Lake District Derwentwater Oct 7 2018

It is Saturday evening, I have got home from work and with the van already packed and ready to go we are driving straight up to the lakes , heading to Great wood on  Derwentwater .   I checked on the highways website for roadworks on the a66 , they are closed east bound but open west bound until 8pm so we should be ok.   The matrix signs on the m6 were saying the same so we continued past junction 36 and heading up to j40,  the next matrix sign said a66 closed BOTH directions!!!!   wtf!

Cutting a very long story short, after driving around clueless on different diversions going nowhere,  I found a route from j41 that went through back roads to come out at Mungrisdale , which is an area I know a bit , its only a couple minutes to get back on the Keswick road from there,  good job this van is not too big.

        Eventually we have parked up and I get the camera out to shoot a couple of astro shots.

                                                  5dsr    f4 , 25 secs  iso 2400

The following morning I have got up early to try shoot a sunrise over Derwentwater with the drone,  its just too cloudy but will try anyhow as the wind is forecast to get very strong later today so this may well be my only chance to fly.

                                                     Chester doesn't merge in very well  !

                                       Which way should we go?     straight on I think...…

Up with the Drone,   its not the weather I had hoped for, but I can try and get a couple of images.

                                                                   9 frame panorama

Taking a look at the small island, named St Herberts island   .   I have noticed the blue/green algae blooms around the island and  out across the calm surface.

                 Taking the drone down low for a closer look...…………..

                                            Topdown directly over the patterns on the surface.
           There are warning signs around the lake warning of this algae as it is poisonous to dogs.

                    It makes for a good abstract with the algae and cloud reflections in the image.

                                              A 2 frame merge over the end of the island.

                           7 frame Vertorama from 400ft clearly showing the algae formations.

                         18 frames merged together for this topdown view of the entire island.

                   Time to land now having used two batteries, a walk to Ashness bridge now.
              Mollster crossing a wooden bridge, not her favourite to walk over it has to be said.

                                       We are heading to Ashness bridge ,  which way Jan?
                                                and I haven't brought my camera.  Doh!

                           Ashness Bridge, one of the most photographed views in the Lakes.

                                                        Think Mollster likes it ………….

                                         Nice to see a glimmer of sun on the fells behind.

                                                                     Jan snapped me  haha

Time to go back to the van now for lunch, then wait to see what the weather does.  forecast is for heavy rain and gale force winds.
As predicted , Its been chucking it down all afternoon,  but has cleared up enough to walk down to the lake.

       Its wild down here , blowing a gale and raining again.   We are almost getting blown over!

                                                                    Back to the van now....

The following morning we are driving back through the lakes,  and decided to stop of at Grasmere on the way.
Parking up in the layby below Helm Crag,  a walk through the village and maybe around part of the lake.

                                     Autumn is approaching fast,  trees are colouring up now .

                  The sun is breaking through the thick cloud now and again, lighting up the fells.

                                                        The sun illuminating Helm Crag.

               A lovely view through a garden looking towards Helm Crag still with the sun on it.

 Time to head back to the van for lunch now, and then home.  After two last shots with the long lens as the light rakes across the fellside trees.

Where will we go next then ?