I fancied a change of scene this January so I booked myself a week’s stay in Skinningrove. It is a quiet village at the bottom of a deep gorge but the coastline and the sands are fabulous and a well kept secret.
The weather wasn’t brilliant but there was only one day that was a complete washout and the cloud and rain certainly added atmosphere to the my photographs.
Last week I went on a small group workshop with Lizzie Shepherd to explore Nidderdale (near Blubberhouses) and to photograph details, trees and the Washburn Valley. I really enjoyed my day in the valley focusing on images that are out of my comfort zone and that didn't involve sand, the sea and waves.
The Seated Man is a 3m high, bronze sculpture situated on the North York Moors, near Westerdale. Apparently it is the first public sculpture to be placed in the North York Moors National Park and it will be resident there for 5 years
Having enjoyed my walk along the North York Moors Edge at Osmotherley my next visit was to Kepwick which is a small village to the south.
In addition to photographing many of the waterfalls on the western side of the Dales I did a lot of walking as the Settle area is an area I don't know especially well.
I realised that I hadn't visited the Yorkshire Dales in over a year which is a scandal now that I have so much on my hands so I decided to drive to Kettlewell.
Every evening when I was on holiday I walked down to the North Pier to take in the air and admire the sea.
When I went to Byland Abbey recently what I witnessed was so spectacular that it took my breath away. The morning mist was still lingering in the trees and the strong sunlight created some amazing sunbeams.
I have been to Saltwick Bay 3 times and on each visit I sensed that there are wonderful photos to be taken but I've never taken any.
After a wonderful weekend in November I decided to return to the same apartment for a break in February. All things considered it wasn't the best time to visit with the intention of photographing Saltwick Bay as the tides weren't compatible with sunrise and sunset and the weather forecast for Sunday was only 1 grade short of Armageddon.
