Colwith Force, Lake District, Autumn
The last of the summer holidays.
The last of the summer holidays.
After a lovely Friday evening in Dentdale, and a glorious Saturday in Kingsdale, we returned to the Lake District on Sunday for a hike to Colwith Force and back.
The weekend saw the advent of a heatwave settling over the British Isles. To counter, we head to Skelwith Bridge early in the morning for cooler conditions and before the majority of summer holidayers were about.
We were rewarded with beautifully moody, misty conditions to start, then as the temperatures rose the mist burned off, swirling around the fell tops and creating dramatic scenery. Just perfection.
All photos taken on my Sony α7ii using my Sony FE 28–70mm f3.5–5.6 OSS zoom and Rokinon 14mm f2.8 ED AS IF UMC ultra-wide prime lenses. RAWs developed in Lightroom using RNI Films’ Kodachrome film profiles, finalised in Photoshop.
Colwith Force, Lake District, Autumn by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Typically, we start the walk to Colwith Force from Skelwith Bridge. From here we cross the River Brathay and head west. But before crossing the river, we can never resist getting up close and personal with the beautiful Skelwith Force.
Looking upstream from Skelwith Force. You can just about make out the bridge that takes you across the river.
Up and out of the woods around Skelwith Force, we head west where the views started to open up. Well, to a degree. Early morning fog clung to the fell tops, making for moody images.
Looking back down the route we came up. You can just about make out the knuckly profile of Loughrigg but nothing beyond.
After navigating a series of narrow footpaths punctuated with tight kissing gates and stiles, the trail starts to head back down Little Langdale. But before we do, this magnificent composition demands your attention: Wetherlam (763 m/2,502 ft) fighting the swirling mist as the morning sun burns it all off.
Down at the valley bottom we entered Tongue Intake Plantation and picked our way up through the woods to find our main goal for the day: Colwith Force, a double spout waterfall. Evidence of the approach of autumn is all around us.
Some people simply turn around and head back, but we’re fans of following the trail as it ascends up and above the waterfall. From above it, interesting compositions can be found of all the falls before the main double spout.
Though a little dry this time, there’s a lovely series of falls above Colwith Force that deserve attention.
Beyond the upper falls we followed the circular trail back out of the plantation and sought the Little Langdale road back towards Skelwith Bridge. Emerging from the woods, the fells were now clear of the morning mist, revealing their autumnal coats.
Just goes to show the massive difference a change of light conditions can do to the mood and feel of a photograph. Loughrigg and the Grasmere fells beyond, now clearly visible.
Herdwick yows (ewes) and their lambs peacefully graze in the now gorgeous autumnal morning sun. A timeless scene.
Nearing Skelwith Bridge, we could finally see the Langdale Pikes after being consumed by the fog all morning.
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Colwith Force, Summer, Lake District
After two successive weekends of rain, it was time to seek a waterfall or two.
After two successive weekends of rain, it was time to seek a waterfall or two.
Getting outside for some solid hiking has been difficult given the changeable conditions we’ve experienced in August. Thankfully, the week ahead is looking promising, which is fortuitous because I have a week off.
Lisabet and I got up and out early to avoid the crowds, taking on a good 10,000 steps to visit both Skelwith Force and Colwith Force. Both waterfalls are not large but after prolonged rainfall they are powerful.
All photos shot on my Fujifilm X-T2 using two of my prime lenses: a Samyang 35mm f/1.2, and a Laowa 9mm f/2.8. Developed using RNI Films’ Kodak E100G film profile.
Getting as close as I dare to Skelwith Force. After rainfall the roaring thunder from these falls is near deafening.
Lisabet was braver than me, and clambered down the crags to the small footbridge for a different view. The spray from the falls leant a delicious mood to the scene.
We crossed the river and double-backed onto the Cumbria Way, stopping near Park House and Park Farm for some glorious views towards the Langdale Pikes as the cloud started to clear from the fells.
Gorgeous Herdwick ewes, fleeces clipped short after a hot summer and their smit marks reapplied.
Near Low Park we spot a good clump of Impatiens glandulifera, or Himalayan Balsam. It is considered a highly invasive species.
This year’s Herdwick tup lamb, just starting to grow its horns.
One of my favourite trees in the Skelwith/Colwith area. Truly gnarly, with the clouds burning up from the fells.
What a scene.
The way down to the River Brathay, with Wetherlam fighting with the clouds above.
Heading to Colwith Force. Already we can here the bassy roar of the twin spouts…
And there she is, looking absolutely incredible after all the rainfall we’ve had.
We climbed the pitched path to get to the upper part of the falls, teetering near the top of the main falls.
I plugged my 9mm ultra wide onto the camera to try and capture the scene from above the main falls.
It’s always an exciting time when the foliage starts to turn towards those wonderful autumn hues.
One final look at the upper falls before we climb higher through the woods.
Sometimes you just have to take a picture of a pretty tree.
After popping out of the top of the woods you’re greeted with the craggy top of Great How. Additionally, the sun decided to show its face.
We decided to to explore a little extra and took the path towards Stang End, snapping High Park Farm along the way with Lingmoor Fell above.
By this time of the day, many more people were on the paths enjoying the weather and scenes.
To cap the day off, we were greeted by a vocal chicken navigating its way on top of a dry stone wall. As you do.
Elterwater, Lake District, Summer
After a seriously dry and hot April/May—as noted by the MetOffice—June has proved to be more tropical and, well, wet.
After a seriously dry and hot April/May—as noted by the MetOffice—June has proved to be more tropical and, well, wet.
In the last week or so we’ve had mid-20°C heat combined with thunder and lightning (very very frightening), and heavy downpours of rain.
It seems to me, an enthusiastic amateur of meteorology, that the UK is increasingly experiencing more tropical summers: humid, hot, and wet. Climate change, yo.
After extensive, and perhaps obsessive, checks on various weather services, Lisabet and I decided to venture into the Lake District for a decent post-work summer hike. We chose a favourite of ours, and a generally popular trail: Skelwith Bridge to Elterwater village, via Elter Water the lake.
Thankfully our weather chimping paid off. There was no rain, barely any wind, puffy clouds everywhere and hardly anyone around. I’ve never seen Skelwith Bridge and Elterwater so bereft of people during the summer.
All photos shot on a Fujifilm X-T2 with a 16–50mm f/3.5–5.6 lens, using a customised Classic Chrome film simulation.
This is Skelwith Force, one of my favourite Lake District waterfalls. It’s not very big at all, maybe a 15ft drop, but the force of water through it is powerful, especially after heavy rain.
This is an attempt at a 6-shot panorama, scanning right to left. I wanted to capture the whole span of Skelwith Force in one image. The individual photos were edited in Capture One, then manually blended together in Affinity Photo.
The astonishing view you get when exiting Force How Woods from Skelwith Bridge. The open fields of Birk Rigg Park and the magnificent peaks of the Langdale Pikes.
Not pictured: all the horseflies bumping into me.
It’s hard to stop shooting compositions involving the Langdale Pikes around here.
And then there’s “the view”… this is Elter Water, with the Langdale Pikes almost perfectly reflected in it. Elter Water’s one of the smaller lakes in the Lake District, but no less spectacular. Its name, like a lot of Northern England places, comes from Old Norse: elptr/alpt, which means “swan”, and vatn, meaning “lake”, giving us “lake of swans”.
Someone left a towel by the shore of Elter Water. And below it, the charred earth signifying a fire or BBQ. Clean up after yourselves.
The bridge over Great Langdale Beck at Elterwater Village.
I spotted this composition in the distance and though my main lens only zooms in to 50mm I had to try and shoot it anyway. A lone horse in between the woods with the crags of Loughrigg Fell above. I had to crop in quite a lot.
The way back to Skelwith Bridge, with the sun start to dip and giving us those deliciously long shadows and warm light.
Perfect reflections of Wetherlam (763 m/2502 ft) in the River Brathay.