Landscape locations in England?

[spotmeter]

I will be in London from the middle of April to the end of May and would like to take landscape photos on the weekends. Any recommendations?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

The UK magazine Outdoor Photography has a list of interesting locations in every issue, with maps, photos and other necessary travel details. You can find it in Barnes and Noble while still in the USA.

Two interesting locations come to my mind, though not exactly in the immediate vicinity of London: Cornwall and Dorset. At least these are the two I traveled to from London.

[pete_truman]

I could recommend many areas of the UK but at that time it is very likely the "best" places will be full of people. Many of the better locations are full of people at weekends so you will need to start early or late if you want to avoid lots of people in your pictures. During the week is better but like you I have another job to do. Not sure how far you want to travel from London - but the UK isn't too huge anyway so you can still reach most of the UK within reasonable traveling time.

My suggestions would be:

Derbyshire Peak District - not far from Sheffield which is 2 hours by train from London. My personal favourite but I do live very near! Can get very busy when weather is good at weekends.

Lake District - big landscapes available (but can get very busy at weekends during). About 4-5 hours travel from London, depending where you go in the area.

Sussex Downs. More pastoral than the above, but can nonetheless be dramatic. Easy to get to from London by train - 2 hours max.

Norfolk Coast and Norfolk Broads (that's rivers, not another meaning!) Much flatter but again a great area for smaller landscapes if that's your thing. 2 hours train from London to Norwich.

A couple of other places to look for some ideas:

The UK's National Parks are the wilder places we have in the UK. Start at www.nationalparks.gov.uk

The BBC Picture of Britain web site www.bbc.co.uk/arts/pictureofbritain divides the UK into several areas which can be browsed to get some ideas

If train travel is your thing you can get an indication of journey times using the National Rail enquiries web site www.nationalrail.co.uk

The National Trust is the custodian of large amounts of land and historic buildings - www.nationaltrust.org.uk There are many sites close to London.

It's difficult to make recommendations without really knowing what sort of thing might be of interest and there is so much that the UK has to offer! I hope this provides a start to think about but no doubt others will have a bunch of favourites.

[ChrisJR]

Yorkshire is very beautiful in places, especially around Goathland, Whitby, Staithes and Robin Hood's Bay, but they are quite a long way from London. Check out www.joecornish.com (a highly respected landscape photographer based in the area) for Yorkshire photos.

Another beautiful place a bit closer but still a couple hours from London is the Forest of Dean in Herefordshire. Symonds Yat Rock in the forest is very beautiful.

Lake District as mentioned before is also beautiful.

[Justinr]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and besides the Lake District which, as already and quite rightly pointed out, is an absolute must there are many smaller areas that posses charm if not ragged soul searing glamour.

If I might add another aid to choosing a photographic destination may I suggest a geological map. This may sound daft but if you are looking for flint cottages and pure clean streams wending their way through green meadows then look for chalk. There is a great ridge of it running through from London which sits in an underlying chalk basin  all the way west to Dorset via the Chilterns and Hampshire, both of which are close to the city. The harder limestones of the Peak District have already been mentioned along with the Old and New Red Sandstones that go to make up the distinct look of the area, a look that is mirrored in West Yorkshire although North Yorkshire is a little more rounded. The complex sedimentary rocks of South Wales also affords interesting scenes which continue throughout the country all the way to Snowdonia in the north. Wales is worth a week or three in its own right. take a trip out to Aberystwyth and you will not be disappointed. But with England there are many localities and areas that are quite distinct from each other. The Mendips in Somerset as well as the Somerset levels are a good example here. Chedder Gorge is well known but how about its smaller bother Ebor Gorge? Then there are the Cotswolds which can look like the Mendips but may perhaps be a little bleaker but the hills are full of lovely, cuddly little cottages and villages just so long as you keep away from the tourist traps of Bourton on the Water and Stowe. Again, this is limestone country although the softer oolitic sort lends the Cotswolds a much more timeless air somehow.

But you don't need to seek out the drama to find images worthy of taking time over. My old stamping grounds around South Northants and North Oxfordshire are an absolute delight on a spring day when the early flowers are pushing though in the gardens. Take a trip to Banbury and head out towards Hook Norton and the Barfords. Or turn North and explore the villages in the soft rolling hills towards Daventry. The warmth of the local iron rich sandstone is a delight and when the wisteria is out the pictures just fall into the lens.

There is so much to cover in the Uk that a handful of weekends will barely do it justice. A word of warning if allowed though. The country has become a police state over the last few years and is getting worse, see here for just one example- http://db.riskwaters.com/public/showPage.html?page=725285 , so travel freely whilst you still can.

Justin.

[DiaAzul]

Whilst in London do not forget that Paris and Brussels are a lot closer (by time) than the destinations already mentioned. If you get the Eurostar train you can be in the centre of Paris in a little over 2h30m.

Most of the area in the vicinity of London is very heavily populated (the South East of England is one of the most densely populated areas on the planet - approx 20m+ people). Depending upon what type of landscape you enjoy will depend on where you go. You may find it easier to stick to locations inside of London: Canary Wharf/East End/ Greenwich, Thames (South Bank, Embankment), City of London, The Royal Parks (Hyde Park, St James, Regents Park), Hampstead Heath/Golders Hill Park, Richmond Park/ Kew Gardens.