South Stack

South Stack in Wales is an incredibly romantic and dramatic location.

It’s perfect for me as it provides great photos where every part of the picture can be filled; and alongside beautiful colours, it also has an atmosphere that changes from moody to heavenly within minutes.

The subject is lovely; a lighthouse that almost blends to form part of the cliff it stands on. I love the moodiness of the light in the lighthouse, too, and how the whole scene has a slight unease from the inherent danger it signals.

Along with the lighthouse, the location is an exciting wildlife hotspot, with puffins and guillemots covering the cliffs nearby.

Llanberis

Getting these photos was a bit of a fluke! They were taken when we were clinging on to some final exploring time in Wales.

The quarry is massive, covering a whole mountain side, but also has so much detail and texture from the terraces carved into the stone, that it makes an amazing scene.

We actually passed through Llanberis twice on our trip, and both times didn’t see the castle. It was when we went back on our final day to have a look around that we stumbled on it.

It's called Dolbadarn Castle, and it's everything I love in a historic site; it’s rough and romantic, a beautiful round building that has been left to dilapidate and do its own thing with time. I love that backdrop, too, and the way the mountains frame it.

On the day we had strong (if a little harsh) natural light, and even though it washes the landscapes out a bit, I really like it. The rich greens of the trees in full bloom against the dusty cliffs of the mountains makes such a nice scene, and it's a refreshing change from the moody landscapes I often capture.

Derwent Water

I often gravitate towards Derwent Water and the western lakes of the Lake District.

It’s partly because it’s close to where I grew up, but also because there’s so much to do and see there.

It’s a great lake for water activities with all its nice features; there are islands to row out to, and to take a dip in the water from their beaches, and the whole lake is enclosed by distinctive mountains (for me the most dramatic are Cat Bells and Skiddaw, but the lake also backs on to the mountains of Borrowdale Valley, with Newlands Valley on another side, and  Bassenthwaite at the other end!).

Many of my photos come from here, and I’ll no doubt be posting more in the near future!

Kielder

This was our first camping trip of the year and was a fantastic escape. It was a bit of a flying visit for us, as our stay lasted little more than 24 hours. But in that time we felt so far removed from our everyday world that it was a fantastic switch off.

I don’t think the photos I captured really do it justice, but I wanted to share them if only as a small highlight.

The area is surprisingly vast, and is filled with natural beauty; I mean, it’s so big I thought it could be a whole country in itself. It felt like I was in the Scottish Highlands, and I couldn’t believe that something of this scale could be there without me ever realising.

Once you leave the main roads there are rolling landscapes for miles in every direction, almost all completely uninhabited by people. It feels like you could get lost in it forever, swallowed up in the giant forest, or abandoned somewhere amongst the endless open hills and fields.

There’s loads more that it offers, too. The most obvious being that it’s a dark skies area, so will be great to go back to for some star gazing. It was a fantastic trip and exactly what we needed for a relaxing break, and I would definitely visit again.

Ennerdale Water

A little bit like a tale of two halves: this photo was taken on a really rainy day at Ennerdale Water, but as it was getting towards sunset, the golden sunlight briefly shone through the heavy rain clouds to give a lovely balance between the warm and cold tones.

I’ve shared my love for Ennerdale in a whole feature of its own previously! From beautiful views, leisurely walks and exciting wildlife trails, to star gazing after the sun has gone down, Ennerdale has it all.

I’ll let you find out more about that here!