A Wild Camp
Seeing images of sunsets and sunrises from elevated vantage points, and talking with the photographers who have captured them, I’ve gradually come to realise that if I want to create those kinds of photographs for myself, I essentially have two options.
The first is to get up very early (and often, that means extremely early!), drive to the starting point of a hike, lug all my gear up a mountain or fellside, make sure I arrive well ahead of the pre-dawn light to set myself up properly, and then wait patiently. If I’m fortunate, I will have managed to grab a few precious hours of sleep beforehand, nature will cooperate, and I will come away with some truly stunning sunrise shots.
Conversely, to capture sunset photographs from a high vantage point, I have the luxury of more time during the day to reach my chosen location. However, once the shoot concludes, there remains the challenge of packing up my gear in the rapidly fading light and making the often tricky hike down, usually finishing in near darkness.
This approach is entirely feasible—I’ve done it several times—but at the end of all that effort, I would have a set of images from either a sunrise or a sunset, but not both.
The second option, therefore, presents some appealing possibilities. It essentially doubles the chances of successful photographs or halves the overall effort. This alternative therefore is to wild camp. On 6th July 2019, accompanied by two good friends who are seasoned wild campers, that’s exactly what I did 🙂
After careful consideration of not only the photographic advantages of specific locations but also my own limited camping experience, we decided to spend the night on a small sub-summit of Silver How, which overlooks both Grasmere and the Great Langdale valley.
I must confess, I had numerous doubts during the planning stage about whether I could realistically carry both camping and camera gear any significant distance, let alone to the top of a mountain, however modest. However, my companions offered constant encouragement, reassurance, and generous offers of help, which was enough to ease my worries. I never quite overcame my anxiety about answering the call of nature up there, but probably the less said about that ordeal, the better! 😃
Sunset Pitch
Setting off in the early evening from YHA High Close, we enjoyed a relaxed and unhurried climb to our intended overnight spot. With sunset scheduled for 21:50, we arrived well in advance, giving ourselves ample time to pitch our tents, savor some snacks, and share a refreshing beer as the daylight slowly faded. The weather conditions appeared promising, and we waited with a keen sense of excitement and anticipation. Although I must admit that, in the end, I felt a touch of disappointment when a thick bank of low cloud rolled in, obscuring any direct light from the west, the clouds after sunset did light up with some subtle hues. There is no doubt it was still a beautiful and memorable experience, watching the fading light while knowing I had the mountain all to myself, accompanied by two dear friends and a few quietly grazing Herdies. And, of course, being already in such a perfect location meant I had another chance to try again the following morning.
Early morning scene
