Rother Valley Country Park lies within walking distance of my home. It can be quite photogenic but familiarity has bred, if not contempt, then a certain boredom towards it’s possibilities. Like most man made lakes and reservoirs (the lake used to be an open cast coal mine) there’s a certain artificial feel to the place. I guess that over time this will lessen and the place will feel more an more part of a natural landscape (although it’s now been over forty years since the park first opened).
Despite my lack of inspiration, it’s still a great place to go if the conditions are good, especially mist or ice, as it gives it a distinct atmosphere and look that isn’t present at other times.
The two shots published here were taken on a frosty morning in late November last year just as the sun was rising, and I stood stepping between feet to keep warm while I waited for the sun to rise and start to cast light on the scenery. It was worth my time though, I think.
The second shot has been cropped. The top of the frame featured the lines of the cable-powered waterski circuit that occupies this end of the lake.
Canon Sure Shot Z135 & Kodak Gold. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted using Negative Lab Pro.
Taken 25 November 2023.
Like you, artificial lakes seem just so – but time can change things. Neighborhoods, too become more charming (usually) as they age. Give me the wilderness any day, though. Still, these are nice pictures, and the foreground in the top one is quite wintry and pleasant to my eyes.
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I have to admit that the lake is much improved over how it looked when it was first filled (way back in the 1980s now). Back then it was just a big pool of water surrounded by a bunch of newly planted saplings. At least the trees that were planted then have reached a relatively mature size now. It’ll be interesting to see what it looks like in another couple of decades.
Glad you like the pictures. 🙂
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