Confluence
"We'll easily spend an entire day in the Ogwen Valley," came the confident verdict as we planned our long weekend in Snowdonia. What we didn't know at the time was that Storm Ciara was planning on turning up uninvited and threatening chaos in the manner of an unexpected party crasher with destructive ambitions.
In the event we had to contract the best of the plans for both Saturday and Sunday into a few hours before what light there was disappeared into an oncoming soaking. In fact apart from a visit to the lone tree at sunrise, two hours here and a short visit to the view along the Llanberis Pass from the Pyg Track were the sum total of our time in the Snowdonia National Park. Having said that, the time spent on this hillside was a joy. Streams and cascades racing down the slope towards Llyn Ogwen provided a number of foreground opportunities against the magnificent backdrop of Tryfan. We met one or two other people up here, all of them landscape photographers, and all of them seemingly knowing where the best spots were. In fact as I made my way uphill the two viewpoints I liked most were already occupied by a couple from Tamworth, who were planning to head over to nearby Anglesey for the rest of the day.
Neither of the spots I had to patiently await while indulging in polite conversation were this one though. This, I found for myself as I gradually and reluctantly made my way back towards the car, hopping across the stream on the left to find a vantage point where the three of them combined into one over a space of a few yards. By this time the sky was darkening and the rain was drifting in and out of the scene, carried by a strengthening wind, so picking a moment to make a long exposure was challenging.
Confluence. A place where rivers join. I remember that from O Level Geography, more years ago than I care to admit. Nice place though.........
Confluence
"We'll easily spend an entire day in the Ogwen Valley," came the confident verdict as we planned our long weekend in Snowdonia. What we didn't know at the time was that Storm Ciara was planning on turning up uninvited and threatening chaos in the manner of an unexpected party crasher with destructive ambitions.
In the event we had to contract the best of the plans for both Saturday and Sunday into a few hours before what light there was disappeared into an oncoming soaking. In fact apart from a visit to the lone tree at sunrise, two hours here and a short visit to the view along the Llanberis Pass from the Pyg Track were the sum total of our time in the Snowdonia National Park. Having said that, the time spent on this hillside was a joy. Streams and cascades racing down the slope towards Llyn Ogwen provided a number of foreground opportunities against the magnificent backdrop of Tryfan. We met one or two other people up here, all of them landscape photographers, and all of them seemingly knowing where the best spots were. In fact as I made my way uphill the two viewpoints I liked most were already occupied by a couple from Tamworth, who were planning to head over to nearby Anglesey for the rest of the day.
Neither of the spots I had to patiently await while indulging in polite conversation were this one though. This, I found for myself as I gradually and reluctantly made my way back towards the car, hopping across the stream on the left to find a vantage point where the three of them combined into one over a space of a few yards. By this time the sky was darkening and the rain was drifting in and out of the scene, carried by a strengthening wind, so picking a moment to make a long exposure was challenging.
Confluence. A place where rivers join. I remember that from O Level Geography, more years ago than I care to admit. Nice place though.........