My first ever visit to the top of Penshaw Monument was well overdue. The last two Summers have presented an opportunity to climb the column steps of the Monument, but I never took advantage, for reasons unknown. Better late than never, so they say, as I paid the £5 National Trust fee to go to the top, for all of 15 minutes. As expected, the steps were very narrow and dimly lit, even with my supplied head torch. The climb was slow and seemed to last an age. Once at the top I was snapping away whilst the 15 minute timer ticked down to zero. Visibility was excellent and so was the weather. Plenty of blue sky and broken cloud - ideal. Only one side of the Monument had public access, facing South to West and in between. Great 180 degree panoramic views. With 15 minutes flying by in a whizz, I was soon making the descent to the column door, with camera tucked away inside my top to avoid a scratching on the stair walls. I took a few more shots next to the Monument before making my way down the hill.
As I was about to get back into the car I noticed some nice cloud formation away to my left, so I set off on foot, along the road towards the fields, in the hope of catching the clouds before they passed by the Monument. By the time I got to where I wanted to be I was out of breath. Shirt stuck to my back off the mid-afternoon sun. Here are a couple of the shot I took, before converting them to Black & White. I was quite pleased with the results. Back soon...Ash
