Autumn in the west

I drove to the Rheged Centre in Cumbria today to see Ian Lawson's wonderful photographs of Herdwick sheep. The exhibition is called Native Spirit: The Herdwick.

Herdwick sheep are native to the Lake District. They have delightful smiling faces. Those who shepherd them have a long tradition, although the number of farms involved has decreased significantly.

This exhibition is on for one more week only. It is beautifully curated and the images are stunning. Do go to see it if you are in the area. The café is good too!

There was a lot more autumn colour in the area than we have at home, so I looked for a wood I could explore (camera pack and tripod to hand). I chose Coomb Wood near Armathwaite because it was sort of on my way home.

I should have gone into the woods from the bridge in Armathwaite but the map took me to a small car park up the hill. Here there were conifers and the wood was silent. I actually felt uncomfortable. If only a bird would sing!

I didn't go far, but I did photograph this wet bracken. I liked the way the leaves were draped with water droplets ready to fall.

Wherever I could see wonderful colour from the road, there was no access to the woods........Never mind.

Tonight was the Hexham Photography Group with members showing their own work. I did not take any but enjoyed the wide variety of prints on show. I also had good advice about photographing writing on wood.