Sights and Sounds One Hundred One

Day 5. Photo Ops!

The forecast for today was the best so far and i knew getting up early would give me the best chance to shoot some decent pictures of the castle. I decided i would get up early and walk into town by myself. It was a cool morning with an abundance of blue sky and wispy white clouds in the upper atmosphere. My mission for this holiday in a photography perspective is to get at least 5 photographs that i feel really happy with and i felt today i would need to get one of those shots. I walked up the high street and passed all the market vendors setting up for market day. I saw one guy unloading a palette of freshly baked pies, scones and sausage rolls. I walked up to the castle remains and began to think about my desired shot. The clouds weren't really doing what i wanted but i went ahead and set up for a long exposure. I got a couple of different compositions from various angles which i had scoped out the day before with Dusti.

 I also to this one from lower down without the ND filter. The distortion from the wide angle on the lens was pretty horrific but nothing a little Photoshop could straighten out.

I walked down the steps at the back of the castle and headed down to the river again. I know i have photographed this area a thousand times but the light was a little different so i thought i would just check it out. Plus i had my ND filters with me this time. I got this pretty decent shot of the viaduct. 

I also shot the row boats again from another angle. I liked the repeating patterns. After about two hours i decided to walk back to mum and dad's house so we could decide what to do with the day. The original plan was to go to Whitby on the caost which would have been pretty cool but i wasn't sure the about the weather and it's also a decent length drive. Instead we decided to go up in to the Yorkshire Dales and visit The Coldstones Cut. 

There is a really large quarry up near Pateley Bridge which recently had an art installation placed above it. Basically it's a stone viewing platform which lets you look over the Quarry in one direction or over Yorkshire in the other. We drove through the country roads and the sun was shinning and the clouds had great contrast and form. It was going to be good for pics. As we pulled up to park the car however mother nature put the brakes on and the heavens opened. Dust and i sat for about ten minutes before just going for it in the cold hard rain. Dad stayed in the car hoping for it to let up some.

The trail up was rocky and steep in parts but offered great views. The purple thistles poked their heads up from the pastures in every direction.

Dusti and i actually got to the top really quick and took a quick look and headed back down as the weather the got worse and we were getting soaked but as quickly as the rain came on as we reach near the bottom it stopped and we were greeted by my dad who was heading up. After a brief discussion we decided to go back up (thanks in part to my dad's knowledge of the weather patterns up there as he predicted the sun would be out for a while). I really glad we did as it really turned out pretty spectacular.  Here are a few images from the trail including some pretty cool panoramas (make sure to click on the images to see larger versions).

All in all the little hike was well worth it. Some lovely views of Yorkshire and some pretty trippy weather. We head to back to Buxton tomorrow and begin our Scottish adventure on Friday. So it's farewell to Yorkshire. It's always so nice to visit the place i was born.

Sights and Sounds One Hundred

Day 4. More Rain.
We got up having slept for a good nine hours. I was really hoping for the weather  to be a little brighter but it was pretty miserable. We went to town so Dusti could buy some local Yorkshire wool to do some knitting while on the Scottish Island next week and we also retraced her jog from earlier so she could post some photos. The lady in the wool shop was very kind and Dusti some needles for free since she didn't bring any with her and Dusti bought several skeins of wool of which she is knitting a couple of scarves with (we'll probably need them next week the way this British summer weather is panning out). I didn't take my DSLR with me and low and behold as we were eating lunch the sun poked out from the thick gray blanket in the sky to say hello and i began to wonder if i was going to miss some dramatic skies above the castle. Well we finished lunch and headed back outside and within five minutes it was raining again. We pretty much ruled this day out as far as doing anything too interesting. In the evening we did get a visit from my Auntie Rosemary and Uncle Ian which was fantastic. We had a fish and chip dinner followed by a delicious chocolate cake. After they left i went to bed early with the intentions of getting up at 6AM to photograph the castle. The weatherman were predicting partly cloudy weather especially for the morning so i was eager to take advantage and shoot some long exposures.

Sights and Sounds Ninety-Nine

Day 3. Washed Out.
Northern England in the summer = rain and we are getting first hand experience of that right now. I don't mind so much it being colder and even cloudy as we get plenty of sun in SC but i was really hoping to get out and go to a few places in Yorkshire over the next few days and the weather is not cooperating. The forecast for the next three days really a big downer therefore my photo ops are looking a bit grim. The sky is so flat with no contrast exactly what i was hoping to avoid. I am really hoping Scotland will be a different story. Funnily enough the forecast from Friday through next week in Knaresborough is lovely!

We did pop into Harrogate my birthplace yesterday.  This is where the PBS show Last Tango in Halifax is filmed. It's a pretty nice town a good bit bigger than Knaresborough. My dad dropped us off in the morning before the rain started. We first went to find Dusti and embroidery kit (new hobby) at Dutton's Buttons and then we went for a walk through the Valley Gardens.

Throughout the streets were hanging baskets of flowers and flower beds. I noticed a several signs saying "Harrogate a Town in Bloom" and it really was. I guess they need something to brighten up the summer days!

After a stopping for some lunch we walked around for another 30 minutes or so before the rain started at which point we decided to call it a day. The rest of the day was spent inside looking out the window at the drizzle but at least Dusti got started on her sewing.

Fingers crossed for some improved weather.

Sights and Sounds Ninety-Eight

Day 2. The Witch and Raven.
Today got off to an early start. After a delicious breakfast of eggs and sausage we chilled out and chatted with my parents for most of the morning catching up. It's been over two years since I've been home so it's really nice to be here. Around noon we decided to walk in to town. It was quite bright out but the forecast was for rain around 2pm.

It only takes 10 minutes to walk down to the river. We always wander into town when come but never ceases to amaze me how pretty it is. It's the perfect English town and in the summertime it comes to life even more. We usually visit in the winter and everything looks very different. I took quite a few photos many from similar vantage points over the past trips but i find its quite a good challenge to see if i am improving in my composition and i have a much better quality camera this trip too.

Whilst walking down the street towards the river the scent from all the flowers in the gardens threw me back to my childhood. So many aromas. Like i mentioned, visiting in the summer is so different and it's been many years since i have done so. The traffic was very busy and there was quite a lot of people walking down towards the river. We walked past The World's End Pub and turn onto Waterside we left the busy traffic behind us. The trees were all so green and there ere several folks navigating the tranquil waters of the River Nidd on rowing boats.

It was pleasantly mild but cool enough for us to wear a couple of layers. However, most people we saw were in shorts and t-shirts! We wandered down along the river under the viaduct.

There are some really cool houses along the water and the gardens were spectacular. We approached several cafes and more boat rentals. The locals were sitting out eating and drinking.

As the sky began to darken we decided to head up to the castle and head back. We meandered through the Bebra Gardens and back up.

 

We were greeted at the top by this guy.

This is the witch's raven. This things was massive and the picture doesn't do it justice. We are pretty sure it was swearing at us. We asked mum and dad about it and apparently this bird belongs to a strange old lady who often walks around with it perched on her shoulder. We did see her dressed in medieval clothing but just thought she was hired by the castle to entertain the tourists. And apparently she has taught the bird to talk. We walked round the castle grounds and took the obligatory shot down towards the river once again.

I didn't take any photos of the castle yet. I am hoping to go back later in the week when the sky is a little  more dramatic and shoot some long exposures.

Walked briskly back through town and managed to beat rain. We enjoyed a sunday roast dinner of lamb and Yorkshire Puddings.

An early night was in store as the day before was finally catching up. Hopefully we will feel pretty rested tomorrow and start to get out a bit more.

Sights and Sounds Ninety-Seven

Day One. CHS-Buxton-Hebden-Hebdon Bridge-Knaresborough.

It’s 5:45am in Knaresborough. The sun is blasting through the white blinds and i have only had 5 hours of sleep. I actually feel pretty awake considering the monster first day we just had. 

We left Charleston on Friday. The weather was hot but overcast with a good chance of storms but we managed to leave the gate without any delay. The United flight was a little crowded and small so thankfully it only took an hour to get to Dulles (Washington, DC). Having drank three pints of Guinness in the airport (as you do) i was a little concerned that we got held up for 20 minutes on the runway as i felt the urge to go to bathroom creep up on me. The Guinness was going to get it’s revenge. In the spirit of going back to the motherland for the first time in two years i blasted Great Northern’s “Home” through my headphones as we sped down the runway to take my mind off it. I knew i had another 15-20 minutes before i would be allowed to get up and move about the cabin. When chime of the “seat belt no loner required” finally met my ears i bolted in true Johnny Bolt fashion down the back of the little plane only to be met by the meanest United Airlines flight attendant who was walking in my direction. “Sir, go to the exit row” not catching what she said i replied “Sorry?” to which she snarky repeated herself “Sir, go to the exit row”. At this point my bladder was close to springing a leak all over Row 22. I backed up so she could walk by and i smiled and let her by (she did not smile nor did i see her smile once on the flight. Anyways, i finally got to the loo and wow that was a relief in every aspect of the word.



We landed in Washington and had a two hour layover. This is short for us as we usually plan 4 hours or so just in case there are delays so we barely had time to grab some food before we were boarding again. We ate at some restaurant burger joint and talked to some young guy who was coming home after a military tour. He had been to all those countries in the middle east you see on the news. He named off about 8 of them. What was really cool is as he went to pay the waiter told him the lady that was sitting opposite him moments earlier paid for his tab. I thought that was a really cool gesture. 

After devouring a cheeseburger we went to gate to board our flight to Manchester. It was a smaller plane than most that go to Europe only have three seats on each side with one aisle but it was pretty comfy and with the tail winds the caption announced we would be Manchester well before our scheduled arrival time. We didn't check any luggage this trip due mainly to our schedule leaving Scotland in two weeks. So the flight was great pretty smooth and fast. Dusti slept for about four of the 6.5 hours and i got a couple of hours in after a couple of drinks to help me doze off.



We landed in Manchester at 6:15am which for our bodies was 1:15am but we both felt remarkably good. We zipped through Immigration super fast and were out through customs into the arrivals lounge in no time. In fact, we were 10 minutes ahead of my brother since we had arrived ahead of schedule. But sure enough Julian was there and we were in the car on a beautiful sunny day in Manchester heading to Buxton for the day.

 It’s really cool being in England in the Summer. When we walked out of the airport we were met with really refreshing cool air. Such a contrast to the heavy humidity of Charleston. We drove out of Manchester towards Macclesfield and up into the Peak District. It was really beautiful. The sun was low in the sky and the colors were magnificent. Just outside Buxton we saw a policeman flagging us down or i guess just warning us to beware. As we drove around the corner were met by another copper who was “shooing” a cow and calf off the road! They had obviously broken out of their walled field and were going for a stroll down the country road. Without any further delays we arrived at Julian and Sarah’s and had a cup of tea and chilled….well I did anyway. Dusti thought she would feel better if she went off for a jog. The sun was out the temp was pleasant so Dusti and the family border collie Mak hit the streets of Buxton for a 5 mile run!

The rest of the day we chilled and did take afternoon naps to help us be prepared for our evening trip to Hebden Bridge to see Kate and her boyfriend Frankie and ultimately see Julian’s good friend Steve play with his band Klammer opening for the old punk band The Membranes. The drive over took about 1.5 hours. The road system in the UK is so baffling. The sat nav says it’s like miles but the roads are so twisty it takes ages to get anywhere. It was a great drive though with some super cool views. I set up my GoPro on the windshield to shoot a time-lapse of the trip. Check it out below.

This video is about Buxton_hebden


Once in Hebden we got a quick tour of Kate’s flat which was located right on the canal. It was a really cute little town. Dusti really enjoyed looking at all the old buildings and floral decorations that dawned them.

 We met up with Steve outside the club and all walked in together and had a pre-gig pint. The first band started and it was very loud. I would say i felt old but i think since the headliner of the gig was a punk band from the 70’s a majority of the clientele were actually older than me many of which were still trying to grasp on to their punk roots. 

Steve’s band Klammer



were really quite good. I had listened to them on SoundCloud so i was familiar with them some. It was about 9:30 when they finished up their set and we ha arranged to meet Frankie and Kate at another pub for quick pint before heading to Knaresborough. Of course my good brother had a Pepsi whilst Dusti, Sarah and i all drank one more beverage including a Strongbow Berry Cider which was rather tasty but perhaps a little too sweet (me thinks Judi McCabe would have enjoyed this drink). We also got a few packets of crisps (potato chips) including Ox flavor and Strong Cheese and Onion.

We finally headed out about 10:30 but unfortunately the drive to Knaresborough seemed to take quite some time due to a few road works and the complicated directions the sat nav gave us. I swear we drove in circles for about 30 minutes. I kept looking out the window a seeing the moon in one direction then it would be on the other side of the car moments later then back again. It was bizarre. We did finally make it to mum and dads arriving here a 12:05am about 31 hours after leaving our house in Mount Pleasant. 

So we are here and ready for the adventures that await us over the next 15 days. I’ll keep posting on the blog for the trip as much as i can if you wish to follow along with us.
 It’s time for a cup of tea and perhaps some eggs and english sausage!