Maybe we are approaching the slight easing of lockdown restrictions in England, there is a review planned for 15th February 2021. Who knows what will happen, but I’m desperate to be able to travel a little further, in reality this is so I can meet my girlfriend Tracey again who I haven’t seen in person since early January 2021. It would also be nice to get out into The Peak District again, let’s see what happens.
As I looked at the OS maps for some inspiration as to where I would go this weekend, the mouse hovered over Vernon Park. Right next to that was Woodbank Park, and winding through the middle, is the River Goyt. The weather app said there would be a break in the rain mid morning on Saturday, so it turned out. Off I went, again with my walking kit, as this was new territory. I had played football in Woodbank Park along time ago but the memories had faded.
Reflections of faded glory
Given the amount of rain we had been having there is lots of standing water, and this can make for some interesting reflections. Having parked in the main car park I’d set off not really knowing where I was going but followed the line of the main path, but inside the tree line. This was so I could see what was down in the valley bottom, and sure enough there was the River Got. The OS Map app told me to head along the main path and a trail went down behind the main hall into the valley. As you can see from this first image I managed to combine a reflection in a puddle with a shot of the very run down memorial hall. It is really sad that too see the state the hall is in. It is a really lovely old building and its desperate need of some TLC.
One of the Weirs
The OS Map app was right there was a trail behind the hall, but it was very muddy. I guess that’s what boots are for and I gingerly made my way down the trail in search of the river. My quick look at the map suggested there are a number of weirs along the river and as luck had it I stumbled across one of these quite quickly. In my walk around kit I have my Sony A6600, the 16 to 55 f2.8 G lens, a tripod and a variable ND filter. This would be perfect for me to capture and freeze the movement of the water over the weir. To be honest I prefer the square type filter system, but its big and bulky for my walk around kit.
The image here is one of several that I took at the spot and I really like the way the tree in the middle looks like it is growing out of the water, in all honesty its probably various tree branches all together. The filter allows the shutter speed to be slowed right down, and I will invest in a filter with more stops in it as the maximum settings on this current one allowed me to get a 2 second shutter speed, I’d have preferred a slower speed. Amazon here I come. I do like this image through, the mix of colours and reflections and the semi smooth river is very nice.
The Bridge
I walked for a fair distance and could see in the distance a number of landmarks that I recognised, the power lines station thing, the mill, the chimney. These are all visible from the main road from the town centre as you head along the road that goes towards Woodley and ultimately through to Hyde. I’m not sure who is responsible for rivers these days but whoever it is has probably got a job lot (and a good price to I hope) on the bridge that crosses the River Goyt. This is another example of leading lines, but I really do love a good bridge and whilst this is a new one I was able to frame the power lines sub station thing in the distance. add in some moody sky from the rain clouds and you do get a nice image.
Phone charge anyone?
You can see from this image that I wasn’t actually inside the sub station thing, there is a little bit of the fence showing but I have to say that I was fascinated by the huge cables and fitments that are inside this sub station. In all truth this is very much more than a sub station but I really don’t know what to call it. one thing is for sure is that there are lots of strong lines in this image and whilst its quite a chaotic scene I really do like the almost symmetrical elements that you can see here. As its happened this is quite near a spot where families walk and I didn’t want to hang around too much when there are lots of folk stood staring. Its fascinating to me so it must be super fascinating for a young mind.
The Pear Mill
I was brought up in Oldham, there were mills everywhere when I was a kid. There are a lot less of them these days. I walked back over the bridge and paused to look at the river, as I did so this image caught my eye. There are some quite strong subjects in this image, the river, the mill and the chimney. all in all though I think its does make for a strong well balanced image. The moody sky adds greatly to the overall feel of the image.
As usual my stomach told me it was time to head back and I could feel the rain starting to fall again. This was a great first visit to Woodbank Park and there is a great deal more to explore. Lots of opportunities for images exist here.