Mam Tor at sunrise

I blogged about my first evening on Stanage Edge in the Peak District a few weeks ago. I had already planned to revisit Mam Tor for sunrise the following morning and as on my first visit seven years earlier, my itinerary read “get up at 4.30”. Which is exactly what I did. The drive was much the same, through local villages in the dark, up Winnat’s Pass (which would have been stunning if I could have seen the limestone gorge properly) and finally parking by the steps leading up to the iron age hill fort. I had learned a valuable lesson on my previous visit, being unable to find my way out of the National Trust car park in the inky blackness under the trees. It also shortened the climb by about 100 yards.

That saving was to make little difference, as this time I was making the ascent weighed down by one of the heaviest DSLRs around. I was also carrying three lenses and a massive tripod. Knowing I had left myself plenty of time, I wasn’t in a panic, but I was surprised just how long it took to reach the very top. I was then faced with more steps heading down from the fort and a long walk along the Great Ridge. Previously I had photographed the famous gate as the sun rose, but this time I wanted to try something different. With half an hour still to go until sunrise, I set up my gear to capture the image below.

As I fiddled with the settings, another photographer arrived and set up a few yards away and naturally, we got chatting. She had driven for 90 minutes that morning in the hope of getting a temperature inversion (mist) in the valley below. She was disappointed, but as I pointed out, it was still a very fine view indeed. We talked some more and I couldn’t help but ask if she was feeling cold. When I left the car it was just 7C and although the climb had warmed me up somewhat, the strong north wind blowing over the ridge left me feeling decidedly cold. I was wearing fleecy jogging bottoms, a sweatshirt and my coat buttoned up from top to bottom. I had already wished more than once that morning that I had packed my hat and gloves. My companion, on the other hand, was wearing black tights with little ankle boots and a sleeveless chiffon dress. The dress was so short that the black tights were necessary to maintain some form of decency. I was in awe of her stamina.

Having got the shots I was after, I wished her good luck as I carried on along the ridge. The next one below was taken just as the sun was beginning to rise. Finally, the image featured at the top was a few hundred yards from the gate and sometime after sunrise. Apart from the other lady photographer and a handful of walkers, I had this beautiful place all to myself.