Dodgy Weather Forecasts for Peak District Course!

Yesterday was the last day of the 3 day course for Clive and Alex and we were looking forward to the best weather of the 3 days with BBC and Met Office forecasts of sunny spells all day. In fact we had sleet, hail and rain in the morning with 25mph winds making it feel much colder than the 8C that the thermometer showed. The afternoon was better but not the blue sky we expected.

Having taken lots of waterfalls on the first 2 days I planned to spend much of this 3rd day taking extensive views from the tops. We started on Combs Moss, a large moor with steep cliffs in places and a high vantage point for us (up to 1700 feet) and views over hills, hill farms and lakes. Unfortunately, shortly after we arrived the rain blew in which was sleet on the top where we sheltered for a few minutes. There was a short break in the weather and we managed some views with sunny patches on the hills. Then back to the car before it closed in again. High Edge and Chrome Hill were next on the list. Coming down from High Edge wwe had stinging hail and a strong wind which nearly ripped the door off the RAV4 when I opened it. Some nice light towards Chrome Hill before this though. We sheltered a few minutes in the car before venturing out for a shot along the spine of Chrome Hill. Nice light here and we made it back to the car in the dry! The rest of the day was dry, thank goodness!

Next stop was Chelmorton and the Church Inn for lunch, a traditional pub with good food and beer. Clive and Alex made it their main meal as they had to return to London when we finished in a few hours time. After lunch we made our way behind the pub onto Chelmorton Low, the local hill with impressive views. From here we went towards Tideswell and Litton for Peter Stone. I was surprised by the amount of water in the the bottom of Cressbrook Dale, over a foot deep in places. Nice light in the dale and several frisky ponies running about for extra interest. Stopped off below Mam Tor on the way back for a quick shot of the ridge leading away to Lose Hill with nice light.

In the end it was a pretty good afternoon despite the forecast!
Overall, we had a good 3 days with lots of changing light making for some dramatic images. Both Clive and Alex have lots of good shots and were good company.

Today I was in the darkroom processing 19 rolls of film from the Lakes. Should have done them sooner or sent them to Ilford to save time. Anyway they are done now. Some good ones too.

Walking to Buxton tomorrow for a day in the Pavilion Gardens Gallery. Will take precaution of not looking at weather forecast so that I’m not disappointed!