Northumberland, UK

[pdk42]

We had a few days up in Northumberland last week. Our lodgings were this place:

EM1.3 with the 8mm f1.8 fisheye. Shot with LiveComp. ISO 800, 34s at f2.5. Starry-sky AF! I light painted the hut using a small flashlight (or "torch" as we'd call it in the UK):

The Hut at Night by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

It's one of a few similar huts in the grounds of the Hesleyside estate (they call it "glamping"!). It's all very remote and beautiful. Because of its remote location, the skies are very dark which makes for some really impressive night-sky views. The shot above gives a taste of that, but lying back on one of the rocking chairs on the rear porch was quite amazing. The milky way was very visible.

If you're interested, you'll find their website here => Luxury Glamping in the Northumberland National Park

Overall it's a really wonderful place - the huts themselves are in the parkland of the house, which was designed by Capability Brown. The trees he planted are now of course very mature and there are some spectacular examples to be found - including a lot of beeches, which at this time of year are spectacular:

All these were taken with the EM1.3 with the 9-18. I’m pleasantly surprised how well this little lens performs.
At 14mm:

The Gates to Hesleyside Hall by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

At 13mm:

The Mighty Beech by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

At 9mm:

An Avenue of Autumn Trees by Paul Kaye, on Flickr


Walking through the grounds, I was amazed when three sheep came running over to say hello! They were very happy to be patted and fussed over - almost like dogs. We learned later that they were orphans and hand-raised at the house so they are very used to people. I didn't take a photo of them, but here's another sheep that I thought looked like it was some sort of guardian to prevent us passing through the end of the avenue and going towards the hills beyond:

EM1.3 with the 12-100 at 75mm (I love this lens!):

Guardian of the Hill by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

It's interesting speculation that if our ancestors had done things differently, we might now be taking sheep on walks rather than dogs!

On one side of the parkland is some beautiful ancient woodland. There are a few walks in the immediate area that go through the woodland and then transition to a wonderful amble along the North Tyne river. We caught it all at a good time for autumn colours. Here's a few shots from the woods:

All with the EM1.3 and the 9-18.
At 9mm:

Autumn Tree by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

At 18mm:

Dead Tree by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

At 12mm:

Tree in the Forest by Paul Kaye, on Flickr


And a few others from other parts of the walk:

All with the EM1.3 with the 12-100.
70mm:

Just Some Trees by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

80mm:

Northumberland Tranquility by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

70mm:

Autumn by Paul Kaye, on Flickr


Beyond the walkable local area and doing some short trips in the car, the scenery in general is gorgeous - rolling hills and moorland with lots of opportunities for sweeping landscape shots:

All with the EM1.3 and the 12-100.
29mm:

Northumberland by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

70mm:

Rolling Fields of Green and Gold by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

41mm:

Damp but Beautiful by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

Northumberland in general is remarkably quiet - population density is low and the place has a very relaxed feel to it. I'm somewhat surprised that there's not more tourist traffic - head over to the Lake District and you'll be trampled by hordes. Northumberland thankfully isn't like that. Yet there are some really fantastic places to visit. A great example is the walk up to the Hareshaw Linn waterfall. The waterfall itself is pretty good, but the path to it is arguably the highlight - it's a beautiful winding uphill path in the river valley that criss-crosses the river several times.

All with the EM1.3 and lenses as stated.
9-18 at 9mm and using LiveND on a tripod:

Hareshaw Linn Waterfall by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

9-18 at 9mm and with LiveND on a tripod:

Hareshaw Linn Waterfall by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

9-18 at 18m. LiveND and handheld at 4s. An interesting effect of such long handheld shots like this is that whilst the centre of the image is sharp, it gets progressively blurier towards the edges - I'm guess the IBIS is struggling with swivel:

Forest Waterfall by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

9-18 at 9mm. LiveND handheld at 4s:

It's All Just Water Under the Bridge by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

9-18 at 9mm:

Bridge in the Forest by Paul Kaye, on Flickr


Overall, a really enjoyable break.

And to sign off, a motif for the season…
EM1.3 with 12-100 at 75mm:

Wet Leaves by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

 

[Ad Dieleman]

Beautiful series. If you keep publishing this kind of pictures, Northumberland won't remain as quiet as it is now .

 

[wee-pics]

Wonderful series. The 4.0/12-100 has become my favourite all-rounder lens, too.
If I can find the 8-50 at a decent price, GAS will hit me.

 

[pdk42]

Wonderful series. The 4.0/12-100 has become my favourite all-rounder lens, too.
If I can find the 8-50 at a decent price, GAS will hit me.

I guess you mean the 8-25?

Interestingly, I recently did a trade on my Panasonic Leica 8-18 for an 8-25. But I'm regretting it. The copy of the 8-25 I have acquired is decentered since the left side of the frame shows notable blurring. It's now back with OMDS in Portugal for them to look at. But even when it's fixed/replaced, I'm going to sell it and return to the 8-18. The 8-18 is lighter and smaller; and it's a non-extending design. I can live without the 18-25 part of the range. Optically, the 8-18 is superb.

 

[Herbert Hound]

A great set of photos, Paul. I love that part of the country.

 

[Richard]

We stayed a couple of nights in comparable accommodation earlier in September. Ours was on a farm in Devon and consisted of a couple of wooden cabins separated by a few yards of cinder path - one was the bedroom and the other was the bathroom/kitchen. It's all very well until you need to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and it's pitch black and raining out there.

But in general we enjoyed the adventure and would do it again. I draw the line at a yurt, though, as I'm sure I would be woken early by daylight coming through the canvas.

I enjoyed your photos, it looks like a lovely part of the world.

-R

 

[tonyturley]

Nice series. My wife and I spent a couple of months binging all 11 seasons of Vera, usually watching a pair of episodes back to back as we ate our evening meal. It made me curious about Northumberland. Maybe I can talk my wife into visiting some day.

 

[pdk42]

Nice series. My wife and I spent a couple of months binging all 11 seasons of Vera, usually watching a pair of episodes back to back as we ate our evening meal. It made me curious about Northumberland. Maybe I can talk my wife into visiting some day.

Never heard of "Vera" (but then again I don't watch much TV). In any case, I'd definitely recommend Northumberland. The coast is wonderful too. Here's a shot from a visit to Bamburgh a few years back:

Join to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Bamburgh Castle at Dawn by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

 

[tonyturley]

Never heard of "Vera" (but then again I don't watch much TV). In any case, I'd definitely recommend Northumberland. The coast is wonderful too. Here's a shot from a visit to Bamburgh a few years back:

View attachment 346063
Bamburgh Castle at Dawn by Paul Kaye, on Flickr

We accidentally found Vera when we signed up for a BritBox subscription so we could continue watching Father Brown (which had been dropped by our local station). She's a crusty DCI in charge of a major crimes unit HQ'd in Newcastle. I think we just like the show because she's older and cranky, like us. The scenery they show a lot is nice, too, often reminding me of your image in the post above.

 

[wee-pics]

I guess you mean the 8-25?

Interestingly, I recently did a trade on my Panasonic Leica 8-18 for an 8-25. But I'm regretting it. The copy of the 8-25 I have acquired is decentered since the left side of the frame shows notable blurring. It's now back with OMDS in Portugal for them to look at. But even when it's fixed/replaced, I'm going to sell it and return to the 8-18. The 8-18 is lighter and smaller; and it's a non-extending design. I can live without the 18-25 part of the range. Optically, the 8-18 is superb.

Yes, of course, I meant 8-25. Thanks for your answer, maybe it really is the better choice for me as a supplement to the 12-100.

 

[theoldsmithy]

We accidentally found Vera when we signed up for a BritBox subscription so we could continue watching Father Brown (which had been dropped by our local station). She's a crusty DCI in charge of a major crimes unit HQ'd in Newcastle. I think we just like the show because she's older and cranky, like us. The scenery they show a lot is nice, too, often reminding me of your image in the post above.

If you liked Vera, you should see if you can find Shetland. Both were originally written by Ann Cleeves. Shetland has even better scenery, longer storylines (over a series, not an episode) and some fine actors.

 

[Herman]

Wow! Well done Paul @pdk42

 

[bartjeej]

Beautiful series! Moody autumn at its finest. Piqued my interest in Northumberland too!