The UK Chronicles Part I – Lesbury


Introduction: A Journey to the UK

Good evening, Dear Reader.  Welcome to the UK.  I couldn’t not go to the UK without writing about it and taking the odd photo.  I wrote about the anticipation leading up to this trip in the Off to the UK article and talked about the cameras I might take with me in the Olympus Pen EE S review article.

The Road to Lesbury: A Cross-Country Adventure

The drive up from the Vendée up to Calais went surprisingly well.  As we passed through Rouen, we started seeing UK registered cars driving in the same direction.  As we drove up through the north of France, we saw more and more UK cars.  So getting used to UK driving, the closer we got.

We arrived at Calais and respected the bi-national family with our two UK passports and our two French passports, except the guys got their passports stamped and the girls were stampless.  Thank you, Brexit.

First Stop: Dover and the Journey to Lesbury

We spent the night in Dover and started the trip to Lesbury after a breakfast of champions.  I do like a full English breakfast.  We were already looking forward to stopping off for our sandwiches at Peterborough service station.  On a long trip like this, we all have our landmarks.  

The breakfast of champions, and only ever so slightly filling…

The Camera Dilemma: Choosing the Right Gear

The choice of camera was important, as I talked about in the previous articles.  I ended up just taking the X100F, praying that I would be able to get the shots I needed to record everything.

As any Internet user, I read articles and watch YouTube, and let this guide me.  I had read one article about a travel photographer, with the author talking about how he was the Dad travelling with his family and getting up before everyone else to go out to take photos.  I could always have a snooze in the afternoon.  YouTube tried to  convince me to keep things minimal, talking about how the 35mm lens was the best for travel photography on the road.  With the X100F, I have exactly what I was after.

Arriving in Lesbury: Settling In

We arrived at my parents’ house to say hello, go to the loo, and show them that we were still alive and kicking and that despite the odd moment of stress and intensity on the road, we hadn’t killed each other.  We followed my Dad in the car to the rental in the Old Vicarage in the next village of Lesbury.

The house was amazing and felt very luxurious.  My parents had prepared a starter pack with the essentials so we could survive until we did our shopping.  Yorkshire tea was in that pack, so I knew I was home.  We had our first night’s meal with my parents at their house, so I didn’t have to worry about anything.  What a great way to start our holiday.

Early Mornings and First Impressions

I’ll be honest with you.  I didn’t sleep very well and was always awake early.  When I say early, I mean early.  We’re talking about 5am wakeups.  But this was also part of the plan.  Get out early and get the good light.  

My first breakfast in the house was Yorkshire tea, muesli, and fruit.  Start eating healthily and starting the way you mean to go on.  As I looked out of the conservatory, I could see rabbits grazing on the lawn and the robot mowing the lawn.   It was going to be a good day, and I was going to wander around the village taking the first photos of the trip. 

Posted on Posted in Family Life, Landscape Photography, Northumberland, The UK Chronicles, Travel photography, United Kingdom

25 thoughts on “The UK Chronicles Part I – Lesbury”

  4. Lovely photos. Makes me want to be there! I especially like the pole with wires going every direction; and the one that so clearly shows the photographer (or half of him) in the reflection from the notice board. That one with the wires – particularly interesting because photographers usually do their best to avoid overhead wires, but in this photo the wires ARE the central feature. Cool. ~Ed.

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    1. As i said to you by mail, I do try and get a couple of half decent shots. But that village is one of those places that just screams out Northumerland to you. You half expect a lady detective to pop round the corner after a grizzly murder. Or the Nothumbrian hot fuzz to drive up to the church. Possi ly a Miss Marple…. joking aside, it’s a beautiful place, and I couldn’t recommend it more!

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  5. Thank you for sharing your travel story, Ian. It was truly delightful. I’ve been longing to visit ever since I watched the house-buying series “Escape To The Country” on ROKU. Your experiences have only heightened my desire to explore the charm of that place.

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    2. When I say it has a Miss Marple vibe, please don’t be afraid…. Lesbury is a beautiful little village and perfect for exploring Northumberland. The acenwry is spectacular as you will see in the 7 upcoming articles….The next article is about Alnmouth…

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    1. And I think it’s slightly obvious why it might just be my favourite camera… It just gets the job done, and is a joy to use. If I ever have to replace it the it would be with the X100VI, but not for the moment. It might be “slightly” old, but it still has a lot under the bonnet feels as good as it did with those first pictures. Except now, I can use it intuitively.

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