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Paul Isles

@islesy

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I’ve long wanted to catch the view from High Cup Nick, it is such a perfectly textbook U shaped valley and I first remember it in a shot captured by the legendary Derry Brabbs. Having moved to the North Pennines, I’d planned this particular walk in my head in every detail, but nothing prepares you for that final view; one that isn’t surrendered to the walker until the last 50 yards, as you finally crest the lip of ‘Nick’. I sat here and ate my lunch, listening to the Lapwing and the occasional call of a raptor, unwilling to tear myself away from that fantastic vista.
#pennineway #northpenninesaonb #highcupnick #walkinguk

The view across Cow Green Reservoir to Little Dun Fell in the distance.

The River Tees below Cow Green Dam.

The first stretch of the walk is along gravel track..

And borders the Warcop ranges..

Crossing Rasp Hill.

And descending to Maize Beck.

Following the Beck to Dobson Mere Foot.

Footbridge over Maize Beck - somewhat redundant in high summer.

The final stretch across High Cup Plain: after 7 miles the view from High Cup Nick is withheld until the last 50 yards. taken in High Cup Nick by @islesy

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3 days ago

Some class drama in the sky over Teesdale this afternoon. Reminds me of the closing scenes in The Immortals, as Theseus battles the Titans in the heavens.
#teesdale #dramainthesky #thunderstorm #stormyskies #wildweather taken in Startforth by @islesy

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a month ago

Walking the Tees Valley Railway Path, from Startforth to Middleton-in-Teesdale.
#teesdale #teesvalleyrailwaywalk #teesvalley #railwaywalks
@outdoorexploringfamily @outdooractive_uk taken in Teesdale by @islesy

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a month ago

Golden hour at Blackton and Hury Reservoirs, hidden gems of Teesdale.
#teesdale #northernpennines #outdoorexploration #landscape_lovers taken in Blackton Reservoir by @islesy

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a month ago

The case of the curious Pheasant 😆
#pheasant #wildlifephotography #birdphotography #ukbirdphotography taken in Eggleston Hall Gardens by @islesy

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3 months ago

For when life is just too busy, all you need is a slice of the North Pennines…#northpennines #northpennineswalking #walkingincountydurham #wandermore taken in Holwick Scar by @islesy

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5 months ago

Another from Crag Force, a slower shutter speed this time to emphasise the power of Easter Beck as it tumbles over the top of Holwick/Crossthwaite Scars.
Standing there, at the apex of the bank, with the Beck splitting left and right, and surrounded by the roar of water, I counted my blessings for the move to Teesdale…
#iloveteesdale #northpenninesaonb #northernfells #awayfromthecrowd #walkingthefells taken in Low Way Farm Holwick by @islesy

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5 months ago

Jerry Force, Copley, County Durham.
Situated on the Hindon Beck, just upstream from where its confluence with Arn Gill leads into the River Gaunless, this 23’ waterfall is tucked away into a small, steep sided gorge, making access to the base ‘interesting’.
#waterfall #teesdale #northpenninesaonb #gaunlessvalley taken in Copley Woods River by @islesy

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5 months ago

Although we have been living in County Durham for 6 months now, we still had to finalise the sale on our former home in Dover. After a few false starts and dealing with a real Walter Mitty character along the way, we’ve finally completed the sale, and our ties to Dover are cut after 38 years at Number 4.
In that time, we got married, raised a family (and pets), watched them grow up and leave the nest(ish), said goodbye to grandparents and parents, worked in several different industries, made some very dear friendships, and parked a handful of different cars on the road outside!
So long, and thanks for all the fish Noah’s Ark Road….
#anewlifeawaits #kentlife #anewhomeinthedales #teesdale taken in Tower Hamlets by @islesy

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5 months ago

Crag Scar Force at Holwick, where Easter Beck pours over the top of the Crossthwaite Scars.
There’s a lot of water coming off the Fells at the moment, feeding the various Teesdale becks and pushing the Tees into spate.
#northpennines #teesdale #walkinginwinter #aquietwalk #fellwalking taken in Low Way Farm Holwick by @islesy

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6 months ago

A misty Murton Pike, from Peeping Hill. January walking in the North Pennines: horizontal rain, and a real icy bite to the wind. High Cup was shrouded in freezing rain and cloud, so we tapped out at this point, but what an invigorating walk!
#pennineway #northpennines #walkinginwinter #fellwalking #quietwalks taken in High Cup Nick by @islesy

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6 months ago

Cauldron Snout, Cow Green - 180 metres of tumbling, frothing, distinctive Pennine water, that photographs well no matter the season, or the weather.
Shutter speeds are probably the single most important creative decision we make when it comes to photographing water. High speeds to freeze the motion, slow speeds to create a blur of motion. There’s no right, or wrong decision to make, just the one that allows the photographer to express how they film the scene in front of them, at any given time.
Here, I wanted a speed that would allow just enough blur to convey the movement and, strange as it may seem, the sound of that tumbling maelstrom of water.
Bracketing exposures, in the end I settled on 1/15th of a second to give me the image I wanted. On another day, with a different volume of water, I may have opted for a 1/4 of a second, or in different light I may even have gone for 30 seconds to give a tranquil ribbon of water.
That’s the beauty of landscape photography, it’s dictated not just by light and weather, but by your own particular mood in any given moment.

#northpennines #northpennineswalking #quietwalks #pennineway #waterfallsofinstagram taken in Cauldron Snout by @islesy

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7 months ago