I had been monitoring the weather forecast all week and the conditions were looking good on the Sunday for mist and fog in both the Keswick and Buttermere/Crummock Water areas.
Living in Keswick and wanting a change of scenery now the lockdown restrictions allow you to travel further, I thought I would head to Crummock Water. I woke up bright and early and was pleased to see the weather forecast was right in Keswick. Lots of mist and fog, so I was feeling good about heading over to Crummock Water for similar conditions.
That’s when it all fell apart. Once I travelled from one valley to the next it was like two different worlds. One side had a complete cloud inversion and the other was overcast and looking rather dull.
Still I parked up at the north end of Crummock Water and headed to the lake hoping there might still be some low lying mist on the water. I would be wrong again. This was becoming very disappointing, however I did get to see an owl sitting in a tree on the way to the lake. Unfortunately it did that thing where they wait for you to go for your camera and then fly off laughing at you, so no picture this time. I know they are there now though so I’ll be prepared next time with camera in hand.
I decided to turn the trip to Crummock Water into a bit of recce and try and salvage it with a couple of images. I was finding it very hard to find any inspiration and use the conditions I had to my advantage.
Here is the first image I took that even though I want to go back and get a better version of, I was reasonably happy with.
As I wondered around looking for compositions I started to look for more intimate landscapes and abstract images. It became even more apparent I was in the wrong place then, when I could see some gorgeous colours poking through the clouds from the other side of the fells. Just take a look at these images to see what I mean.
It was still quite early, so I quickly packed up my gear and headed back towards Keswick via Whinlatter. As I was driving back you could see the conditions getting better and better. I came across one scene I just had to pull over for. I didn’t realise when I pulled over that it was in between two fields full of sheep that thought it was breakfast time, mistaking me for the farmer with their food. They got very loud and one in particular didn’t seem to like it when I started to leave, staring at me as if to say “Where are you going? Where is my breakfast?”.
As I came over the Keswick side of Whinlatter, there was a sea of cloud across the valley between Bassenthwaite and Derwentwater. Lucky for me it had stuck around for a while. First stop was at a viewpoint half way up to Whinlatter Visitor Centre. From here you have a great view of Bassenthwaite Lake or not in this case as it had been engulfed by cloud. The sun had already risen, yet still low enough for some gorgeous golden light to be cast across the landscape.
After taking this image, I took the opportunity to use my new 70-300mm lens to capture some more abstract shots with the trees poking through the mist.
Here is a selection of them for you;
This was turning out to be a great morning. Even though there was no mist as promised at Crummock Water or Buttermere, the mist at Keswick was more than making up for it.
My final stop was down by Derwentwater at Isthmus Bay. Now I was in the thick of it and couldn’t even see across the lake. Some challenging conditions but I came away with some interesting shots. Take a look below and let me know what you think.
All in all it was a fantastic morning to be out.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post.