Landscape Photography | Winskill Stones & Scaleber Force

Yes, it's that time of the year again when I trek off with Tim Bailey for a day's landscape photography. After last year's trip to Saltburn-by-the-Sea and Saltwick Bay / Black Nab, we decided to go up to the Dales and find a nice waterfall this year.

Location 1: Winskill Stones

Winskill Stones is a remote area of limestone pavement and grassland situated high in the hills above the village of Stainforth in the Yorkshire Dales. It is a popular place for landscape photographers due to its rugged contours and extensive views. If you happen to be there for a spectacular sunrise or sunset, it makes the perfect foreground interest for a big dramatic sky so we arrived half an hour before sunrise, hoping for something special. Unfortunately, the thick cloud cover meant that the light was completely flat but never mind, it's still a beautiful place to photograph. 

Location 2: Scaleber Foss

Scaleber Foss (or Force, if you prefer) is an impressive multi-tiered waterfall, which drops around 50 feet into a steep sided wooded gorge, making it an absolute dream location for photography. Autumn is the best time of the year to shoot waterfalls, with the trees displaying the golden autumnal tints and, although I think we may have been a week too early to get the best colours, it looked amazing in the early morning light. 

I'm not too good with heights and the descent to the bottom was a bit 'challenging' but I was determined to do it (it didn't seem to bother Tim). It was well worth the effort!
When we'd finished, it was off to Ye Olde Naked Man Cafe in Settle for a well-earned pot of tea and an enormous full English breakfast.

Landscape Photography: Hoar Frost on Haw Pike, Addingham, West Yorkshire

Addingham is a pretty village situated right on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. It's perfect for a Sunday walk as it's only 30 mins drive from home and, although there are some big hills around, there are plenty of less challenging walks as well.
We did this particular walk up Haw Pike a few weeks ago in thick fog so the idea was to redo it on a day when we could actually see the scenery. Although it was a bit foggy again (and very frosty) today, it was clear enough to be able to appreciate the amazing scenery.

The walk starts in Addingham, following a well worn footpath out of the village and across the fields. It's uphill but you hardly notice it until you reach Bracken Ghyll Golf Course and look back the way you've come! After dodging low flying golf balls you find yourself at Chelker Reservoir with its huge wind turbines and stunning views. From there it's another gentle climb up to Haw Pike. As you walk around the Pike and start to descend, the ruins of the priory at Bolton Abbey come into view across the valley. The return leg passes through woods, across fields, over an abandoned railway line, through farmyards and down to the River Wharfe. The final mile follows the picturesque river back into Addingham.

If you are ever in the area with about 3 hours to spare, give it a go. You won't regret it!