The Lake District, Cumbria, 2026
Mountains, tarns and quarries across the Lake District.
Four days at the end of April 2026, spent between the central and northern fells. The light gave plenty to work with: alpenglow and sunset over Derwentwater, a lone tree and a nesting goose at Rydal Water, and evening haze layering the mountains into silhouettes.
Some of the strongest subjects were man-made. The old slate workings around Little Langdale and Hodge Close have left flooded quarries, tunnels and spoil heaps that the woods are slowly reclaiming, and Slater Bridge, the old slate footbridge over the River Brathay, caught the last of the golden light. Spring filled in the rest: sunbeams through the bluebell woods, crab apple blossom and unfurling buds up close, Herdwick sheep under a stormy sky, and a mallard with her ducklings.
