• Members 397 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 6:21 p.m.

    Bronze morning.

    P1044753_DxO.jpg

    P1044753_DxO.jpg

    JPG, 834.2 KB, uploaded by Vahur on Jan. 4, 2025.

  • Members 1363 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 6:48 p.m.

    R1010006x_remastered.jpg

    Probably because shot was taken with cam being on the ground

    R1010006x_remastered.jpg

    JPG, 3.4 MB, uploaded by ChrisOly on Jan. 4, 2025.

  • Members 1363 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 6:49 p.m.

    Very effective . Well executed.

  • Members 968 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 7:31 p.m.

    It is nice to see that they repurposed the castle rather than leaving it to rot. My pick is the last shot; I liked the colours and the contrast between the houses and the tower.

  • Members 968 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 7:37 p.m.
  • Members 968 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 7:39 p.m.

    Who doesn’t like a little bit of fog? 😉

  • Members 968 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 7:43 p.m.

    Thats so nice.

  • Members 682 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 8:27 p.m.

    What a beautiful set - love the gentle colour palette.

  • Members 682 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 8:28 p.m.

    Great characterful portrait.

  • Members 682 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 8:30 p.m.

    That looks cold.
    We have seen pictures of this building before I think? A fine architectural and scientific edifice.

  • Members 682 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 8:32 p.m.

    Wonderful macros. I like the magnolia bud on the other thread too.

  • Members 682 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 8:41 p.m.

    Yes, the path under Salisbury Crags was fenced off about 6 years ago after a significant rockfall. Unfortunately the section includes the historically important site where James Hutton ("Father of Modern Geology") made observations that led him to the theory of uniformitarianism. Now inaccessible 😏

  • Members 1856 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 9:03 p.m.

    This minimalist shot is very nice.

    Is the Macro a new acquisition?

  • Members 1856 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 9:04 p.m.

    Good to see you getting back towards birdlife, in this shot.

  • Members 1856 posts
    Jan. 4, 2025, 9:10 p.m.

    The vivid colours in the first shot is the most striking, but the more subtle colour in the later shots are very nice too.

    Pictures of ruins are always fascinating.

    To change subject. I see sombody had a fatal fall in the Lake District. A reminder that even these seemingly safe places can be fatal too.

  • Members 333 posts
    Jan. 5, 2025, 12:28 p.m.

    Sadly, it looks like there have been a few fatalities up in The Lakes over Christmas. In the most recent example from the 2nd of January, someone fell to their death from Sharp Edge, a popular ridge walk on Blencathra that I don't think people realise just how dangerous it is. If you find the various reports of that accident, there are pictures of the rescue helicopter landed near the start of the ridge, with plenty of snow and ice visible in the background.

    I climbed that very ridge back in the summer of 2016, before my body started to fall apart on me, on a beautiful sunny day. There was a gentle breeze and most importantly the rocks were dry as a bone. Despite tackling it in pretty much ideal conditions, after getting to the top I had no desire to ever climb it again, it's easily the most unsafe location I've visited on my various tours of The Lakes and this is coming from someone who once inadvertently wandered off Great Gable in foggy conditions via a steep gulley of scree known as Little Hell Gate, which definitely lived up to its name, but felt a lot safer than this ridge.

    Some pictures out of my archives, taken with the Nikon D750 and I think the big old Nikon 17-35 f/2.8 AF-S.

    The ridge runs right to left in this picture. It doesn't look too bad from here.

    DSC_0709.jpg

    At this point, I've reached the top of the little path you can see running up to the ridge on the right of the previous picture. It still doesn't look too bad, but that last steep bit at the top turned out to be really treacherous as all the protruding rocks are angled down, making it nigh on impossible to find a secure hand hold.

    The flat looking section just before the steep bit was no walk in the park either, but we'll get to that.

    DSC_0733.jpg

    Here I'm stood on part of the flat looking bit from the previous picture. It's a sheer drop down to the tarn. Glad those rocks are dry.

    DSC_0747.jpg

    Looking back across the smooth rocks that I've just traversed, all aligned at a nice jaunty angle that threatens to throw you off the ridge to sudden death on the left hand side. If this had been wet, I'd have turned back. Even bone dry as it was, it was nerve wracking to cross because of that sideways slope.

    DSC_0749.jpg

    More highly polished rock that cannot be avoided as we come up to that final steep scramble. Somewhere along here, hidden from view, is a wide sheer drop you have to step over, this is kind of a leap of faith jobbie that, once again, if you slipped, you'd be taking the quick, but painful route down to the tarn.

    DSC_0757-Pano-Edit.jpg

    Here, I'm stood at the base of the final scramble, looking back along the route. There's a person in there for scale.

    DSC_0781.jpg

    No casual walker should be tackling this ridge in anything other than ideal conditions, there are just too many sections along the ridge with no secure hand or foot holds that will be extremely slippery when wet and are totally exposed to the sheer drops on either side of the ridge. I'd be interested to hear what other people who've tackled this ridge think about it, but even if I was still fit enough, it's not somewhere I'd want to climb again.

    DSC_0747.jpg

    JPG, 1.6 MB, uploaded by SteveMonks on Jan. 5, 2025.

    DSC_0781.jpg

    JPG, 1.2 MB, uploaded by SteveMonks on Jan. 5, 2025.

    DSC_0749.jpg

    JPG, 1.1 MB, uploaded by SteveMonks on Jan. 5, 2025.

    DSC_0757-Pano-Edit.jpg

    JPG, 1.2 MB, uploaded by SteveMonks on Jan. 5, 2025.

    DSC_0733.jpg

    JPG, 1.1 MB, uploaded by SteveMonks on Jan. 5, 2025.

    DSC_0709.jpg

    JPG, 1.0 MB, uploaded by SteveMonks on Jan. 5, 2025.

  • Members 974 posts
    Jan. 5, 2025, 12:38 p.m.

    It's good to get out!
    Both these outside and inside shots are good.