Ray of Hope or Scotch Mist?

The day started bright and sunny as I ventured into work this morning and I was hopeful of blipping one of the beacons that were due to light up the evening sky to commemorate the 70th anniversary of VE day.

The weather took a turn for the worse as the day went on and by evening it was bucketing down with rain and there was low cloud over the hills.

Undeterred I set off for Castle Hill at Huddersfield - the site of the  nearest beacon. Roads to the hill were closed to traffic so I found a spot down the valley and parked up. 

With five minutes to go to the scheduled lighting of the beacon, the rain was torrential so I had to try to take the photograph from inside the car with the window down. Even so, the camera lens was still getting spotted with rain. With two minutes to go the clouds descended and the hillside disappeared in a shroud of mist.

So apologies, but this is my best photograph of the night. Full marks to all the the people at the top of the hill (including the civic dignitaries and buglers) who braved the awful weather and made the event possible.

Here  is what the hill looks like on a clear night.

Maybe I should have posted the scene in St George's Square (see extra photo).