Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD on Kodak Tri-X. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°.
Taken on 27 December 2025
Trees and drystone walls
Tag: Dry stone wall
Looking back, moving forward
The last of the Magpie Mine pictures, and one I took as I headed towards the nearby village of Sheldon, a way marker showing the path on which I’d just traveled, and the one I was about to take.
Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD on Kodak Tri-X. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°.
Taken on 27 December 2025
Sheep and drystone walls
Nikon F80, Tamron 28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°
Taken on 18 May 2024
Two thousand days
Back on the 26th September 2021, I wrote a post marking my one thousandth day of consecutive posting. Today, a little under three years later, marks the two thousandth.
I always find milestone posts like this to be difficult. They’re the sort of thing that would normally be celebrated – in that way that we humans seem to like celebrating things that reach a certain, nicely shaped, number. I’m quite a modest person though, so shouting out about my achievements isn’t something I relish or feel particularly comfortable about. I would probably have had greater success in some aspects of my life had I “bigged myself up” a little more, but I’ve always felt that my achievements should speak for themselves, and not be reliant on too much self promotion.
So here I am, having posted without fail for the last two thousand days, and instead of a party, it’s more of an acknowledgement. I reached a big number, and tomorrow I will surpass it (and why will my two-thousand-and-first post be less worthy of celebration anyway?).
It might be nice if I had some sort of special “2,000th post” image that I’ve saved for the occasion, but I don’t, so I’m going to use a picture I took on a trip to Castleton back in May. It shows a gap in a drystone wall part way up Cave Dale. It feels somehow optimistic in tone – a gateway to whatever might come next, I suppose.
Yashica Mat 124G & Fujifilm Pro 400H. Lab developed, home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Taken on 18 May 2024
Broken gate and crumbling wall
Two individual frames of the same scene here today. Both shots are opportunistic – I sometimes like to just go out in the car and drive along roads I’ve never travelled in the hopes of spotting something I think will make a good photo. The gate and the crumbling drystone wall in the field behind it were one such random find.
Sometimes such trips can reap dividends, sometimes they turn up dry or (potentially more disappointing) great shots but with nowhere to pull over and take the shot. But even the latter case still records an entry in the memory bank for a possible (better prepared) future visit.
Olympus XA3 & Kodak Tri-X. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 8mins @ 20°.
Taken on 30 April 2022
Through the pasture
Although it probably doesn’t look it from the photograph, the grass in these pasture fields was quite deep – probably a good 8-inches at least. As the footpath was quite loosely defined it meant there was no especially well-trodden route through the fields and so I had to walk through swathes of the tall shoots, which was pretty tiring (especially given the adventure in Monk’s Dale not long before!).
Tired legs in long grass
Thighs powering through and up
On towards Tideswell
Olympus OM-2n, Zuiko Auto-S 50mm f/1.8 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken on 24 May 2021
Howdy cow
Walking across the fields towards Tideswell was something of a test. The footpath passed throught a whole bunch of fields with a stone stile forming part of the dry-stone walls to be climbed between each. While I’m not getting any younger, stiles dont generally pose me much of a problem, but on this day I discovered that my hiking boots don’t grip very well on limestone, particularly that which has been worn smooth by countless other feet! This meant I had to be super careful climbing over each and every one.
The route took me past a field of cows though, and one of them walked over to look at me with a curious gaze, so I made a portrait.
A curious cow
Walked away from its herd mates
To see what was up
Yashica Mat 124G & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken on 24 May 2021
Maybe halfway up
I’d estimate I was perhaps halfway up the side of the valley when I made this photo, climbing from the River Derwent at the bottom up to Over Owler Tor – the highest point on my walk that day. The house that can be spied beyond the gate sits on the main Sheffield to Hathersage road.
Thighs aching, I walk
My ascent up the valley
To my origin
Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken on 6 April 2021
A resting gate
A lone gate leant against a drystone wall. I’m not sure where it came from – I didn’t see an empty gap – so it’s possibly a backup gate, or maybe one that’s gone feral and escaped its bounds…
In spite of a chain
This gate has escaped its place
And rests in the sun
Bronica ETRSi, Zenzanon 75mm f/2.8 PE & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken on 6 April 2021
Trees and drystone walls part deux
A week ago I posted a couple of photos of trees stood beside a drystone wall at the edge of Padley Gorge. In that post I mentioned that I had another photo made at the same location yet to come, so here it is today.
A gap in the wall
Reveals an excited birch
Waving its branches
Fujica GW690 & Ilford HP5+. Ilfotec DD-X 1+4 9mins @ 20°.
Taken on 29 March 2021
Steel City Snapper photography 