 |
|
It’s gone 7:00pm and we're stood in Sainsbury’s, it’s dark and cold, but we convince ourselves we’re on the ball (we being Dan Bedford, an old friend, and myself). There's ice and snow covering the car park, like we’re in some sort of European winter ski resort and I can only imagine what it’s like on the high moorland roads. After a quick shop for food supplies we’re away on the A30 west bound for Belstone. Our plan is to walk to Steeperton tor before midnight and seek refuge in the tin tub on top off the Tor followed by a day of photographic joy. Sounds inviting doesn't it? After sliding our way from the A30 to Belstone village we entered the moorland by head torch to an eerie silence, interrupted by mine and Dan's wittering. We’re both carrying full rucksacks with food and sleeping equipment and the added weight of a scarce camera setup in mine. Only now I see the benefits from a carbon fibre tripod. But these packs warm us up in no time and the thought of the moors being cold seemed a joke, but we were shockingly reminded with my water bottle freezing up within 10 minutes of leaving the car, it was a damn cold night.
The Photograph above was made on our way back to the car at dusk after spending the night on the moors, I visualised how the scene could look just a week before and thought that snow would be a big ask but great conditions for it, unbelievably it came through with “the big freeze” being the coldest January since 1987 with recorded snowfalls of 30cm in Devon.
|
