A short section of the Trans Pennine trail close to the western entranct to Rother Valley Country Park. At the end, it cuts to the left on the park entrance path, crosses a bridge over an active railway line, before dropping back to run alongside the tracks to the north for half-a-mile or so. This area was covered in a lot more foliage until the last year, when some tree felling and trimming has taken place. Just off to the left of the scene where the trail curves around the path is a pile of thin logs that remain from the work.
Curving path heads on Up north and to points beyond And then east and west
The flooded field in the two images presented here today is where a footpath runs. It leads down from the Trans Pennine Trail towards Eckington and passes close to a copse of trees that I’ve photographed on a number of occasions (see here and here for instance). On the day I made these photos it was unpassable however. It probably wasn’t too deep, but likely deep enough to overflow my walking boots with frigid liquid, and I doubt the ice was thick enough to support me upon its surface. I knew I should have started that diet!
A thin crust of ice The footpath submerged below Waiting for the sun
I’m jumping back in time by a year or so for today’s photo. I’m on the cusp of scanning and uploading some recent images that will likely form tomorrow’s post, but until I get that done I’ll dip into the archive. Hopefully it’s not a shot I’ve published before (I don’t think it is).
It depicts the Eagle Stone, a large boulder that stands alone above Baslow Edge in the Peak District. A footpath passes closely by and it no doubt gets lots of attention, but on this day at the start of the year, the temperature was cold and the wind was blowing gustily – especially along the nearby crags – and there were not many folks about.
As I approached the stone I saw a small group of people near its base. Then, as I got closer, a man appeared on its top. He first lay on his back and took a selfie, before calling his girlfriend to talk about where he was. Then, after taking a drink and standing to survey his surroundings, he clambered back down the edge of the rock, jumping down the last six feet or so (my less supple physique gave an internal groan as I watched this happen, imagining the damage it might have done were it attempted by me!). The other people with him were, I believe, his parents and a sibling, and I passed a few comments before they moved on and I made some more photos of the rock sans human presence.
As I’ve mentioned before, one of the main tolls the current lockdown is having on me personally is the loss of freedom to roam, and I look forward greatly to the day when I can visit places such as the Eagle Stone once again.
Above Baslow Edge A stone stands stark on the land A challenge is set
A shot that might have been better in colour had I had the opportunity. I think the blue sky and the sunlit brown of the dead bracken at the bottom of the frame would have worked nicely together. I still quite like it in mono though. The branches frame the pylon well.
A gap in the trees Framing a nearby pylon Standing in the sun
I know that some people do “fence Friday” where they publish pictures of fences on, as you might have guessed, Fridays. It’s not something I’ve really felt inclined to do, although I think I was member of a couple of Flickr groups for such themes in the past. Anyway, limited to my blog, and probably for today only, it’s “fence Saturday”. 🙂
The fence in the picture is atop the bridge that I shared a photo of yesterday. It’s a fairly new fence that I think was installed not long before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and I’ve wondered if there were plans to expand the network of footpaths in this area, with the top of the brige included. I suppose it could just be a health-and-safety thing though.
Wooden fence atop A brick-built bridge from times past Perhaps a new route?
A few days ago I posted another photo of this same scene. That shot was made on a heavily overcast day shortly after we’d had some snowfall. Today’s image is of the same scene made a few days later when all the snow had departed (although there was still a healthy crust of ice on most of the puddles) and the skies were clear allowing the sunlight to make some appealing contrasty shadows.
Time can seperate Many versions of a scene To marked effect
The current COVID-19 lockdown has once again restricted movement considerably. While I believe that short car journeys for the purpose of exercise are permitted (or at least tolerated – given the large number of cars I see parked close to the entrances of the nearby country park), I’ve been sticking to going only to places I can reach on foot. Given enough time, I could venture to a good number of places withing walking distance, although time isn’t always in ready supply due to work and other commitments, so I’ve mostly been staying within a mile or two of home.
The aforementioned country park and the surrounding areas still provide quite a lot of ground to cover though, and while exercise is the primary reason for going out, I’m still carrying a camera with me on these outings – well, with the exception of when I run as part of my C25K plan as, at this stage at least, I have neither the time not desire to make photos while attempting to jog! On days where I just go for a walk though, there is greater opportunity to grab photos.
I tend to find my local area quite uninspiring where photography is concerned, partly due to overfamiliarity, and also because the country park iteself feels a little bland and man-made in a way that open countryside doesn’t (even that land used for various other human activities such as farming or forrestry). However, in these times, “needs-must” takes the forefront and I will have to make do with what I can find. And what I’ve found is that some parts of my over-familiar local area are a lot less familiar than I previously thought, and a walk a few days ago opened up some locations that are full of potential due to my not having fully explored them before.
Even the places I’ve trod many times previously have promise though, and today’s shot is of nothing more extravagant than a tree-trunk stood beside the Trans-Pennine Trail. The section of the trail in question is oft-travelled by walkers, runners, cyclists and dog-walkers, especially at the weekend or in nice weather. Busy locations such as this tend to make me uncomfortable when making photos – I prefer solitude so I can take my time without getting in anyone’s way – but. again, “needs-must” and I shot most of a roll of film while out walking for an hour.
As with many of the photos I make taken in this former coal-mining area, there are signs of industry in one form or another, and in the case of today’s image, it’s the metal fence behind the tree, which prevents access to the railway line ten or fifteen yards beyond. I quite like the fence here though, despite it’s metal utilitarianism. It sets the scene of the place.
Upright spikes of steel Stand guard against trespass On train-tracks beyond
This pollarded willow tree sits at the southern end of Woodhouse Washlands close to the A57 flyover (in fact, you can see the shadow of the flyover at the base of this image – I thought about cropping it out, but it would take the foot of the tree closer to the edge of the frame than I’d like). The field was pretty muddy and had a considerable number of cow pats deposited about on the day so I decided to use the zoom lens to get me closer. While it may not be to everyone’s taste, I like the contrast of the fields and trees on the left with the industry of the pylons and factory units to the right. The track fills the gap at bottom right nicely too.
Pollarding cuts trees off at height, not at the base as coppicing does
