently even if it can be very wet.  This was almost the last real sun we saw!

It did start raining from time to time after this and the camera was in and out of its case quite a bit.  In the winter the days are quite short so we started heading south down the valley of the Erme intending to strike up left lower down and get back to the tramway around Leftlake again.  The above image capture the valley of the lower part of the Erme on Dartmoor quite well and the clouds in the distance that looked like rain were just that.

We got back on the tramway as planned and headed south on it for a while forking left near Hangershell Rock to go down the spine of the ridge.  Stopping for a drink in relatively benign condition at Butterdon, one of the high points on the way back, we sat enjoying the views.  There was sunlight on the sea (the English Channel) with lines of cloud and rain moving from west to east across the South Hams.  I could have filled this blog with the image I took from there – the light, colour and drama of the weather was something very special and we probably stayed longer then we intended.  It certainly was a very good winter walk.

A “footnote”

When my friend spotted this I said that this image would make a good footnote and we both laughed – maybe others will enjoy the humour too.  This single boot was some 3 miles up the the tramway and there was no sign of anything else left abandoned nearby.  We saw no one with a missing boot and still had both of ours when we got back – there is a back story to this .

Looking back quite a few posts recently have related to the coast so I thought it was time to return to the moors.  These are from a walk a week or so back.  While we have walked the moors at night for many years we are less keen these days and so we try and get out in the daytime when we can.  It rained hard the day before and we set off knowing it was likely to be very wet under foot and we were proved correct!  Much of the time the tracks were more like streams.

We walked from Nun’s Cross area south along the track to Eylesbarrow and then headed east over the Plym and then towards Erme Pits which is a very old tin mine working near the centre of the southern moor.  The mine workings there are both extensive and in places quite deep.  What was achieved by men working solely with their hands and basic tools in a very remote part of Dartmoor never ceases to amaze me.

From here we walked along one of the old workings towards Ducks Pool stream and stopped to look back down the valley of the Erme.  This part of Dartmoor sees very few people particularly in the winter and it always feels fairly remote here which is something I love about the area.  Equally, in winter, the low and often “watery” light, adds to the beauty of the moors for me.

Heading north through a peat cut – any ancient trans moor track through (very) bad ground brought us out at Fox Tor and it seemed a good time to stop for a late lunch.  The view across the centre of the moors looking northwards from there was great.

We were not the only ones at Fox Tor!  It was quite a windy day with the temperature down towards zero with the wind chill and even the sheep were staying in the lee of Fox Tor (which is really quite a small tor).

Dropping down from the tor brought us into Fox Tor mire which is quite well known for being the setting for the Hound of the Baskerville’s story by Conan Doyle (as Grimpen Mire).  The area has a lot of historical interest.  Tin mining was prevalent in the area and there are a number of ancient (& more modern) crosses.  While the area is a peat bog it is quite possible to walk across it in reasonable conditions if you know the area well (& I would stress that – one of those “do not try this for yourself” ones).  The image above is of Childe’s Tomb – the legend is an interesting one and the Wikipedia article is quite good in this case (rather less interesting on Fox Tor though).

Heading west again now along the edge of the peat bog, we started the walk back to the car.  The relatively short walk was actually over some of the worst ground conditions we had encountered all day despite being on a “path” for most of the time.  We seemed to be wading as much as we were walking.  The conditions are not unique to the winter either – I have crossed the bog in winter when it has been dry and failed to do so in a wet summer.  The above shot looks back towards Fox Tor and again catches a feel of the remoteness.  Hopefully there will be a few more winter walks over the next few weeks.

Now back from a break after the recent exhibition, this is the first blog from the trip and is based on images from along the Dorset (Jurassic) coast.  At the start of the break the weather was ok but not particularly sunny.  However the weather did make for some stunning sunsets.  The above was taken close to Bridport on the coast just west of West Bay.

The days were also interesting for photography initially too with mixed weather giving some interesting subjects.  The setting for both of the above images is close to Eype & West Bay.  The left hand one looks west towards the setting sun and the cloud while the right hand image taken early one day looks towards Portland Bill, not quite visible in the distance, through the early morning haze.

I always enjoy walking the coast for the changing scenery and the light however sometimes you catch something different.  These days paragliders are not that rare but when they drift by they still tend to take you by surprise.  I have paraglided myself in the past and loved it but I’m not sure how happy I’d be to be out over the sea.

Among other places on the Dorset coast we visited Swanage and spent some time walking in that area too.  This was taken on the seafront at Swanage – the colour and lines appealed I guess.  It is a pleasant town and well placed for exploring the south eastern end of the South West Coast Path.

We walked from Swanage out to Old Harry’s Rocks which are close to the start of the South West Coast Path (or finish depending on your choice of direction!).  I’ve passed the rocks from the seaward side a number of times but have never walked that particular part of the coast before.  They were a great sight and the area of white cliffs around there were very impressive.  Because they are relatively easy to get to it does seem that there are likely to be quite a few people around the area but a short distance to the west we saw very few people.

Coastal areas are prone to rather different climatic conditions and this was the scene that faced us after walking in to Swanage for a meal one night.  The atmosphere with the coastal fog rolling in was quite eerie.  I took quite a few walking back and was quite pleased with the effect.

Finally – another sunset from early on on the coastal section of the break – we saw quite a few good ones but I restricted myself to offering just two here!  Another blog will follow soon about the next part of the trip.

This track is one we have taken many times over the years and it still gives me pleasure.  It leads to a series of old tin mine workings but the variations on which way to actually go are many and we came off the track at this point and headed for higher ground.

The sun was going down (& it still seems too early for that) but there was enough light at the stage to take a picture looking north east more towards the centre of the moors.  There is gorse out at present as well as heather and I’d like to get out to try and catch some shots of the heather before it is over.

I guess there will be less photography from my evening walks now as even in the fairly early evening the light is getting quite poor for photography and maybe not so good for walking either though it usually does not stop us.  However the effects of the last light on the clouds is lovely.

I usually realise that I should have taken a tripod after I needed it and this was no exception.  In the end I am unlikely to roam far on the moors carrying a tripod I think but this wonderful moon deserved a better shot that I was able to get hand held.  That said I think it catches the mood quite nicely.  It was stunning and with us for at least the last third of our walk back to the car.

It has been a few weeks since I’ve been out on the moors in the evening but last night made up for it.  The south western tip of the moors around Shell Top and Penn Beacon is lovely for an evening walk and holds some fond memories for me.  I always set off thinking it is a relatively short walk and always come back remembering that at least half of it is uphill.  Approaching from the east and heading first to Shell Top meant we passed the hut circle above.  The remains are quite clear and the eastern side of the hill has quite a few bronze age remains on it.

Stopping to take a breath a little further up towards Shell Top gave this wonderful view looking east.  This is looking towards the ridge which runs south and ends at Western Beacon.  The combination of the sunlight on the landscape and the very dark clouds did seem quite special – certainly some areas were not enjoying the late sun which we were.

Reaching Shell Top the view all around opened up although Shell Top itself is not that significant a point as can be seen from the above.

However sitting in the evening sunlight having a drink and looking fairly much south gave a great view.  In the foreground (& sadly) is the china clay works.  I realise industry is necessary however what idiots allowed this development right on the very edge of a National Park?  Further off is the city of Plymouth and Plymouth Sound (and the English Channel).

I guess this is my favourite shot of the night.  Taken looking somewhat west from Shell Top it looks down on the Trowelsworthy Tors and across the misty ridges into Cornwall.  The light over a number of ridges really is an effect I love.  I previously blogged the tors here.  Because it is taken looking into the sunlight these shots can be quite difficult but when they work it looks good to me.

Heading off we started to walk down to Penn Beacon which can be seen here at the end of the line on the hillside.  This is an old reave which runs down the hillside towards it.  The china clay works can be seen to the right rather clearly.

Reaching Penn Beacon we looked back up the hill as the last light was going behind a large cloud bank coming in from Cornwall.  The tip of Shell Top can be seen on the upper part of the ridge on the right hand side.  Over the years I’ve seen some great “Last light” scenes on the moors and this was one of them.  A good walk and hopefully we will get out again soon.

Firstly I spent the middle part of the day in Brixham.  The tide was out and there was building work going on around the harbour with scaffold and sheeting covering a building which seemed to intrude on any shot.  However walking the breakwater I liked the feeling of isolation around these fishing rods.  The fisherman was nowhere to be seen which added to the effect.

In the evening I drove up to Dartmoor for a walk.  A little unusually for us we headed into the valley of the West Dart at one stage rather than walking the open moors.  These granite stepping stones across the Dart caught my eye and I took a few shots here.  The water was low so walking across them was very easy but I have seen the river when you cannot see the stones at all.  We stayed there for a drink and watched deer on the edge of the hillside however they were too far away for any meaningful photos .  A green woodpecker flew by but too quickly to get a shot of.

Almost back at the car we passed this gate.  I like the strangeness of a gate with no fence or wall around.  On the far hillside are the lines of old leats as the area has been extensively worked by tin miners in the past.  The late light on the moorland was lovely.

I’ve not been out much with the camera for a while now.  The dry weather I referred to here broke straight after that blog and there has been quite a bit of rain since.  Good for the gardens and farmers but it made for less predictable photography.  However other issues in life have settled a bit too so I wandered out last night as the late sunlight looked good.  I didn’t have time to go far so I headed to one of my more usual spots to see if there was anything interesting to point the camera at.  The advantage with such an approach is that you never quite know what might catch the eye.

From the first image’s colours you might think that the barley was nearly ripe given the yellow colour.  However from the close up you can see that the plants are still fairly green and it is mostly the effect of the sunlight.  I loved the delicacy of the individual plants and the way that they combine to make the overall effect of both golden and moving (there was quite a strong breeze).

Depending on the angle of the shot and the sun, the yellow effect was even more pronounced.  However the green can be clearly seen still.  I guess a trip back in a few weeks time should give much some truly ripe golden shots.

The tranquillity of the farming landscape in this area is lovely and, fortunately for a photographer, there is usually something different to look at throughout the agricultural year.

Another day when the weather dictated my walk recently is the subject of this blog.  I’d originally planned to head to the moors but the forecast suggested that might not be worthwhile so I was heading to the South Hams coast.  Fairly close to home I realised that the forecast of less good weather in the west of Devon looked corrected so decided to head east.  It was a while since I had walked the Exeter Ship Canal which runs from the docks at Exeter down to join the River Exe just above Powderham.  The canal was originally built in the 16th century to allow traffic to Exeter that was not so dependent on the tide.  It ceased commercial use in the 1970s but is well used as a leisure resource now.  The above image is taken looking up the canal towards Exeter at Turf lock.

The canal flows into the river Exe at Turf lock.  Both the above images are taken on the Exe looking downstream from around this point.  The remains of the old vessel is just one of many that are along the banks of the river.  The small dinghy is on the jetty at Turf which serves the small passenger ferry across the river here.

I walked on down the path along the edge of the river towards Powderham a small village mostly known for its castle.  As can be seen from the images of this walk the weather was variable.  Looking west here into the woods at Powderham the weather looked threatening.  The bluebells were out but not in such numbers as I saw on the moors recently.   Equally the image of Powderham church is so striking because of the dark clouds and the recent ploughed field.

I decided to head back up to the canal rather than walk further downstream as the path is on the road at this point and for a while longer.  The image above looks over the stretch of water where the canal emerges to join the river Exe at Turf.  The jetty that can be seen is the one shown with the dinghy on earlier in this post.  The cyclists are waiting for the ferry to arrive to cross the river Exe which is quite wide at this point.

Walking back up the canal now there were a number of cyclists, walkers and canoeists among others making the most of the day and the track along the canal.  There were swans nesting along the canal too and, from time to time, flag iris as can be seen above – they added some real colour to a day which was not the brightest.

I walked on up the canal past the point where the ferry runs across to Topsham.  By this point the river, while still quite wide, has narrowed significantly.  However the weather was not that good over this stretch and although not raining the light was poor.  I turned back and headed for the car via the Exeter marshes which are an RSPB bird reserve.  Back briefly on the canal there was a little more light for the above shot of the canal and then I headed home.

Looking back the way we had just walked Greator Rocks was lit by the late sunlight.  The bluebells here are a little thinner on the ground so the impact is a little less.

This shot looks over towards Haytor.  While they are bluebells, in this shadowy light, they really did look purple (& the colour has not been adjusted in any of these shots).

Last year I caught the bluebells on Holwell Tor lawn on the Haytor side of the valley (blogged here) and they are not quite at their best yet but I think they probably should be soon.  Both this year and last year I was not the only photographer in the area – they really do make a stunning sight for anyone who is in the area.

The walk had been quite a short one so we headed over to Bonehill Rocks to catch the last light of the day.  Over the years I’ve seen some great effects around sunset on the moors and this is one of them.  I did return for an early morning shoot of the bluebells a couple of days later.  I got some good shots but decided to leave this blog to be about the one outing, some of the early shots can be seen on facebook here though.