Rannoch Moor in Snow

It kept snowing throughout Boxing Day night and into the 27th.  This was a travel day for me.  Conditions were a little lively, but the ploughs had done their work, so the roads were passable.  As I was driving over Rannoch Moor, I couldn't resist another stop. The conditions were naturally monochrome and the resultant images really lent themselves to a 'soot and whitewash' look.

A White Boxing Day

In the early hours of Boxing day, the rain had turned to snow.  By dawn (8.55 am) there was a light snow covering that gave the landscape a lovely Christmassy look.  On the downside, it was windy, still snowing and the mountains were all lost in the grey.  It seemed like a morning to try and maximise foreground interest.  So, from the hotel, I walked up the West Highland Way, to the most famous piece of foreground interest in Glencoe, Blackrock Cottage.

I spent some time fighting to keep the lens clear and hoping that, if only for a little while, it would stop snowing.  Eventually, there was a small break in the snow, Buachaille Etive Mòr briefly made an appearance, and I got the kind of snowy Blackrock Cottage shot everybody wants.

Lunchtime, and I was back at the hotel when there was a real break in the weather.  Suddenly the mountains could be seen.  I fully expected it not to last long enough to drive to another location and decided to get what I could from where I was.  A short walk down the West Highland Way, in the opposite direction to the cottage, gave some great views.  The hotel's resident ducks were also very obliging.

 

 

By the time lunch was done, the snow was falling again.  I was hopeful of another small weather break before the end of the day.  I was also in the mood to shoot another white building against a white background.  I took a short drive to Lagangarbh Hut, in the shadow of Buachaille Etive Mòr.  I pulled in to a layby and waited.  And waited.  It kept snowing and I kept waiting.  I started chatting to a 'tog from Norfolk who was also hoping for the same scene.  With only 45 minutes left until sunset, we decided to brave the snow and see what we could get.  We struggled with the conditions for a while.  But, just after the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, the sky started to clear.  For 30 minutes or so we had some lovely ethereal light.

I even managed an after dark shot, facing the other way, of Beinn a' Chrulaite, picking up some traffic trails from the A82.  But after that, another set of dark clouds coming at us from the west, meant it was time to pack up and head off.

Winkworth Aboretum

Winkworth Arboretum is a National Trust property near Godalming in Surrey.  I had previously visited in autumn, when the extensive acer collection is at its best.  I had read a couple of articles saying that Winkworth was a good place to see snowdrops in Surrey.  So whilst in the county, I decided to make another visit.  There was still snow on the ground from a a couple of days earlier and I really wanted a picture of a snowy snowdrop.  Sadly, it's really not that great a place for snowdrops.  It has patches, but no large drifts of flowers.  Nowhere near as good as places like Anglesey Abbey or Benington Lordship.  The best of the snowdrops also weren't in the best of the snow.  Eventually though, I got something close to what I wanted.  Snowdrops aside, it was still a good day out.  The site is on the side of a hill and the low winter sun gave dramatic light across different parts of it, as the day went on.

 

American Cemetery In The Snow

The American Cemetery in Cambridge is always a poignant place to visit.  Particularly in snow or fog, when the surrounding colour palette is reduced to only a few tones which match the parade of marble headstones.  The recent snows and grey skies made for some stark and minimalist images, that suited a high-key treatment.

Cambridge In The Snow

Saturday was my only chance to photograph the condition we have had all week, thanks to the 'Beast from the East'.  There had been a fresh dump of snow over Friday night, but it was due to warm up over the weekend.  I hadn't previously shot in Cambridge in snow, so I headed in early.  It was lucky I did, by 10.30 or so there was a distinct thaw on.

 

 

Wimpole in the snow

Last Sunday's snow took me by surprise.  I am so used to predicted snow missing Huntingdonshire completely, that I didn't pay too much attention to the latest forecast.  So when I woke to a blanket of white on Sunday morning, I had to quickly come up with a plan.  I choose to go to Wimpole, as I was fairly sure I could get there safely and that the park would be open.  Plus, the big trees and the restored folly would make great subjects in the snow.  A light sleety snow continued to fall for most of the day, which made keeping the lens clear somewhat challenging, but it also made for some lovely minimalist and reduced palette shots.