A Misty, Frosty Peak District Morning - Part 1

in #photofeed3 years ago

I felt like the universe was telling me to stay at home yesterday. I've written before about my mental struggles to get out of the house, but when I was faced with a litany of issues at 5:45am, I nearly gave up.

  • I was out of ground coffee, and I wasn't sure my wife would be impressed if I got the electric grinder out at that time. So Decaf it was...

  • The car was iced over - the forecast wasn't for temps to drop that low, but the glass must have dropped below freezing in the fog - but the fact it was foggy was one thing that spurred me on!

  • Get in the car and ping "Please Refuel - zero miles left". It's ok, Tesco is on my way... Get there to find the petrol station closed and coned off. 15 minute detour to Sainsbury's...

  • And then, on the drive in to the Peak, the nearer I got to my chosen destination the more the fog cleared.

But coming up to a high point on the road, I glanced down a valley only to see an inversion in the distance. I knew where I needed to be. And even better, when I arrived at Curbar Gap I found that they no longer charge for parking - Maybe things were improving after all!


Before the sun rose, the light was warm and soft, casting a hint of a glow on the damp rocks - the inversion stayed a little way off down the valley.

 - © Kieran Metcalfe BdrSig-11.jpg


Soon enough, the sun broke the horizon - initially through the mist, and then catching on it. A passing flock of birds made nice addition.

 - © Kieran Metcalfe BdrSig-2.jpg

 - © Kieran Metcalfe BdrSig-3.jpg


The light then caught on the rocks where I was standing, and across the distant landscape too.

Curbar Winter - © Kieran Metcalfe BdrSig.jpg
(I did have to clone a couple of parked cars out of this shot... how dare other folk come to enjoy this view too!)

 - © Kieran Metcalfe BdrSig-4.jpg

I loved the streams of mist and light that looked like they were trailing back across the moors from the edge.


Like the other photographers there yesterday, I spent most of my time looking out across the valley towards Baslow Edge (above) and the mists. However, I happened to glance to my right, and the first light from the rising sun was clipping the tops of a couple of silver birch - turning them a striking red against the frosty tones of the woodland behind.

A kiss of fire - © Kieran Metcalfe BdrSig.jpg

There was a photographer perched right above this scene, seemingly oblivious, so it felt like I'd seen something that was happening under everyone's noses. Maybe that's a bit smug of me - I messed up the depth of field though, so that's the price I paid ;)


I then decided to change location. I first went for a walk along Baslow Edge, but the light was harsh, and the views didn't inspire me. I think the early start was weighing me down a little by this point.

However, I could see that the fog was hanging heavily on the next ridgeline over, a spot called Gardoms Edge, which I've visited before in the summer. I knew that there was a large coverage of silver birches on the moors...

But, I'll leave that story for another post - probably tomorrow.

Thanks for reading :)

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Thanks very much :)

It’s bizarre how these things unfold with the bad start leading to something worthy. Nice part of the world up that way, pity we’ve not been in ages.

Thanks Nick - yeah, I agree. For me, the bad start (or at least the focus on it) is something where I seem to put barriers in my own way, but getting out always seems to be the most rewarding thing (regardless of the images) if I can push through it...

Yeah, it's a lovely area. I'm only an hour away but still don't get there as often as I'd like. Hope you manage to get a trip in before long.

I just can’t get up early these days. I’m up by 7 to start work which is all from home anyway. The other day I managed it and went out to do some photography at Silchester.

Amazing set of images Kieran! Love all those beautiful misty layers. Looks like you had a cracking morning for it. :)

Thanks so much Cath - yeah, it was a wonderful morning. Just what the Doctor ordered too!

Manually curated by ackhoo from the @qurator Team. Keep up the good work!