The Scenic Drive: A Journey Through the Northumberland Moors

The road from Alnwick to Rothbury takes you over the Northumberland moors and through steep valleys, giving you real taste of the British countryside.  It is not only magnificent in the early morning light, but it has this way of taking your breath away at each bend in the road.

You might just have gathered by now that I was in the UK this summer, visiting my Parents in Northumberland.  You may also have gathered that I wasn’t having the best of sleeps and was thus up a little earlier than most.  You may also have gathered that I decided to go light on photography equipment this trip compared to last year, only taking my X100F with me to take photos.  You may also have gathered that this trip was not just about photography but spending some quality time with the children, especially my son, who hadn’t been to the UK for a while.  You may also have gathered that my son joined me on a couple of these photography jaunts. Right!  I think we may have set the scene.

Photography on the Go: Minimalist Gear and Techniques

We were both in the car by 6am, having breakfasted and taken our collagen in yorkshire tea to make it at least a little palatable.  This is an epic drive that I try to do at least once when I’m over.  When you see the photographs, you’ll understand why.  Like Bamburgh, I had to meter for the highlights knowing that I would be able to get back details in the shadows back home in Lightroom.  The 35mm F2.0 equivalent lens of the X100F was fine to capture enough of the scene, and if I wanted to zoom, then it would mean zooming with my feet. 

Capturing the Landscape: Heather in Bloom and Morning Light

Fortunately, there are plenty of places to stop by the side of the road on this route, which is a good job because at each turn everything changes.  The sun was coming up on our left and filling the valley with light, and the top of the hill cast a shadow that I would have to compensate for later.

The road continues with views of the heather, which was in bloom and the pink added a wonderful contrast to the warm colours of the morning reflected on the landscape.  It certainly felt a real privilege to be there and take it all in.  We passed Cragside but decided to continue on to Rothbury.

A Taste of Rothbury: Discovering the Local Flavours

We managed to find a space to park in Rothbury, and out of the corner of our eye, we saw a bakery.  An English bakery, but a proper bakery.  No pain au chocolat or croissants, but sausage rolls, meat pies, even a haggis pie.  We settled on sandwiches in proper bread cakes and millionaire’s shortbread as a sweet treat.  Next, we just had to find a bench to sit on and eat our picnic.  There’s just something about eating a sandwich in an English village in the sun.   I daren’t imagine what the winters are like!  Possibly a bit nippy…

Looking Ahead: Plans for Otterburn and Beyond

But there we sat, the two of us, munching away, deciding to go to Otterburn for more photos and possibly a rug, but that, Dear Reader, is a story for another day…