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Magical sunset, after a heavy downpour...captured through a light drizzle @ Cherai backwaters.
My Photoblog- My Third Eye...!
Fog is something that fascinates me every time I am amidst of it. As the clouds roll and the winds start to pick up, the fog gently lifting and the sun's rays beaming through all makes for a compelling wintry morning...
As we gear up to it, I was reminiscing with one I had shot a few years ago in Kerala, India. Munnar is one of the most renowned hill stations in Southern India. It brims with vast expanses of tea estates and the tea plantation is something that generates a lot of revenue for the country.
The name Munnar is believed to mean "three rivers", referring to its location at the confluence of the Mudhirapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundaly rivers.
This was shot from one of the locations up in the mountains and would you believe at 10 AM in the morning! It was that foggy that morning.
If you see it for a while, your eyes could start discerning the other trees amidst the fog...
EXIF - f/8 1/800 ISO 200 @16mm
Thanks for viewing and have a nice weekend everyone!
A dawn boat ride watching the birds on the Kerala backwaters. Taken in 2019 in more idyllic times (it was our 30th anniversary) and way before Covid and the current world issues.
Deleted from Flickr by mistake ! Anybody else ever deleted a favourite memory in error ? A deserted Filey beach late in the evening.
Extract from Wikipedia and other sources
Thekkady(Idukki district) is a town near Periyar National Park, an important tourist attraction in the Kerala state of India. The named Thekkady is derived from the word "thekku" which means teak. This place experiences a pleasant climate all over the year. It drops to its lowest in the month of December-January and highest in the month of April-May.
Thekkady is located about 257 km (160 mi) from Trivandrum, 141 km from Madurai City and Madurai Airport, 145 km from Cochin International Airport and 114 km from Kottayam railway station. Thekkady is located near to Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. The sanctuary is famous for its dense evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous forests and savanna grass lands. It is home to herds of elephants, sambar, tigers, gaur, lion-tailed macaques and Nilgiri langurs. Due to the density of the forest sightings of elephants and in particular, tigers are highly unlikely.
The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is spread across 777 km2 (300 sq mi), of which 360 km2 (140 sq mi) is thick evergreen forest. The wildlife sanctuary was declared a tiger reserve in 1978. The splendid artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River adds to the charm of the park. The greatest attractions of Periyar are the herds of wild elephants, deer and bison that come down to drink in the lake. The sanctuary can be accessed by trekking, boating or jeep safari.
Thekkady is considered a haven for natural spices such as black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, nutmace, ginger, and clove.
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The first visit to Gauxholme for a few years captures GBRf 'Tug' 60047 'Faithful', still sporting Colas colours, crossing the viaduct hauling the 9.54am Drax - Tuebrook Sidings discharged biomass pellets (6M36).
Having climbed up the switchback path to the top, I then proceeded to drop back down the steepish hillside to get a better angle, and eventually found this spot beneath the oak tree - it was hard to resist the natural framing the canopy provided. Luckily the cloud, which was putting this spot in shadow for much longer than the valley beyond, lifted a few minutes before the train arrived.
Convention says get the sun behind you, but have to say the sidelight at this time of day, particularly with the autumn colours, is just much more appealing for me.
Looks best full-screen.
11.59am, 18th October 2022
Winskill stones - the lone hawthorn tree on the limestone pavement above the scar on Winskill Stones, Yorkshire Dales National Park
The second upload from the recent visit to Gauxholme, albeit taken some 40 minutes earlier to the one shared a week or so ago. The cloud was still in the process of burning off and there was a hint of mist in the valley, all making the light a bit softer.
Knowing I'd be snapping DMUs for a while I adopted a different position which I thought suited shorter trains. Luckily a brief interlude of sunshine over the viaduct coincided with the passing of this CAF class 195, unit 195108, working Northern's 10.58am Manchester Victoria - Leeds service (1J08).
If you follow the valley around, you can just see the elegant outline of the classically designed Todmorden Town Hall. Built in 1875, it's certainly one of the most striking, and perhaps even the finest, of buildings in these parts.
A steep-sided valley notorious for the three forms of transport competing for space on its narrow floor, in addition to the railway, you can see the Rochdale Canal and the A6033 road to Manchester in the frame.
Still catching up after a few days away so commenting is turned off for this one, thanks. Better viewed full-screen.
11.19am, 18th October 2022
Gothic ruins which inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula and go back in history to the abbess St Hild and early Christianity.
In 664 AD the Synod of Whitby was held to determine the calculation of the date of Easter after a dispute between Celtic and Roman Christian religions.
Puffins should not be difficult to spot with their brightly coloured, comical faces, but they are a small seabird measuring about 25cms and perch far away on high cliffs. They are also threatened and classified as vulnerable on the IUCN red list. This puffin was photographed at the Rspb reserve at Bempton cliffs in Yorkshire.
Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach (5.5 km length) is a beach in the state of Kerala in south western India. It is located parallel to National Highway 17 between Kannur and Thalassery.
Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach
This beach is the longest Drive-In Beach in India. Even though Goa has many beautiful beaches, it does not have a Drive-in beach.
Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach Sunset
The beach festival is celebrated in the month of April and it is one of the important tourist attractions in the district of Kannur in Kerala. The youth also try many driving stunts in cars like drifting and wheeling in bikes as this is a paradise for driving along the shore. Just 100m from this beach you would find a private island, which can be reached by walk at times of low tide.
There is an unpaved road winding through coconut groves leading to the beach. To get to this road, if you are driving from Thalassery towards Kannur, take the left turn just before the first railway crossing you encounter after crossing the Moidu Bridge. The beach is about 5 km long and curves in a wide area providing a good view of Kannur on the north. Local laws allow beach goers to drive for a full 4 km directly on the sands of the beach. The beach is bordered by black rocks, which also protect it from the stronger currents of the ocean.
Approximately 100–200 m south of the beach there is a private island called Dharmadam Island. It is possible to walk to the island during low tide.
Since the late 90's, the beach has seen a steady influx of European tourists during winter. A major share of foreign and domestic tourists is not aware of the potential of this elusive destination. It is a must see destination for Indians as well as foreign tourists. After the face lift of the beach there has been a huge improvement in the facilities available to the beach visitors including resorts, roads, etc. The beach is wide and the sand is firm enough to support smooth driving.
Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach is a beach in the state of Kerala in southwestern India. It is located parallel to National Highway 66 between Kannur and Thalassery. This beach is the longest Drive-In Beach in India
There is an unpaved road winding through coconut groves leading to the beach. To get to this road, if you are driving from Tellicherry towards Kannur, take the left turn just before the first railway crossing you encounter after crossing the Moidu bridge. The beach is about 5 km long and curves in a wide area providing a good view of Kannur on the north. Local laws allow beach goers to drive for a full 4 km directly on the sands of the beach. The beach is bordered by black rocks, which also protect it from the stronger currents of the ocean.
Golden contrast - Golden hour at Ribblehead with dawn breaking across Batty Moss flooding Ribblesdale and the viaduct in the first golden light of the day.
Nestling below the Ingleborough Massif, the majestic, regular, angular dark arches of the viaduct stand in stark contrast to the rolling soft contours of the trio of Park Fell, Simon Fell and Ingleborough, sculpted by the early light of dawn.
Yorkshire Dales National Park
Autumn cascade - The fairytale and magical looking waterfall of Scaleber Foss with golden leaves peppered all around the gorge, adding a touch of seasonal colour to this wonderfully enchanted autumn cascade as it tumbles down the limestone.
Yorkshire Dales National Park
The Malham tree - The lone ash tree clinging to the limestone pavement above Malham.
Yorkshire Dales National Park
16mm full frame fisheye 'defished' with a rectilinear pano crop in Capture NX2
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Burning light - Sunset at Winskill Stones with intense burning light of the sun's last rays, streaming onto the lone hawthorn tree and just catching the limestone pavement.
The cloud bank which had just moved in enveloped most of the sky except for a small portion on the western horizon with the setting sun streaming through this narrow gap. The cloud cover removed the blue scattered light normally seen with a cloudless sky at sunset, leaving the sun's almost red rays to dominate the scene with an unusual intensity.
Inspired by Pete Rowbottom, Wigan, UK who's sunset the previous day at Winskill flic.kr/p/PrjPWa convinced me it was a good idea to visit the stones at last light the following day. Thanks Pete!
Winskill Stones, Yorkshire Dales National Park