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November rain

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Well today is looking thoroughly wet, dark and grey, but we have had some lovely days in the last few weeks. November can be a beautiful month, and this view shows the hills at the foot of the College valley on the northern side of the Cheviots, on a day of wonderful light. This image has been included in the Seasons of Northumberland calendar 2018, available from this website, and from retail outlets across the region. The 2018 calendar features views of Northumberland through the seasons of the year, including Bamburgh Castle, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland National Park, Hadrian’s Wall, puffin (Farne Islands), River South Tyne, Padon Monument, and Embleton Bay. It makes a great Christmas present for family and friends in Northumberland and beyond, and many Northumbrians living around the world.

November calendar view

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The Seasons of Northumberland calendar this year has a view of Lindisfarne seen from Bamburgh Castle on a very windy day with huge waves in the North Sea pounding the Northumberland Coast. Although Holy Island is some miles away, a telephoto lens foreshortens the view and shows Lindisfarne Castle above the surf crashing on the shore rocks.

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

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Autumn can be one of the most beautiful seasons of the year, and in Northumberland, the peak of the autumn colours is usually in the last week of October and the first week of November. Misty autumn morning always bring to mind the famous poem ‘To Autumn’ by John Keats, written in 1819. This view shows Hexham Abbey on a fine autumn morningm with mist across the Tyne valley, which was in the Seasons of Northumberland calendar a couple of years ago. Today, the sun is shining and there is the promise of a fine day, with exceptionally warm temperatures as Hurricane Ophelia approaches from the Atlantic.

 

November

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November is a wonderful month, a turning point between the colourful days of autumn and the increasing darkness of winter. This year the autumn seems to have been very long and gradual, with the colours lingering much later than normal, and not too much wind. I always enjoy selecting images for the Seasons of Northumberland calendar every year, and November is an especially rich month for photography, with the a climax of autumn colour occurring in the first week of November and the last week of October in this part of the world. The North Tyne valley in Northumberland National Park has many scattered woodlands with a range of native species such as oak, birch and larch, as well as plantations of conifers. For details of woodlands, soft overcast light is ideal, as this kind of underrated photographic light is perfect for good colour saturation and the recording of detail. This image was made of medium format 6 x 7 cm transparency film in the pre-digital era,  not all that long ago. It shows a beautiful maple tree at Sidwood near Greenhaugh in the Tarset valley, with the glorious colour of maple leaves contrasting with the subdued background of greys and greens. This image appears in the 2016 calendar.

Northumberland National Park

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The autumn season this year has been magnificent. A long, sunny spell of weather, followed by some colder days, and not much wind, has kept the leaves on the trees for longer than normal, and the colours seem to have peaked a few days later than average. Northumberland National Park often looks at its best late in the year when the low angled sun catches the gold, yellow and warm brown colours of the hills, and the wooded valleys are filled with autumn colour. This image shows the dazzling colours of a bright November day in the Tarset valley near Greenhaugh and Bellingham.