Tag: Devon

Hartland Quay

Hartland Quay

In early August, we had family visit, so we wanted to take them somewhere with walks and a beach. We chose Hartland Quay.

You approach Hartland Quay via a toll road, which also covers the parking, and you drive down a narrow winding road to the first of a couple of car parks. Down another twisting road and your at another, where the hotel is.

There is a great view point, just past the hotel and down across an outcrop. At the end, some railings and then a view!

Wow!

This was just asking for some panoramic photos,

It’s the only way to show of the amazing dramatic coastline.

Heading back up from the outcrop, you can then walk down towards the beach. Another amazing view, more jagged rocks, cliffs.

Getting closer I took a Vertorama (Vertical Panorama) to try and show the details a bit more.

Once on the beach, there was so much to see, rock pools, dramatic cliffs, although some looked very precarious
so avoided them and wave smoothed low level rock lines just waiting to be explored.

There where also many walks along the top of the cliff areas to more exciting places, but that required more time and more planning. This day was about the beach, scenery and the company!

The Granite Way

The Granite Way

Since moving to Devon, we are finding we are starting to visit lots of places. That was part of the reason for moving, so this is good!

It means that my outdoor photography is rekindled, meaning this blog has sprung back in to life again.

I have started to create texture files, which will be available to buy and I will occasionally put up a free texture for people to use.

To find these textures though, I have to go in search of them.

This time, to The Granite Way. This is a track walk, mostly tarmac, which starts at Okehamption station, where you can also park at the youth hostel. It follows the Old Railway running along side the A30, then heads towards Meldon Quarry and over the viaduct. It is ideal for prams, bicycles and easy walking.

Where the track initial joins the railway there is an old bridge with the track running under it. I’ve again given these photos a bit of an old look to fit in with the style of the old line.

Although the track is fenced off, as it is still in use, you can get a view down the line, showing the track heading off into the distance.

After about 2 miles walking along The Granite Way, going under the A30 and passing lots of fields with sheep in them, you arrive at Meldon Quarry.

This was a bit of surprise to me, as next to the quarry was what looks like an old shunting year with old trains in it. Well, I say old, not steam train, but oldish rail carriages, the type with the Slam Door that were classed as dangerous and so phased out.

They looked great, and ideal photo opportunity!

And a bonus, some great graffiti on a rusty train!

Just past the trains was the visitor centre, which was unfortunately closed, as was the buffet carriage, which had been one reason for doing the walk! We bumped into the people running it on the way back, apparently it opens at weekends in April. Now we know.

Just next to the buffet carriage is the viaduct.

Not being too keen on heights, I didn’t fancy going across it, plus short on time, we just admired the view which a bit of lunch and started the 2.5 mile walk back!

Exploring Belstone

Exploring Belstone

Wanting to explore more and get to see our new surroundings we headed out to Dartmoor. This time to a place called Belstone to get on to Dartmoor. This area like many, has a few Tors on it. One called Belstone Tor.

So, I had the intention of trying to find it. We did however have the weather against us, with just an hour or 2 between the rain. Approaching Okehampton we get the amazing views of Dartmoor in front of us and we noticed it has snow! Ok, it was patchy and higher than we were probably going to get, but it was still snow!

Now, I obviously don’t know this area at all at the moment, so starting out with one idea of going to the Tor and actually getting to it, or indeed finding it is really by luck, but it didn’t really matter. As sooner as you step on the moor, it is instantly amazing!


So we just followed the first ‘path’ we found an headed off in that direction.


Quite quickly the views open up and you can see for miles into the distance. We headed in the general direction of what looks like a mountain range and what was one of the highpoints in southern england.


Wanting really to find the Tor, we passed a couple walking. Infact the only other couple walking that day that we passed. They said head straight along this path until you find something that looks like a wall, a fallen wall, more like a pile of rocks and go right following it.

Hmm, we either didn’t walk far enough to find the ‘wall’, or couldn’t work out what was rocks and what was wall…


So we admired the views and I took a couple of Vertorama shots. This is like a Panorama photo, but vertical instead of horizontal.


Now snowing a bit and fighting with the water on the lens we turned around and headed back to the car admitting defeat and decided we needed a slightly better day to find this Tor. As usual though, stormy days make for a really great photos. They can be a bit of an exposure nightmare with blown skies and dark foregrounds, but you can try and get a medium and then edit later, thank to the power of shooting Raw.


The snow also added to the impact of the shots and it not something I normally get to photograph much. But living this close to 3 moors really gives me a better chance to see it and photograph it!


Next time I’ll give it another try to find the Tor and maybe do a little more research as to where it is, but the main thing was to get out, get a walk and hopefully get some great photos.