We had been looking forward to being tourists in London in the weekend before Christmas. But Omicron looked like overwhelming the capital and so we decided instead to head properly outdoors, to a favourite spot in the White Peak. Hartington is a lovely backwater at almost any time of the year. But in December? Expecting not very much really, I left home without a tripod and all the normal photographic paraphernalia. I was still quietly hopeful that the predicted mists might produce a decent picture or two, albeit hand-held.
We made a pit stop in a fabulous Deli in Ashbourne and arrived in Hartington prepped for our favourite walk to the extant 19th century Staden Barns and on towards Wolfescote Dale. Here the characteristic dry-stone walls, constructed from local limestone, dominate the landscape with isolated stone barns often incorporated within the stone walls, forming a distinctive feature of the area. On this December afternoon, with the fog and drizzle, the atmosphere was palpable and I grabbed some lovely shots through the murk.
Having committed to staying in the village overnight, we now had the opportunity, as the light fell, to visit the disused Magpie Mine. A desolate place at the best of times, I enjoyed photographing the abandoned buildings and ephemera through the obscurity of the low light and now freezing fog.
Incredibly, as the sun rose the next morning there was a hard frost and the air was clear. We retraced our steps from the previous morning, with the lanes and barns now bathed in light and colour.
After breakfast we drove for 20 minutes to Stanton Moor with its megaliths, ancient barrows, sandstone pillars and dormant quarries. It was irresistible not to stop along the route to photograph the shards of sunlight striking through the thickening cloud which enlightened the trees and undergrowth in the small thickets close to the road.
On reaching Stanton Moor, we set off to walk among the mainly upland heathland to discover the Nine Ladies stone circle. I hoped to capture an image of this unique bronze age monument befitting of the legend and mystery of the place. I was pleased with the conditions which gently defused the backdrop to this unique location.
Happily, it had been possible to keep shooting from dawn to dusk all weekend and, when the time came, it was difficult to leave the White Peak. Until the next time.