Hmmm, Taken with your phoneOriginally Posted by Ken Lee
The whole place is... heavenly.
Hmmm, Taken with your phoneThe whole place is... heavenly.
Next time, if I'm fortunate enough to return, I will bring a Large Format camera... I promise !
May/June or September. Once upon a time we had drought conditions in August, but the past few years August has been like a monsoon season.
And you're right, where doesn't really matter.
On our trips back to the UK (I'm an expat), I usually aim for late May. It's a gamble on the weather, but that isn't my primary reason for visiting 8-).
I've been in late April and early May. It is an interesting time to be there. I guess we got lucky as the weather was mostly...crisp and beautiful. There were a few days of heavy fog / light drizzle driven by cold wids...but, it could hardly be called rain.
Thank you for all the responses. I'm probably going to aim for mid- to late-September. May-June does sound nice, but the later window provides me more time to research, plan and get the funds together (keep your eye on the classifieds...) And if the weather's changing then, all the better. I'll be travelling alone and travelling light. I've about got the 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 kit together; hopefully I'll know how to use it after another year. There is so much that I would like to see that it doesn't really matter where I go, although I do want to see at least one of the cathedrals. Rather than to try to take in too much and spread myself too thin, my plan is to decide on one or two areas and stick close to the ground. That hopefully will afford me a more intimate interaction with the landscape and the people, both of which are important to me.
Joanna, as you can see I'm taking your advice on limiting the venue. I've signed up for UKLFPG; awaiting approval. Driving on the correct side of the road may not be such a big deal; I'm not right-handed, I'm correct-handed. I was hoping for a Mini, but I'll check out the Citroen, even if it is French.
Darryl, thanks for the links. Lots of good information. And I like your umbrella.
Some tourist-heavy spots will be utterly deserted (possibly with some good reason) in fall. We visited the Wye River in September/October and found parts of the area hopping and others were sleepy to the max.
Example: Symonds Yat West (East was buzzing with walkers, kayaks, and pub crawlers)
I am assuming you are not much interested in gritty urban documentary photography. If you are, pick a large-ish northern city and spend your whole time there. Places like Leeds or Newcastle have a lifetime of photography within the city limits. Most have cathedrals or at least an abbey church. Liverpool has two.
But, if you're after a less intense and more picturesque experience I would suggest you spend your time in one of the quieter county towns near to a national park or a distinctive cultural landscape. Exeter and Dartmoor make a good pair, as do Ely and the fens, or Rochester and darkest Kent. Nobody goes to Lincolnshire these days. The south end of the Yorkshire moors or the Peak District offer any number of small towns with dinky old buildings and dramatic landscapes on their doorsteps. Places like Selby and Shipton in Yorkshire have small jewels of medieval architecture and the markets are for locals to buy useful things in, rather than endless stalls full of tourist tat.
My personal favourites are further north though. Northumbria and the Scottish Borders have a rugged charm and a less touristy economy than, say, Edinburgh and the Scottish Lowlands. How could you not be attracted to an area called "The Debatable Land"? Morayshire and Galloway are two forgotten areas of Scotland which are rewarding to the careful observer, and in September the West Coast from Oban northwards is putting on it's autumn show of subtle light mixed with viscious storms.
Did I mention Pembrokeshire? Or mid-Wales? Or the New Forest? The Dorset Coastline?
It should be clear that almost any rural area of the UK will give you good photography. A lot depends on what you like, and what other activities you want to pursue. Scotland, for example, is useless for cider pubs or clotted cream. Somerset doesn't have many mill towns. There are no mountains in Kent. Unless you have a strong desire to visit a particular landscape or town, stick a pin in the map and have a potter.
Where did they film "Straw Dogs"? Go there!
Struan, could you translate this into English?
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