Monday, 22 July 2013

Lathkill Dale, Derbyshire.

I needed to make a start with my idea for getting people out into the national parks so best thing to do get out there myself, first off I headed to an area close to where I live and a place I've visited a couple of times over the years. Lathkill Dale is a hidden away limestone valley located in the heart of the Peak District Natonal Park near Bakewell, being a limestone valley which is a rare environment in this country it has much to offer in form of landscapes and the life it supports that you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else.

Tech. Details
F-stops- f/10
Expo- 1600secs
ISO- 2000
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 100mm


 Tech. Details
F-stops- f/4
Expo- 60secs
ISO- 800
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 22mm


To gain access to this hidden world you first walk across rolling farmland much as you'd find anywhere else but slowly you begin to descend into a much steeper sided area where the natural rock walls begin to close in around you while trees cling to the rock strewn flow looking for an ground that they can get there roots into to gain some hold in the landscape.  


 Tech. Details
F-stops- f/13
Expo- 640secs
ISO- 800
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 22mm


 Tech. Details
F-stops- f/14
Expo- 800secs
ISO- 800
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 22mm


After a time you enter the main valley after a short descent and this is where you'll find the real beauty of the place with vast grass covered slops playing host to no end of different species of plant life that you wouldn't find growing anywhere else, take for example Jacobs Finger and this nice orchid below both will only grow in the soils found within these limestone valleys meaning its important to protect this landscape or else loss these two and many other species that have evolved to survive in this specialized environment.   




Tech. Details
F-stops- f/10
Expo- 800secs
ISO- 2000
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 100mm


Tech. Details
F-stops- f/10
Expo- 320secs
ISO- 2000
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 100mm


 Tech. Details
F-stops- f/10
Expo- 500secs
ISO- 800
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 22mm


 Tech. Details
F-stop- f/7.1
Expo- 200secs
ISO- 800
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 22mm


Tech. Details
F-stops- f/8
Expo- 250secs
ISO- 800
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 22mm


Tech. Details
F-stops- f/10
Expo- 160secs
ISO- 2000
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 100mm

The further you go into the valley the more evidence you find of the water course that first help form this landscape thousands of years ago, eventually the river fully emerges from its underground course completely changing the landscape into a thriving river valley with such clear water running in it that you'd never believe it was possible outside of your imagination.
   

 Tech. Details
F-stops- f/10
Expo- 250secs
ISO- 2000
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 100mm


Tech. Details
F-stops- f/7.1
Expo- 800secs
ISO- 2000
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 100mm

Of course if you look hard enough you can find signs of the presence of people and there actions within the valley be it names carved into trees or sign of early quarrying of the much harder stone left behind as the limestone has eroded away. I find this interesting because even though it can feel like you're miles away from another living person you can still find signs that we've managed to find our way into some of the most inaccessible places.


 Tech. Details
F-stops- f/10
Expo- 2500secs
ISO- 2000
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 100mm


Tech. Details
F-stops- f/10
Expo- 1250secs
ISO- 2000
Expo Bias- 0 steps
Focal Length- 100mm

It's said time and time again about how given time nature will reclaim a landscape and this valley does show signs of this taking place, for example take this quarry face where the rock has been broken and cracked through the quarrying process or through frost action plants and moses have managed get a foot hold once again bring life and colour back to the landscape.


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