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  • Glimpses of sunshine - patches of fast-moving light scudding across the striking ridges of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and its foothills. First warm rays - an ultraviolet shower between snow-clad peaks. Perfect company and amongst this theatrical majesty, a young woman’s first illuminating and exhilarating ascent of a Welsh mountain
    GD002006
  • I was the last on the hill, and the sun disappeared behind a huge bank of cloud, dulling the light completely. I watched a snowboarder carve his way down the soft snowy hillside away from me, quietly feeling the isolation, when a gentle hint of colour appeared over Snowdon. I stood for a few minutes, now completely alone, and then the light intensified and the whole landscape was bathed in the most glorious colours. The summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) appeared after two hours of waiting, so I trudged back up through thick snow to the summit of my own little hill and became quite ecstatic about everything that was happening. I was smiling from ear to ear, not even knowing where to look as it was all so beautiful, and then tears started rolling down my cheeks and I began to cry! I believe it was both the spiritual and mental joy of the situation but also an intense feeling of peace and freedom that many of us deeply crave to keep our sanity.
    GD002584.jpg
  • Heavy mist surrounds Yr Aran, one of the smaller peaks of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), as seen from the Nant Gwynant Valley, Northern Snowdonia.
    GD000927.jpg
  • Intense winds raced across the surface of this mountain lake, as fast moving clouds scudded over Yr Wyddfa’s sharp peaks. It was fabulous to be up there by myself, not a soul in sight. I absolutely adore having the landscape to myself. It provides an opportunity for thought, reflection and a feeling of utter connection to the earth & elements.
    GD002438.jpg
  • Three imposing sharp peaks of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in the cold glow of winter light.
    GD002437.jpg
  • Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) - 1,085 m (3,560 ft), the highest mountain in Wales, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. With a café at it's summit, it's also the highest café in the UK. A railway takes some visitors to the summit.
    GD001400.jpg
  • There’s a lot of truth in the suggestion that mountains can actually look far more majestic from below, than from the summits themselves. <br />
<br />
It was a beautiful day today on Anglesey, blue sky & sunshine - photographically a little boring even if the sunshine warmed my heart. At the end of day however the colours began to change and the mountain clouds started to disperse. It was a game of patience and hope, hope that the last of the sunshine would synchronise with the summit of Yr Wyddfa appearing through the clouds. I was delighted to make two exposures where the magic happened.
    GD002574.jpg
  • The summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Wales' highest mountain, as seen from a lower peak of Yr Aran, above the huge bowl of the corrie of Cwm Llan.
    GD001377.jpg
  • As I approached the edge of the vast fog bank, the early morning sunshine burned orange over Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and the mountains of Eryri. I had to pull over at the road-side to grab this image.
    GD002707.jpg
  • Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) - 1,085 m (3,560 ft), the highest mountain in Wales, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. With a café at it's summit, it's also the highest café in the UK. A railway takes some visitors to the summit.
    GD000546.jpg
  • An early start today to photograph Eryri under cool morning sunshine. The forecast was warm & sunny, but when you factored in the biting Easterly gale, I was so grateful that I'd thrown in an extra jacket before leaving home. <br />
<br />
I arrived at an empty car park and enjoyed the whole mountain to myself, until my return journey. I was getting so buffeted by the gusts of wind that even my tripod wasn't helping much. I sheltered behind a derelict building at one point to try and increase my chances of sharp images! <br />
<br />
Initially I was disappointed by the haze, but actually, backlit by the morning sun, I began to love the softness that the haze created. In this image, you see Yr Wyddfa (or Snowdon if you really must, but never 'Mount' Snowdon!) with it's foothills of Foel Gron, Foel Goch & Moel Cynghorion, beautifully tonally layered in the fore & mid ground. The mist has helped to visually separate the lower peaks.
    GD002621.jpg
  • Absolutely magical light this evening, cinematographic almost. I couldn’t get over the numbers of gulls and crows circling in the air above me. The summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) was teasing me tonight, almost revealing the peak before re-cloaking itself, but with colours like this it was breathtaking anyway.
    GD002572.jpg
  • The huge & imposing massif of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Wales' highest mountain. This was taken following a last minute decision to slog up Mynydd Mawr under inclement weather but it resulted in just the most fantastic hour of weather-watching from it's summit. I was utterly gripped by the continual theatrical change of light being played out across the Snowdonia hills. If it were not for my friend feeling frozen I would have braved another hour or so of just sitting and watching.
    GD001343.jpg
  • Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) - 1,085 m (3,560 ft), the highest mountain in Wales, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. With a café at it's summit, it's also the highest café in the UK. A railway takes some visitors to the summit.
    GD000578.jpg
  • Wales highest mountain, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) hides under sunlit cloud in the background, but the rounded slopes of Mynydd Mawr sit in the middle shot, whilst the craggy narrow Nantlle Ridge can be seen to the right. The deep scarred landscape in front is the Rhosgadfan quarries, now disused.<br />
<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site
    GD001050.jpg
  • Wind blows through soft rushes surrounding isolated bare trees at the lakeside of Llyn Gwynant glacial lake in the wide valley of Nant Gwynant in the heart of Snowdonia, Wales. The lower foothills of Wales' highest mountain, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) can be seen on the far side of the lake.
    GD000928.jpg
  • SUN28 Shot Up North Awards winning entry (2016).<br />
<br />
International Color Awards 2016 - Nominee in "Nature" category<br />
<br />
The huge & imposing massif of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Wales' highest mountain. This was taken following a last minute decision to slog up Mynydd Mawr under inclement weather but it resulted in just the most fantastic hour of weather-watching from it's summit. I was utterly gripped by the continual theatrical change of light being played out across the Snowdonia hills.
    GD001348.jpg
  • Sunset from the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) before spending the night sleeping on the café floor whilst on a commercial shoot for a client.<br />
<br />
The light was simply spectacular, with warm colours that belied the cold we felt due to the ‘wind-chill’ factor of gale force winds. We were greeted the next morning with thick cloud and bitterly cold drizzle so the evening light really was a magic moment.
    GD001746.jpg
  • Rapidly developing and blowing clouds create a mountain illusion, as they obscure the spatial reality, that the summit we see is Elidir Fawr, but the base which is actually the lower peaks of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), separated by the Llanberis Pass
    GD001827.jpg
  • The huge & imposing massif of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Wales' highest mountain. This was taken following a last minute decision to slog up Mynydd Mawr under inclement weather but it resulted in just the most fantastic hour of weather-watching from it's summit. I was utterly gripped by the continual theatrical change of light being played out across the Snowdonia hills. If it were not for my friend feeling frozen I would have braved another hour or so of just sitting and watching.<br />
<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site
    GD001344.jpg
  • Late Spring weather and ready for summer crops. The Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) masif can be seen in the background beyond the cold, wind-blown ploughed fields of Ynys Môn
    GD002763.jpg
  • The huge & imposing massif of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Wales' highest mountain. This was taken following a last minute decision to slog up Mynydd Mawr under inclement weather but it resulted in just the most fantastic hour of weather-watching from it's summit. I was utterly gripped by the continual theatrical change of light being played out across the Snowdonia hills. If it were not for my friend feeling frozen I would have braved another hour or so of just sitting and watching.
    GD001346.jpg
  • Nominated for 11th International B&W Spider Awards<br />
<br />
The huge & imposing massif of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Wales' highest mountain. This was taken following a last minute decision to slog up Mynydd Mawr under inclement weather but it resulted in just the most fantastic hour of weather-watching from it's summit. I was utterly gripped by the continual theatrical change of light being played out across the Snowdonia hills. If it were not for my friend feeling frozen I would have braved another hour or so of just sitting and watching.
    GD001345.jpg
  • Winner - Honourable Mention in 10th (2017) International Colour Awards (Nature category) <br />
<br />
The huge & imposing massif of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Wales' highest mountain. This was taken following a last minute decision to slog up Mynydd Mawr under inclement weather but it resulted in just the most fantastic hour of weather-watching from it's summit. I was utterly gripped by the continual theatrical change of light being played out across the Snowdonia hills. If it were not for my friend feeling frozen I would have braved another hour or so of just sitting and watching.
    GD001347.jpg
  • Crib Goch (Red comb) under a blue sky.  This is the most precipitous and narrow ridge walk on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) - 1,085 m (3,560 ft), the highest mountain in Wales, and Snowdon is the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. With a café at it's summit, it's also the highest café in the UK. A railway takes some visitors to the summit.
    GD000858.jpg
  • Stunning views of the surroundings hills and valleys whilst descending from Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Wales' highest mountain. The effects of glaciation are clearly visible and explains why so many educational groups come to this region to study geography and geomorphology
    GD001499.jpg
  • Snow & ice cover the ridges of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Wales' highest peak.
    GD001609.jpg
  • Stunning views of the surroundings hills and valleys whilst descending from Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Wales' highest mountain. The effects of glaciation are clearly visible and explains why so many educational groups come to this region to study geography and geomorphology
    GD001472.jpg
  • A surprisingly rocky, surprisingly ridgy, edgy walk upon Elidir Fawr in Snowdonia. The snow was everywhere but the weather was stunning, bright skies and crisp sunlight bouncing off brilliant clean white surfaces. In the middle distance are the lower slopes of Wales highest mountain, Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) and in the background, the undulating peaks of the Nantlle Ridge.
    GD001043.jpg
  • A phenomenal temperature inversion in North Wales, leaving only the summits of Snowdonia's highest peaks in glaring sunshine above the cloud bank.  <br />
<br />
Tryfan & the Glyderau are the high peaks in the background and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) fill the foreground above the fog
    GD001892.jpg
  • The clouds pulled up and revealed the highest café in the UK, sitting atop Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in the glorious evening light. I envy those supping a hot coffee as I froze on a snowy wasteland a few miles away !
    GD001053.jpg
  • I was the last on the hill, and the sun disappeared behind a huge bank of cloud, dulling the light completely. I watched a snowboarder carve his way down the soft snowy hillside away from me, quietly feeling the isolation, when a gentle hint of colour appeared over Snowdon. I stood for a few minutes, now completely alone, and then the light intensified and the whole landscape was bathed in the most glorious colours. The summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) appeared after two hours of waiting, so I trudged back up through thick snow to the summit of my own little hill and became quite ecstatic about everything that was happening. I was smiling from ear to ear, not even knowing where to look as it was all so beautiful, and then tears started rolling down my cheeks and I began to cry! I believe it was both the spiritual and mental joy of the situation but also an intense feeling of peace and freedom that many of us deeply crave to keep our sanity.
    GD002583.jpg
  • Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) - 1,085 m (3,560 ft), the highest mountain in Wales, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. With a café at it's summit, it's also the highest café in the UK. A railway takes some visitors to the summit.
    GD000860.jpg
  • Street lights at Gallt y foel in the town of Deiniolen, glow in a wintry, snow covered landscape, with the lowest slopes of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in the background in shadow against a warm orange sunset.
    GD000874.jpg
  • Stunning views of the surroundings hills and valleys whilst descending from Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Wales' highest mountain. The effects of glaciation are clearly visible and explains why so many educational groups come to this region to study geography and geomorphology
    GD001500.jpg
  • Looking from Elidir Fach across the lower slopes of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) to the very steep Moel Hebog in the far distance.
    GD000859.jpg
  • The most wonderful, dramatic evening light catching unexpected snowfall on Wales' highest peak of Yr Wyddfa. A few days before I was walking the beaches in shorts & a T-Shirt!
    GD002624.jpg
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
<br />
The most incredible sunset over the industrial relics of the Dinorwic slate quarries in Snowdonia. It was so peaceful up there, absolute silence as I studied the clouds gently mutating in the rich sunset over Yr Wyddfa, Wales’ highest mountain.
    GD002441.jpg
  • What a fabulous example of a Brocken Spectre this evening, beamed onto the gorgeously curved foothills of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) - I thought I was totally alone on the mountain but clearly I was not :-)
    GD002554.jpg
  • Even from the Isle of Anglesey the clouds over the mountains looked amazing, so I headed for the foothills. Strangely the effects looked better from Ynys Môn than the hills themselves but for a short while, magical moments of light offered themselves up here on the peaks. A huge dark cloud gathered over Garnedd Elidir and remained there even even after I crossed the summit ridge. <br />
<br />
In the background you can see Yr Wyddfa, the highest mountain in Wales & England, amazingly cloud free on its summit, even though much higher than Garnedd Elidir. <br />
<br />
I'd been reading numerous articles about women being anxious about men in the mountains, so it was interesting that bar one man, all my fellow walkers were confident, happy, friendly women, young & old, nothing like the worried women I'd read about in articles. I was pleased that none of these women saw me as a threat in our shared wonderful landscape.
    GD002617.jpg
  • Isn’t the planet just magnificent! From mountains of sand to mountains of rock, Earth’s natural processes are just incredible, and what they create are beautiful.
    GD002575.jpg
  • After more than an hour on the freezing summit, I slowly made my way down in deep snow, each leg sinking in to thigh level! I crouched in the snow whilst bitter winds ripped my face, waiting for a promised light to change the whole character of the atmosphere surrounding Wales highest mountain. I never quite saw the summit itself but the light did produce a beauty that was awe-inspiring
    GD002577.jpg
  • The narrow lane winding up through the slate quarrying village of Deiniolen, disappears over the ridge but in the distance the Snowdon railway track leads us up to the summit of the highest mountain in England and Wales
    GD001038.jpg
  • I left the valley in beautiful warm evening sunshine but by the time I reached the summit it was shrouded in dense, fast-swirling and cold hill fog. I shivered as I sat in the lee of the summit cairn but when the sun burst through I was bathed in warmth and mesmerised by the rapidly unfurling mountain views beyond me. The conditions lasted maybe an hour before the temperatures balanced out and the cloud dispersed leaving totally clear views. I can't help but be impressed by the constantly changing ethereal qualities of the Welsh light and weather.
    GD002311.jpg
  • GD001498.jpg
  • I was the last on the hill, and the sun disappeared behind a huge bank of cloud, dulling the light completely. I watched a snowboarder carve his way down the soft snowy hillside away from me, quietly feeling the isolation, when a gentle hint of colour appeared over Snowdon. I stood for a few minutes, now completely alone, and then the light intensified and the whole landscape was bathed in the most glorious colours. The summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) appeared after two hours of waiting, so I trudged back up through thick snow to the summit of my own little hill and became quite ecstatic about everything that was happening. I was smiling from ear to ear, not even knowing where to look as it was all so beautiful, and then tears started rolling down my cheeks and I began to cry! I believe it was both the spiritual and mental joy of the situation but also an intense feeling of peace and freedom that many of us deeply crave to keep our sanity.
    GD002582.jpg
  • During awful, dreary weather in Snowdonia, a break appeared in the clouds and evening sunshine flooded in an upon this soft and ancient Welsh landscape. It looks as though a theatre spot light has been turned on but the lighting is natural and just the way I saw it.
    GD001579.jpg
  • En route to an afternoon in the Welsh hills, I stopped off to check the state of the snow, and just loved the light over the Strait, and in particular the way it highlighted Ynys Gorad Goch. Having just absorbed the view for a few minutes, it changed my mind from walking Drosgl, to walking Moel Eilio and Foel Goch instead ! :-)
    GD001393.jpg
  • On top of a bare exposed mountain top, frozen solid with ice, sat this surreal ring of frozen grass, quite different from any other mountain vegetation. It totally surprised me, so perfect, so geomteric, so incongrous !
    GD001399.jpg
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
<br />
Just after the fleeting dramatic light a few minutes earlier, bursting through the mizzly blanket above the Welsh hills, a delicate ghostly vapour now enshrouded the deserted quarrymen’s huts high up in the Dinorwic slate quarries.<br />
.<br />
It’s strange studying these old industrial workings, where men blasted away half a mountainside around half a century ago, but I’m also grateful that we have access to this place, and an opportunity to stand and reflect on our history and a way of life long gone, in this country at least. If we don’t consider the past, how can we possibly learn how to go forwards?
    GD002340.jpg
  • These rolling foothills form part of the Snowdon Massif but each have their own names, and are affectionately known collectively, as the 'roller coaster' by local hill walkers.
    GD001589.jpg
  • Clinging to the edge of a cold mountain slope, stand the remains of a once thriving but dangerous slate quarrying industry. Tonight though, it was quiet, calm and tranquil, only the gentlest of winds blowing up the valley. Apart from the sound of ravens it seems a huge change from what once was. Even the train was silent in the thick winter snow.<br />
<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site
    GD000967.jpg
  • A beautiful and tumbling waterfall on the lower stretch of the Afon Llan, alongside the Watkin Path up Snowdon. The river forms deep pools in the smooth eroded rock, and the clarity is just incredible. The lush wide valley of Nant Gwynant can be seen in the distance.
    GD001378.jpg
  • The iconic and craggy peak of Tryfan, a hill walkers' mecca in the heart of Snowdonia, peaks it's irregular summit in the far distance, but to the right, deceptively looking even higher, is the huge rounded and open peak of Glyder Fawr. <br />
<br />
This was taken following a last minute decision to slog up Mynydd Mawr under inclement weather but it resulted in just the most fantastic hour of weather-watching from it's summit. I was utterly gripped by the continual theatrical change of light being played out across the Snowdonia hills. If it were not for my friend feeling frozen I would have braved another hour or so of just sitting and watching.
    GD001342.jpg
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site<br />
<br />
A fleeting burst of light during an overcast, mizzly day in the Welsh mountains.  The light glowed briefly over Llyn Peris before skipping at speed over the levels of the disused Dinorwic slate quarries and then disappearing altogether.<br />
<br />
It’s strange studying these old industrial workings, where men blasted away half a mountainside around half a century ago, but then seeing so many people using the quarried levels for climbing, walking, mountain biking and general sight-seeing. In a way it’s a really positive thing that so much fun has come out of so much destruction, and hardship for the quarrymen of old.
    GD002339.jpg
  • The roads were quiet, the forest track deserted and the hillsides empty. The morning rays of sunlight were slowly being extinguished by a deepening cloud cover and the winds were picking up. By the time I reached the ridge a howling gale was bending even the thickest fir trees. The summits were now hidden by a cloud of racing drizzle and were completely uninspiring. <br />
<br />
My heavy heart seemed to struggle to feed movement to my legs and every step felt tiring. As I left the hillsides I meandered around a lake and for only time that afternoon, glimmers of light glowed through thinning cloud, reflecting off the deep black lake, reminding me that at some point we will see light again.
    GD002605.jpg
  • The summit of Snowdon peaks above a huge cloud bank and convection clouds building over Nant y Betws, Rhyd Ddu and the mountain of Mynydd Mawr.
    GD001824.jpg
  • I was in the shadows of Foel Goch and Moel Cynghorion, with the sun setting behind me. I had put my camera away for the day but suddenly the clouds cleared to reveal a beautiful scene. <br />
<br />
I scrabbled in the rucksack to fetch the Fuji before the scene changed. I balanced my camera on a dry-stone wall to capture the near-full moon in a deep blue sky, high above the rolling foothills of Snowdon that were still bathed in warm sunshine.
    GD002154.jpg
  • A phenomenal temperature inversion in North Wales, leaving only the summits of Snowdonia's hughest peaks in glaring sunshine above the cloud bank.
    GD001950.jpg
  • GD000002_03.jpg
  • En route to an afternoon in the Welsh hills, I stopped off to check the state of the snow, and just loved the light over the Strait, and in particular the way it highlighted Ynys Gorad Goch. Having just absorbed the view for a few minutes, it changed my mind from walking Drosgl, to walking Moel Eilio and Foel Goch instead ! :-)
    GD001394.jpg
  • Never a fan of broken snow, it's usually an all or nothing for me, I was nevertheless highly humoured in my solitude, finding this huge numeral written in snow on the summit of Foel Goch, maths and nature, not always a such a great mix.
    GD001405.jpg
  • GD001152.jpg
  • These rolling foothills form part of the Snowdon Massif but each have their own names, and are affectionately known collectively, as the 'roller coaster' by local hill walkers.
    GD001588.jpg
  • I shot this whilst being filmed for the ITV series “The Strait” (being broadcast Autumn 2017).<br />
<br />
I have never been in such strong winds, which according to the weather forecast were up to 75mph. The three of us involved in the filming were being blown sideways and it was hard to breath or walk let alone climb the mountain.<br />
<br />
I had to put all my weight onto my Manfrotto tripod just to keep it from blowing over. I used fast shutter speeds, even on the tripod.<br />
<br />
The night before, these mountains were all snow-covered, but overnight the snow had almost completely disappeared. Surprisingly, even in a gale-force Easterly wind, the temperature had increased.<br />
 <br />
I loved the variation in light and colour across Snowdon and its foothills.
    GD002157.jpg
  • Snowdon and Mynydd Mawr in a winter sunset. The summit of Wales & England's Highest Cafe is just hidden by cloud at 1085 meters.
    GD001049.jpg
  • A phenomenal temperature inversion in North Wales, leaving only the summits of Snowdonia's hughest peaks in glaring sunshine above the cloud bank.
    GD001951.jpg
  • Such wonderful contrasts in Winter landscape, bright sunshine against snow covered mountains, cool blue seas against warm toned dunes. In winter everythiung just feels so much more real, vital, timeless. Perhaps the non existent crowds, the sound of the ocean and the wind numbing your face, heighten the reality.
    GD002692.jpg
  • Below me was a frighteningly steep drop to the valley below, but literally out of the void appeared this quizzical face of a wandering sheep. It unnerved me, from surprise and also as it appeared to be clinging to thin air!
    GD001672.jpg
  • View south over the misty Carneddau mountains and Mynydd Du, over to Elidir Fawr and finally the pointed summit of Snowdon in the far distance.
    GD001902.jpg
  • Nominated in 2022 International Colour Awards<br />
<br />
It was one of those dreary days in North Wales; the clouds hadn't lifted once and light drizzle dampened you from every angle. I happened upon this mountain lake where a father & son (I think from listening to them) were fly fishing from their little boat. I stood in silence in this tranquil Welsh scene, mesmerised by their action of casting lines out over the surface, a skill indeed. After a short while I found myself smiling though, as just beyond the ripples of movement from the boat and beyond the furthest reach of their bait, I noticed several large fish safely jumping for midges. Clever Welsh fish.
    GD002665.jpg
  • Snowdon and Mynydd Mawr in a winter sunset. The summit of Wales & England's Highest Cafe is just hidden by cloud at 1085 meters.
    GD001048.jpg
  • GD001612.jpg
  • Tantalisingly close, legally impossible but the lure of the mountains is powerful and emotional - they are a siren calling through the breeze. That’s all, a ten minute breeze separating me from my spiritual sanctuary.<br />
<br />
UNESCO World Heritage Site
    GD002472.jpg
  • These rolling foothills form part of the Snowdon Massif but each have their own names, and are affectionately known collectively, as the 'roller coaster' by local hill walkers.
    GD001587.jpg
  • GD002567.jpg
  • Such wonderful contrasts in Winter landscape, bright sunshine against snow covered mountains, cool blue seas against warm toned dunes. In winter everythiung just feels so much more real, vital, timeless. Perhaps the non existent crowds, the sound of the ocean and the wind numbing your face, heighten the reality.
    GD002692.jpg
  • View south over the misty Carneddau mountains and Mynydd Du, over to Elidir Fawr and finally the pointed summit of Snowdon in the far distance.
    GD001884.jpg
  • Yr Wyddfa is Wales' highest mountain. I didn't think I'd see the summit at all today as it continued to hide behind higher cloud,  but the moment I started to descend my own hill Yr Wyddfa decided to completely reveal it's magnificence. Never been happy about buildings for the masses on her peak but in this late evening light it did offer a sense of scale and man's tenacity.
    GD002585.jpg
  • Nominated in 9th (2016) International Colour Awards (Nature category)<br />
<br />
The undulating set of hills in the foreground is known as the roller-coaster by locals, the foothills to Wales' highest mountain, Snowdon, the name forming the root of the Snowdonia National Park, though Snowdon's real name is Celtic, Yr Wyddfa, & is the one dear to Welsh people. This hugely popular mountain is mostly deserted and offers perfect solitude as dusk settles upon it, the crowds having left by foot and railway to the warmth of the pubs and guest houses in the town nestling below.
    GD001748.jpg
  • Stunning views of the surroundings hills and valleys whilst descending from Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) Wales' highest mountain. The effects of glaciation are clearly visible and explains why so many educational groups come to this region to study geography and geomorphology
    GD001497.jpg
  • Anglesey and it's most popular sandy beach, Llanddwyn in the sunset as seen fro the summit of Snowdon, (Yr Wyddfa) Wales' highest mountain.
    GD001762.jpg
  • Traditional fields, white-washed roofs of Anglesey cottages, the ancient mine at Mynydd Parys in the middle distance and in the far distance, the high peaks of Tryfan and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon).  Shot from above the brick works at Porth Wen,
    GD001300.jpg
  • We’d been so engrossed in our rock-climbing that we hadn’t even noticed the full-moon behind us, rising above Crib Goch ridge on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) <br />
<br />
Had to stop to grab a snap from the roadside, so thankful that I’d left my tripod in the van.
    GD002397.jpg
  • I think most of my family, friends & followers of my work have seen how far I’ve been sinking since lockdown started back in Africa in March. I haven’t coped that well with losing access to one of the main cures for my darkness, getting out into the landscape & nature. It’s been a real battle internally and I felt I was losing a grip on what life was about, so many waves of loss, fear and entrapment. <br />
<br />
So with the latest minimal change to Welsh lockdown rules, and the ability to drive five miles to meet friends or get exercise, it’s been euphoric for me. My first walk up a small hill, just to be in the mountains again, was as if it was my first time! My heart literally was pounding with excitement and I found myself grinning constantly as I ascended the hill. I found it remarkable to just watch my feet in their walking shoes, taking steps up rocks and grass covered slopes. The wind was cold and I’d delayed the start of the walk to allow a heavy hail shower to pass over, but when the June sunshine appeared it bathed me in warmth and joy. <br />
<br />
From the summit I was able to see all the major peaks, the Carneddau, Tryfan, the Glyderau, Yr Wyddfa, Garnedd Elidir, and even Yr Eifel on the Llyn. A couple passed me on their way down and after an awkward, socially distanced acknowledgement as is the way these days, I saw no one for the rest of the time in the hills. It was the sort of solitude I yearn for, the solitude of choice not the solitude of jail.   <br />
<br />
Shortly before another heavy hail shower, which lasted almost half an hour, I found myself enchanted by the morphing dark clouds over the Carneddau, even their ominous depth seemed magical and awesome. Quite suddenly an intense beam of warm sunshine split the sombre scene and caressed its way up and over Foel Meirch until it ticked the shrouded summit of Carnedd Dafydd. It was my perfect light, theatrical and dramatic, a play with no characters, just backdrops. <br />
<br />
I sat on the summit, alone and happy in my own thou
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  • Icy cold water from snow-capped summits, flows down through small but spectacularly sculpted gorges, to the comparatively warm Irish Sea waiting below
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  • Isn’t the planet just magnificent! From mountains of sand to mountains of rock, Earth’s natural processes are just incredible, and what they create are beautiful.
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  • The rain was relentless, coming down in sheets across the sombre Welsh hillsides, soaking the landscape and everything upon it. I’d just walked for hours on the deserted gale-blown mountaintops, alone but strangely happy in my solitude. The river in the valley was swollen, fed by the downpour but tumbled excitedly towards the sea beyond.<br />
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The steadfast skeletal trees transfixed me. Their bare branches were almost still in the breeze and their water-drop laden twigs stretched out like a delta. These skeletal figures were in a sort of suspended animation, hidden life pulsing through the outstretched limbs but waiting to burst out in the spring, months from now.<br />
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I didn’t really want to leave but my waterproofs were now beginning to fail after almost four hours of penetrating bad weather. I could hear the rain on my jacket hood and tiny beads of water now ran down my skin. It seemed that if I moved I’d ruin the silent connection between me and the trees, but I did, and it didn’t.
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  • Available as A3 & A4 prints only<br />
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Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in winter, from the Dinorwic Quarries, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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  • Had no idea that a huge sea of cloud would be building as I summited Garnedd Elidir, but it was such an incredible surprise benefit of this last minute evening walk into the hills. <br />
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Though Yr Wyddfa was packed with 1000s of visitors ever day this week, I was completely alone on my summit and was therefore able to let my mind float at cloud height with all this sumptuous vapour. It’s precious enough being alone on the hill tops, but being presented with such spectacular weather phenomenon is such a heightened privilege. <br />
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Strangely, as I left my perch and headed down the scree slopes, the inversion faded, as if it was purely there for me, at a time when I needed it.
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