For some time now we have talked about a photography visit to Buttermere and if you plan to visit Cumbria, it is well worth a visit. The lake and much of the surrounding area belong to The National Trust. For us, it was always just a matter of getting the right conditions on the right day, so with the weather looking promising, we made plans for a two night stay at The Bridge Hotel.
We travelled over on the Sunday morning on a perfect, blue sky day, arriving at Buttermere mid morning. Before we arrived we weren't sure how the strong winter sunshine would affect the views and hence the photography, so a quick assessment was necessary. The sun was very bright and at this time of year, very low. So the head of the valley, where the lake lies, was in the deep shadow of the mountains. Bright skin, dark valley, not easy conditions to photograph. So we opted for a walk along the shores of nearby Crummock Water where the valley widens and lets in a lot more light. The wind was blowing quite strong and though it was about five degrees celsius, it felt like minus five.
At a point where the lakeshore meets the road there is a lovely collection of Scots Pines that add interest to the photography.
And a little further along the shoreline an old tree and an island in the lake.
I used a'big stopper' filter for a long exposure, to try and flatten the waves on the lake. It worked to an extent, but I think my filter has too much of a blue cast to it.
Looking back up Crummock Water towards Buttermere, Fleetwith Pike and Haystacks. You can see the dark shadows in the deep valley that made us decide to change direction.
The weather forecast was changing slightly and what was supposed to be another day of full sunshine turned out to be overcast with high cloud. This turned out to be a blessing as we had already seen what full, winter sunshine can do to the Buttermere valley. So this morning, in very still and overcast conditions, we set out to walk around Buttermere and see what kind of images we could make.
As we set out, conditions looked very promising. The reflections in the lake were amazing.
Across Buttermere to Haystacks and High Stile.
Looking across the lake, the colours reflected in the calm waters were quite mesmerising.
Another thrill was seeing a Kingfisher!
A lone fell pony.
And then there was the view...
Absolutely, gob smackingly stunning!
I rather like the way the reflection makes this huge arrow.
As we turn at the top end of the lake and head back towards the village.
And as we approached the village the calmness of the lake disappeared under the waves and the rain started. The afternoon was mostly wet, but after such a special morning, we couldn't complain.
