Wednesday, 22 September 2010

Tyne Tees Television - Parts 12, 13 & 14

Yes, I warned you of a backlog!

Here's is the last bunch of weather clips for now. Cheers, Ash

1. Sandgate, Whitby, North Yorkshire
2. Before Sunrise, Roker Pier, Sunderland
3. Conversation Piece, Littlehaven, South Shields

Tyne Tees Television - Parts 9,10 & 11

And there's more...

1. Whitby Sunrise, North Yorkhire
2. Banks Of The Wear, Sunderland
3. Hawkshead, Lake District


Tyne-Tees Television - Parts 7 & 8

It's time to catch up witha backlog of Tyne-Tees TV weather clips which recently featured my photographs. There's quite a few to get through, dating back to Spring 2010, so I'll kick off with a few now to get the ball rolling.

The first clip features a night time shot of the 'Angel Of The North'. This was the very first low-light effort with my 'Then new' Canon 7D. The second shot is another low-light exposure, taken near the Blacksmith's Needle on Newcastle Quayside. Hope you like them.
Cheers, Ash

Broadway, The Cotswolds

Broadway is rightly proud to have gained the reputation and recognition for being ‘The jewel of the Cotswolds’. This picturesque village nestles beneath the Worcestershire hills of the Cotswolds. Today, Broadway attracts visitors from across the world – all drawn to the beauty and attractions of this quintessential English village. The wide main street (the ‘broad way’) is lined with red chestnut trees and historic honey-coloured buildings many of which date back to the 16th century. As well as it's wide street, Broadway's majesty is also a delightful mix of Tudor, Stuart and Georgian buildings. Broadway has a long and interesting history and there is documentary evidence of a settlement in this region dating as far back as Roman Times. This famous street was also voted the most beautiful street in the UK and on arrival it is clear to see why.

Broadway is lively and vibrant with an excellent range of unique shops and designer boutiques, restaurants and hotels but is also steeped in history. Over the centuries it has made its mark in many different ways. In the 1600's it was a major stopping place for the stage coaches that travelled between Worcester and London – with the world-renowned Lygon Arms remaining popular with travellers and visitors.

After parking up we walked through a small arcade which brought us out onto Broadway. And broad it certainly was! Olde worlde architecture greeted us as we made our way up the street before crossing the main road and heading back down the other side. The place wasn't as busy as expected, although quite a few coach trips were coming and going during our one hour stay.

Broadway Tower, which stands at 65 feet tall, watched over the main street and green
below. At 1024 feet above sea level this is the second highest point in the Cotswolds. From the top of the tower is one of England's finest viewpoints with 13 English counties to be seen on a clear day.

Ground level was the location of my photography today though. A wide lens would have suited me down to the ground today (no pun intended), but I had to settle with a standard 18-135mm job. It was up to the task, but photographing at closer quarters might have upped the game slightly, especially when getting close up to the fine detailed architecture itself. Here is a selection of shots from my debut visit to Broadway. A bit of mix n' match.

Thanks!
Ash

Tuesday, 21 September 2010

Chipping Campden, The Cotswolds

Situated in the north Cotswolds, Campden is a perfect place to stay with plenty of accommodation. This charming old wool merchants' town straddles the nearby surrounding shire counties of Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. From Blenheim Palace and the Cotswolds to the south, to Worcester and the Malverns to the west plus Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick (with the best medieval castle in Europe) all within an hour's journey.

Chipping Campden didn't feature in our Cotswolds visit of 2009, so it seemed a sensible choice to pay a visit twelve months later. And here we were, walking amongst olde worlde Cotswold England.

In tradition with it's neighbouring Cotswold villages, Chipping Campden was another place that we wouldn't forget in a hurry. Well maintained and well presented, this is Cotswold Country at it's very best.

We got a little bit off the beaten track and explored the back streets rather than sticking to the main street that split Campden through the middle. At the junction of Lower High Street sits St Catharine's Church, part of the Clifton Diocese. The church sits nicely on the edge of Campden, alongside the many terraced houses on each side of the surrounding roads. The bells chimed as I took the shot (above), adding to the whole experience of the Cotswolds and all it had to offer.

The properties in Campden will set you back a few quid...not 'arf! I dread to think how much some of the larger plots would cost. But hey, you'd give an arm and a leg to own one of these fella's. It was another good day for the camera though, as Chipping Campden offered plenty to capture on memory card. Once again, this will be another place to add to the 'Must Revisit' list and hopefully it won't be too long before that happens. No matter how much you think you've seen, there's always the bits you miss.

I'll have to put that right next time.
Ash

Lower Slaughter, The Cotswolds - Revisited

Deep in Cotswolds country lies the tiny picturesque village of Lower Slaughter. As the name suggests, Lower Slaughter is one half of two villages more commonly known as 'The Slaughters', with Upper Slaughter being the other half. After visiting Lower last summer, I was looking forward to seeing Upper in the hope that it was just as good as it's neighbour. Unfortunately Upper Slaughter was nothing to write home about so it made good sense to make the short drive to revisit Lower Slaughter, a place that seems almost lost in time.

Last year the sun was shining and as night fell it cast a nice orange glow onto the Cotswold stone of the quaint village houses. This time around though, the sun shone very briefly before dropping behind a very large grey cloud, not to be seen again until sunrise the next day. The right light makes all the difference when photographing this type of landscape scene and I managed to capture one or two decent shots in those brief moments of ideal light.

Lower Slaughter still remains one of the best places I've ever visited in the UK. It's certainly the best village for obvious reasons. During both visits we only passed a handful of people as we walked amongst its beauty. It really is a place that has to be visited, ideally in the Summer, but one can only imagine what it must look like after a heavy snowfall in Winter. Now, that would be a sight to see!

Next stop in Cotswolds Country... Broadway.
Until then,
Ash


Saturday, 18 September 2010

Fowey, Cornwall

Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall between Looe and Mevagissey. Quaint cottages, narrow steep winding streets with glimpses of the shimmering river below, busy with boats and yachts, cobbled walkways perfumed with flowers from hanging baskets and boxes. This is Fowey (pronounced Foy).

Our afternoon in Fowey started off well, on the balcony of the Fowey Hotel with a cold one. Overlooking the harbour on a sweltering hot day with a pint of Carlsberg - doesn't get much better really. Pint down, it was time to check the place out, so we headed down to where it was all happening. The place was well busy, as expected at this time of year, and the weather made our visit all the more enjoyable. The narrow approach roads to the town centre were a bit scary, especially with busy traffic and the need to 'Keep in' as it passed.

At the waters edge people dined at an exclusive restaurant which was throwing out some quality aroma from it's kitchens. And there was me, cornish pasty in hand - livin' the dream...NOT! We sat for a while, taking in the views across the marina towards Bodinnick and also over the water towards Polruan, another village that typifies the whole 'Look' of Cornwall and it's coastal fishing ports. Mrs Corr certainly enjoyed the views (see picture).

The surrounding coastline of Fowey is popular with fishermen and spear-fishermen. Many sea creatures can be seen all around the Cornish shoreline, including mullet, bass, mackerel, lobsters and cuttlefish. The seafood served in many of Fowey's restaurants and comes from the Fowey estuary, or the sea just outside it.

Well, visiting Fowey wrapped up out visit to Cornwall and it was a good way to end another holiday before the long journey back up north. Again the journey would be split in two and the half way point this year would once again be the Cotswolds, as in 2009. Last years visit to the Cotswolds is featured in my blog, beginning with Bourton On The Water, followed by Lower Slaughter. It might be worth revisiting these pages before I tell you about our return...coming soon!

Thanks for visiting.
Ash