Visiting the Lake District and Scotland

[Paul Ewins]

Frank,
I spent all of August in Scotland this year and absolutely loved it. Started in Glasgow, wandered through the Trossachs, up along Loch Ness then went further North and spent a week on Orkney.
Then down the east coast a little before cutting right across to the west coast on Skye. On that day it was sunny and the scenery in the higlands was just spectacular. That was six or seven hours of driving I would happily do again and again. From Skye we went to Edinburgh in time for the end of the festival and the Tattoo.

The weather was mostly good - meaning only a few days where it rained all day. Finding a good B&B is easy, just use the "star" or "diamond" ratings and never choose one with less than four. Getting a great B&B is a lot harder and more like pot-luck. If people give recommendations try and find out why they loved the place as their reasoning may not be the same as yours.

Unfortunately pretty much everything is touristy. Orkney was like that until we learned patience. The tourist buses don't stay long and then we had most places to ourselves. I guess any LF landscape photographer would have learned patience by now! The further North you go the fewer cars (and caravans) there are, but the narrower the roads become. Be prepared for single lane roads with lay-bys to let the on-coming traffic past.

I'd recommend Doune and Stirling Castles for people who want classic castles (and Monty Python fans). Orkney was fantastic, lots of prehistoric sites along with picturesque ruinous buildings, sea cliffs, bird-life, rural views, tiny fishing villages etc. etc. Skye was one of those days where it rained, but the afternoon we arrived and the morning we left showed why it is so highly regarded. Edinburgh is a must and the Tattoo was more than worth the modest ticket price, even if the seats are cramped and windy. Edinburgh also has some excellent galleries and museums - I managed to see a Cartier-Bresson exhibition that would never make it to Australia.

Feel free to email me for more info, because I could ramble on for hours.

regards,

Paul Ewins

Melbourne, Australia

[Colin Carron]

Frank,

All good advice. It depends what you and your folk like to see.

The Lake District is about walking as said above but I would not miss it. On my list of places to take the in-laws and large camera would be Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick. Go at sunrise or sunset when you will be accompanied by other photographers and maybe a stone-hugger or two but no coaches at that time of day.

Northumberland coast is a beautiful place with ruined castles dotting the landscape. (A relic of endless skirmishing between Scots and English). My favourite here is Dunstanburgh Castle but it can only be accessed by a walk of about half a mile along a level grassy path along the coast from the little fishing village of Craster.

Edinburgh - a wonderful mixture of medieval old town with castle and the 18th century 'new town' in black Georgian stone. Busy but unmissable.

West of Scotland is beautiful as said above. In this case much of the driving will be on single track roads with marked passing places (spot the white diamond on a pole for your next passing place). These roads will have the advantage that no one will notice which side you are driving on.

Be aware that on Sundays the remoter parts of Scotland are normally closed for business so fill up on the Saturday.

Have a great time!

[George Hart]

Frank, I can't let this thread run any longer without saying something to counter the negative vibes which you may have got from our doubtless well-intentioned colleagues about the Lake District! You have not said just when you plan to visit, and I would not want you to get the impression that the Lakes is a photographic no-go area from the end of May to the end of September!!!! Of course they are correct in that during school holidays, the principal towns can be a slowly-moving mass of humanity. But that's not where you would go to take pictures, and getting about at dawn can be a pleasure even in mid-summer. Although you would have to queue to get to the top of Helvellyn in high season the lesser fells can be almost deserted, and there are large areas where you would hardly see a soul. It all depends on knowing where to go! If nearer the time you decide to visit the Lakes, feel free to email me offline and I will try to help. I have spent many enjoyable weeks taking photographs in the Lakes, even when the towns are clogged!

[robc]

"Where exactly are those quaint little white washed farm villages we see on PBS"

They are all over Britain, mostly in rural farming areas (most of Britain) well away from the tourist hotspots.

For whitewashed thatched cottages visit (In the south of England) Wiltshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Devon, Cornwall. But the fact is you can find them in any county but in abundance in the counties I mention. Architecture is dependant on local stone and availability of reed for thatching and many reed beds no longer exist and many thatched cottages have been converted to tiled roofs.

In the south, Gloucestershire is in the Geological area called the Cotswolds. This has very beautiful yellow sandstone cottages. In Devon we have a mix of thatch and whitewash or red sandstone or slate. In Scotland you will find some houses thatched with heather. Really depends where you go as to what you will find.

[Steve Lewis]

Frank

The fact is that most, if not all, of Britain's national narks (including the Lake District) can be a nightmare during the school holidays. I would suggest that you have a look at the northern end of the Lake District (Keswick?) in late May/early June, before the holidays start, then go on up to Scotland after. I've spent time in Ullapool, Toridon and Fort William in early summer, and it's still possible to have an entire lake shore or hillside to yourself. The further north you go, the better! HTH.

Steve

www.landscapesofwales.co.uk.

[Struan Gray]

What do you like to photograph?

I've never been that enthusiastic about the lakes, and I love the Borders and N.W.Scotland, so I'll join the chorus pointing you that way.

Northumberland and Berwickshire are fantastic, and the A-roads sneaking through and across the border fells make for lovely scenic drives, even in August when the the north-south arteries will be solid with traffic. Lots of ruined abbeys and castles if you're into that sort of thing, as well as dinky coastal villages, strange local customs, and fish and chips to die for. Smailholm and the Hermitage ("A frown set in granite") make Eilean Donan look as frothy and frivolous as Neuschwanstein. St. Abbs and Coldingham are the Clovellys of the North, without the crowds or the clotted cream. Selkirk Bannocks are, well, excellent selling inducements on eBay.

Then there's N.W. Scotland. I'm biased: as a youth we went to Kinlochbervie for the summer, and I now inflict midges, horizontal rain and Mighty White on my kids in turn. Coigach, where we now go, is relatively midge-free (too much wind), has no real tourist attractions to speak of, and even at the height of the season more than a couple of families on the beach starts to feel unnaturally crowded. Lord Hunt (of Everest) declared the view better than that in the Western Cwm, and he had a point.

[Ken Lee]

I am planning a visit for the end of May 2007.

Lake Windermere, etc.

Is this a good idea ? Is the place good for LF work ?

[Frank Petronio]

The Brits will know what the crowds will be like, the place is set up for mass industrial tourism. We were very lucky with the weather and the crowds were minor -- non existent really -- in mid-September.

Some very pretty landscape and architecture there. Just meandering down quiet farm roads and walking over the next hill was very rewarding, even with our three-year old and an 83-year old cane user in tow.

I also think that British girls are pretty, now that they have good dental care

[roteague]

I want to go to the Lake District..... Someday, perhaps.

[Richard Kelham]

As has been said, Rannoch Moor, the Trossachs and Skye are stunning – and much photographed. But there is plenty of space out there to lose yourself in. Mull is rather cute too.

The Lake District is less crowded in April (except Easter) and in late September when the great unwashed are back in their classrooms Yup, and the kids too!

If you do do the Lakes there are photos around every corner (almost) – even Windermere. Then take the old A7 road from Carlisle to Edinburgh before heading north to the Highlands. Vernacular architecture in the Highlands is not much to write home about as most of the crofters have given up their quaint hovels and moved to nondescript modern bungalows. Still a few midges about in September but only really problematic if you stray into damp forests: you'll be eaten alive!

Fortunately I can buy Selkirk Bannocks here in Norfolk...

Have a great trip, and bring/buy plenty of film.


Richard