The English Lake District has long been associated with tourism. Since the earliest days visitors have strived to convey the images from their minds’ eye to others. Some in words as with the Lakes Poets, some by painting including Turner and Constable, and as the process developed more latterly with photography. George Abraham and his sons were perhaps the earliest photographers of renown in the area (circa 1887). They recorded landscapes and mountaineering images, some of which can be seen in their old premises the now George Fisher store in Keswick.

Tourism is now the primary source of income to the area, but it is not difficult to escape the crowds in pursuit of images to take home with you.

When to go?

Traditionally summer is the season to visit the Lakes, it conjures up for many images of lakeside strolls, picnics, mountain walks, and scenic drives. That may not be how you want to see it as a photographer. By all means you can visit in the summer but if you do you will need to get up EARLY and be out LATE. If visiting in summer take advantage of what the season has to offer, visit the local shows such as Ambleside Sports, the Lowther Horse Trials, take in the attractions such as Muncaster Castle with it’s Owl centre, ride The L’al Ratty and visit the South Lakes Wild Animal Park at Dalton. Time it right and you can even have a day out at the races. Distant views in the summer are often obscured by haze but this helps to reduce flare and glare from the early morning and late evening sun.  Ideally you will want to visit outside the main tourist season, i.e. Easter to October. The visitors are fewer, the roads less congested, parking easier to find and accommodation cheaper. The colours in the landscape are also more appealing to the eye.

Where to stay

As a tourist destination, and outside the main holiday season, you have an almost unlimited choice of places to stay, campsites, caravans, hostels, B&B’s, inns, hotels and self-catering cottages/ houses/apartments. You should be able to find something to suit your budget. Central locations are the most desirable as they make visiting the outlying spots easier, or decide on a location you want to concentrate on and choose something close by. Start by looking here.

How to get there

The Lake District is readily accessible by road, rail and bus routes. Sadly as with many spots these days you need to drive if you want to make the most of your visit. If you want to be as green as possible there are alternatives.
The closest international airport is Manchester, where car hire is available.

What to take

Camera gear will be as always, take the most versatile gear you have. The landscape lends itself to both wide and long lens views. You will need a tripod, filters and something to help protect your camera from the elements.
Clothing needs to be appropriate for the time of year, but bank on needing waterpoof jackets and over-trousers.

Travel insurance and camera insurance.

What to photograph

You will be lost for choice, you will need to tailor your photography for the weather conditions. Some of my favourite spots are shown on this map.

When the light is good

Ideal conditions are still and clear with some cloud to enhance the sky, and then you get the chance of mirror calm reflections in the lakes and tarns the area is famed for. When changeable you have the opportunity to catch incredible light though you will need to be prepared for a drenching. Any time you see snow on the hills you need to make the most of it, as it is a rarity these days. If it is a still night after a day of rain expect early morning mist.

When the light is bad

When it’s overcast and raining think laterally and beyond the waterfalls, look for details in the land, try some shots of the towns and villages with reflections of water in the pavements and head to the lesser know coastal spots. Locate some of the smaller churches; try out the likes of Holehird Gardens, Levens Hall and Dalemain House.

Use the chance to sample one of the many tearooms, find a cosy pub and give your lenses and filters a good clean.

Personal Highlights

The Christmas of 2005,  with barely a soul around and not a breath of wind.

Personal Lowlights

Walking up a hill for sunrise, and it does not happen.
Getting up at 3am in the summer to catch first light
Battling the road with tourists on public holidays.

Will I go again?

I have no choice this is my home.

Recommended Reading

Memoirs of A Fellwanderer by Alfred and Betty Wainwright
On Lower Lakeland Fells by Bill Allen

Lakeland High Tarns by John Drew
The Soldier’s Return by Melvyn Bragg (fiction)

OS Explorer Active Maps

By Claire

This review will focus on my home patch; all are locations that I can drive to within about 30 minutes. They are places I probably don’t really “see” the full beauty of anymore due to familiarity but I was inspired to write this after talking with someone who had never visited the area before and who was captivated with it. Maybe it will inspire others to visit this little known region.

I live in a small rural town in South Shropshire called Cleobury Mortimer. It is a pleasant place to live but as someone who loves to photograph near water, whether that is sea or lakes, I usually escape as soon as the holidays come along. However, weekends usually find me out walking with my dog and the camera comes too.

The main areas I frequent include the rivers Severn and Teme  and we are blessed with some pretty hills known collectively as The Shropshire Hills that are designated an area of outstanding natural beauty, we have common land where one is free to roam and the Wyre Forest that is one of the largest remaining ancient woodlands in Britain. Ludlow is a well visited town, famous for its castle and good food.

Let’s start with my hometown. Cleobury Mortimer is worth a quick visit, in particular the 12th-century St. Mary’s church in the town centre, renowned for its crooked spire.

Autumn is probably my favourite season and at weekends I often rise early and try and gauge if there will be mists in the valleys. If there are a few stars and little wind I’ll jump in the car and head for some high ground with a view over the Teme valley.

The Clee Hills are a range of hills consisting of Brown Clee Hill (540m), the highest peak in Shropshire, and Titterstone Clee Hill (533m). Views from the west of the hills spread as far as Snowdonia and Cadair Idris, the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains. To the south one can see the Malvern Hills and the Cotswolds, and to the east are the Clent Hills, and the spread of the West Midlands. To the north is Cannock Chase, and on a very clear day the hills of the Peak District including The Roaches.

There is a long-standing rumour that they are the highest land eastwards until the Ural Mountains in Russia. Hence the name of the pub in Clee Hill village – The Kremlin Inn.

Some people believe that ‘The Shire’ in Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ was based on this area, which he was known to visit frequently and we do indeed have a Baggins wood.

At the top of Titterstone Clee Hill there is a radar station, it is a familiar landmark and whilst not the prettiest of features it holds a certain fascination for me.

One of my favourite routes up to Brown Clee is via Nordybank hill fort that lies east of the village called Clee St Margaret. It is made interesting due to the rampart, which is at least 6 ft. above the level of the ground within and the lumps and bumps add interest in a picture.

The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at 220 miles (354 km). My favourite walks along the river start at Arley (where there is a foot bridge) and I often see kingfishers here.

There is a station at Arley for the Severn Valley Steam Railway

The Arley Arboretum is one of the oldest Arboretums in Great Britain and especially worth a visit in autumn for fabulous colour or spring when the magnolia garden is stunning.

Winter evenings, with a promise of a sunset, are a good time to visit The Stiperstones . This is a very distinctive hill with a quartzite ridge formed some 480 Million years ago. During the last Ice Age the summit stood out above the glaciers and was subject to constant freezing and thawing which shattered the quartzite into a mass of scree surrounding several strangely shaped rocky tors. There is a five-mile long summit ridge walk that gives great views over the Shropshire plains and across to Wales. The car park is accessible by an easy path so it is safe to sit and watch the sun set but it does have quite a mysterious feel about it and the area is rich in folklore relating to the rocks called the Devil’s Chair. According to one legend, the ghost of Wild Edric, a Saxon earl rides the hills whenever England is threatened by invasion.

The Wyre Forest is a large, semi-natural woodland and forest, which straddles the borders of Worcestershire and Shropshire.

The foresty commission runs photography days – check here for the next one.

Ludlow has many ancient properties including a ruined castle and one of the largest parish churches in England. The town centre’s streets are lined with medieval and Georgian buildings. Broad Street has been described as the most beautiful street in Britain.

The River Teme runs through Ludlow and this is where I got this shot of a leaping salmon – during the October run wait by one of the many weirs to experience this sight.

Stokesay Castle is considered the finest and best-preserved 13th-century fortified manor house in England and is just a short drive out of Ludlow.

Acton Scott historic working farm has lots of photographic potential (open to the public between April and November).

Going on Safari  and want to hone your skills for the big event? West Midlands Safari Park is worth a visit. I pass this on my way to work and get a glimpse of the elephants each day.

It has been fun revisiting some of these images; maybe it is time to start appreciating my locality a little more and if you do visit please feel free to contact me and I may join you on a shoot or for details of some lovely walks around Cleobury visit here.