Travelling Tips for UK (Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, ...)

[Rollinhofuji]

Hello fellow LF shooters,

me and my girlfriedn are about to plan a two-week trip to UK (will start in August/September). Of course I want to bring my 5x4 along :-) We will travel by car.
Since I adore so many great English (or Scottish or Welsh) landscape photographers, I would like to visit some of those famous spots and shoot some sheets (I know, might be a bad idea with my girlfriend accompanying me ;-)).

I only have some ideas in mind, like Cornwall, the Scottish and Welsh Highland, Lake District. But I have never been to the UK yet, so I would be very grateful for any hints and tips from the local LF photographers:
Where would you go, if you only had two weeks to spend in the UK?

Looking forward to your replies,
Jan

[brucep]

Cornwall would be great if you really like spectacular sea scapes, but it is quite a long drive from there to somewhere else like the Lake District, and glencoe in Scotland would be another 5 - 6 hours further north and you would probably get eaten alive by midges. I prefer Scotland in Winter.

Can I suggest concentrating on a strip across the centre of the country which would give you some very different terrains.

On the West coast the lake District is excellent and will easily keep you occupied however long you stay there, but you could then move East into the Yorkshire dales which is Limestone country, dry stone walls, old barns, waterfalls etc and is only 2 hours drive away. From here you could meander through the more northern dales into the old lead mining areas of Swaledale and surrounding areas before heading to the East coast for the numerous castles of Northumberland (google bamburgh and dunstanbugh castle, but there are many more up and down the coast) and mile after mile of almost deserted sands with quaint little fishing harbours. After that I would head south for 3 hours and pick up the old smuggling villages and towns of North Yorshire ( Robin Hoods Bay, Sleights etc) before heading back via the old walled City of York with its Minster and the famous Shambles (medieval street) before hiting the main road south back to your Ferry / Eurotunnel.

If you want any further info on any of these ideas just ask.

Regards
Bruce

[Rollinhofuji]

Bruce, that sounds great!!! Exactly what I was looking for... I already had some concerns about the distances from Cornwall to the North, sicne I'd prefer to travel not on the Motorway (but rather on smaller roads, since you get to see more of the country).
This helps me a lot. Thanks!

Regards,
Jan

[Tobias Key]

+1 for the Lake district.

Straightforward to get to, stunning scenery.

[Rollinhofuji]

Thanks Tobias - "Lake District" has been a name without meaning to me for a long time. Heard about it in the 6th grade or so (English class)...always pronounced it Lake DISTRICT. I thought that was the name of that lake.
Much later I found out what it really means and was blown away by some photos of this area. Since then, I always wanted to get there.

[AlfaKen]

I echo those locations and would add Derbyshire, a really diverse area depending on whether you want vistas or intricate valleys and woods and not great distances between.

And the Trossachs in Scotland - really easy to access.
The only other advice would be about the weather - be prepared! It's impossible to predict so plenty of waterproofing!

[Rollinhofuji]

Thank you, AlfaKen. I think we will be able to visit about 5 locations, otherwise the time for each one might be too short. So we will have to choose amongst all your suggestions :-) Perhaps we have to go up to three weeks...

[Nguss]

I would also consider Northumberland, some great locations including Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh Castle, Holy Island, Hadrian's Wall which includes Sycamore Gap but probably about 3 hours drive form the lake district.

[Steven Tribe]

The period you are looking at is the peak domestic holiday period, which will mean congestion on main roads to anywhere with family friendly beaches! Some Devon/Cornwall and North and South Welsh areas suffer a lot!

The suggestion about the NE coast and inland towns industry - even the industrial 19th Century urban slums of the Tyneside towns sounds like a very good idea to me - where you can have different "day plans" depended on what the weather gods have to offer. I am NOT from around the this area. The local accents will take a bit of getting used to!

[John Kasaian]

Don't eat the blood sausage.

[Steven Tribe]

The OP will know all about Blood sausage - in fact, all types of sausage!

[Rollinhofuji]

Thanks guys! Steven, your hint really makes me question our choice...maybe we should consider another time of the year.
John, we also got blood sausage over here. I know what I have to avoid :-D

[Rollinhofuji]

The OP will know all about Blood sausage - in fact, all types of sausage!
Indeed, and proud of it! :-)

[dave_whatever]

Don't eat the blood sausage.

Nonsense, Black Pudding, to give it it's proper name, is awesome. Much nicer tasting than it has any right to be. If you're lucky you can find a chip shop that sell slices battered.

Given two weeks I'd be going west coast of Scotland, it is not to be missed. And then one or two of the following: Northumberland, Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire coast. I'm sure theres tons of good places in the south west and south coast, but the driving distances from there to Scotland are huge (by UK standards...).

[Ed Bray]

I spent a couple of days earlier this month on my first trip to North Wales and the Snowdonia National Park, even though I live next to and work within the Dartmoor National Park I was blown away by the diversity of the landscapes and although I didn't visit the coastal areas nearby, there are also many fantastic opportunities there too.

[anglophone1]

Nonsense, Black Pudding, to give it it's proper name, is awesome. Much nicer tasting than it has any right to be. If you're lucky you can find a chip shop that sell slices battered.

Given two weeks I'd be going west coast of Scotland, it is not to be missed. And then one or two of the following: Northumberland, Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire coast. I'm sure theres tons of good places in the south west and south coast, but the driving distances from there to Scotland are huge (by UK standards...).

+1 on both black pudding and west coast Scotland.
I have a home on west coast of Ireland but I'm still spending two weeks in the western isles this summer....

[Andrew O'Neill]

What is not to like in the UK for photography?? It's all good! I'm about due for a visit!
... and black pudding is awesome! Luckily an Englishman has a butcher shop walking distance from my house where I can get my fix!

[Arne Croell]

+1 for the West coast of Scotland, especially the Isle of Skye. Here are some of my images of Scotland to wet your appetite, including Skye:

http://www.arnecroell.com/p926133692
http://www.arnecroell.com/p131787813/h3c9bfcad#h1ae783ff
http://www.arnecroell.com/p131787813/h3c9bfcad#h3c9bfcad
http://www.arnecroell.com/p460164333/h282ccb9d#h282ccb9d

Most of them were taken in June 2012- a few midges were out, but not too bad yet. And blood pudding is perfectly fine for breakfast, btw.

[Peter Lewin]

I don't see why we should make this easy for you ;)! The problem, as you have probably figured out from the responses, is that there are so many wonderful locations that we will end up sending you to more places than you can fit in your trip. I lived in London for 6 years as an ex-pat, and both worked and visited many of the areas you mention. I can't really recommend one over another (for example, both North Wales and Scotland are wonderful, but so is Cornwall, the Lake District, and so on). I will mention that the Welsh are proud of the fact that they have more ruined castles per square mile than any other location in Europe, so if ruined castles are your thing (they are one of mine, they are so nice about standing still for us view camera types...) you should keep North Wales in mind, both for castles and Snowdonia National Park. If your interests run towards shores and fishing villages, Cornwall stands out. And if you want to try for a 4x5 (or larger) portrait of the Nessie, then Scotland beckons (along with Cairngorms if you like mountains). As I commented in another post to a different question, the areas you mention offer so much that you need to use your own special interests to narrow things down a little. (Gosh, no one seems to have mentioned standing circles, Stonehenge, or other neolithic sites, other of my photographic interests...).

[lisa8776]

Hey there,

You are planning to go to the most beautiful place, I have visited some places in the UK last years such as Edinburgh, Bath, some of the heritage places there Ancient Stonehenge and Medieval Salisbury . But i just loved the edinburgh that is such a amazing place ,I have also made fun in Cardiff .But if you are planning to go to UK you have to keep things with you like oyster card,id cards ,passports because UK is too restricted place I mean theres so much rules and regulations to follow ,and you must have to follow. Now im planning to go California trip .Please share your experience with me if anyone has.
Thank you!

Simi Valley tourist attractions (http://conejo.com/)

[linhofbiker]

Old thread! I am planning a visit to the UK this March to pickup parts for a Tomcat offroad car in Lincoln. I was last in the UK about 3 years ago visiting my brother in Cardiff. I rent a car and take my Garmin (7 inch screen) as well as AA maps to navigate. My last LF adventure was many years ago when I dragged a tripod and case with Linhof Technika V outfit from London, Basingstoke, Cirencester and Cardiff. I emigrated from the UK in 1968. Much has changed, but some things are the same, such as the little towns of Lynton/Lynmouth in north Devon. I don't think it is as restrictive as the previous poster suggests.

[Louie Powell]

But if you are planning to go to UK you have to keep things with you like oyster card,id cards ,passports because UK is too restricted place I mean theres so much rules and regulations to follow ,and you must have to follow.

Nonsense!

Every society/culture has rules, and if you are a visitor, it is your responsibility to understand and follow those rules.

An oyster card is the rapid transit access card that is used in London. But you only need one if you want to use the Underground or buses - you still have the option of taxis, Uber, walking, etc. And it isn't needed outside of London. If you are in New York City, you need a metro card if you want to use public transportation. And in San Francisco, you need cards for both the Metro and BART systems. Totally different locations, but the same idea.

As to a passport - my passport goes with me any time I travel, both domestically and internationally. It's not a big deal.

If you don't want to deal with the rules of society, stay home in your bed!

[Steven Tribe]

Jan, the Original Poster (OP), never gave any feedback about his planned trip to the UK in 2014! And whether he found the advice useful!
He is certainly still active within Photography (See his website link under his Personal information) so I'll send him a PM about it.
As you can image, the locals are much occupied with pro/con Europe as ever, but can still discuss the situation without violence!

[Rollinhofuji]

Hi there! Just got the notification about a PM regarding this ooold thread here...

Well, the trip has not happened... yet ;-) Shortly after my last posts in 2014, my girlfriend (now wife) got pregnant. As some of you might know, kids change a lot in life, so we cancelled our plans to visit UK in 2014... So, sorry, but no feedback from my side yet (and probably not for the next 10 years ;-)).

Regards,
Jan

[linhofbiker]

Jan, don't wait 10 years. Travel can be great with younger children and it certainly opens them up to some wonderful experiences. Been there done that.

[Gary Beasley]

Wife and I are planning a trip to Scotland this June, renting a car and doing a self guided tour. Only regret is it being such a pain to take the 4x5 camera on a plane we are opting for the Nikon digital. Any hidden gems to consider?

[alexmuir]

Wife and I are planning a trip to Scotland this June, renting a car and doing a self guided tour. Only regret is it being such a pain to take the 4x5 camera on a plane we are opting for the Nikon digital. Any hidden gems to consider?

There is a book called ‘Photographing Scotland ‘ by Dougie Cunningham and published by
www.fotovue.com
It was first published in late 2017, so is pretty up to date. It has lots of good local information, together with sections on the various areas to visit, including cities, rural areas, islands etc. I have no connection with the author, or publisher, but I live in Scotland and bought myself a copy of this book as a reference to places I would like to visit and photograph. Each area covered has a general description, details of known viewpoints and a section with ‘How to get there’, ‘Accessibility ‘ and ‘Best time of year/day’. There are more than 800 photographs of the various locations. Because Scotland is quite small, there aren’t many undiscovered places, but many of the places you may want to visit are reasonably quiet, especially if you are visiting midweek.
Historic Scotland is a heritage organisation that runs a large number of interesting sites, as does the National Trust for Scotland. Visiting their websites might also give some inspiration.
I hope you have a great trip.
Alex.


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[Gary Beasley]

Thanks Alex, this is quite helpful.