| Joined: | Mon Apr 2nd, 2012 |
| Location: | South Lakeland, UK |
| Posts: | 4066 |
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Almost sixty years on, I revisited the watchtower yesterday with Christopher. It was somewhat windy but otherwise a lovely day and a really clear sky.
I didn't know if the watchtower was still complete or had perhaps succumbed to the elements... It's very exposed up there. I was delighted to discover that it's still standing and with caution it's still possible to clamber up to the platform.
During ww2 that area was strategically important because of the relatively secluded inlets and the fact that a lot of wartime munitions were stored in the vicinity.
Anyway... Some pictures! As I say, the object of the visit was to see if the tower was still standing, if so get a couple of pix of it.
The first thing which gives a clue is the shape of an underground bunker which must have housed the members of the Observer Corps who manned the outpost. As we set off for the tower the sound of an aircraft approached, they were keeping an eye on us!!!
Half a mile from the road, along a track, we found the tower, much as I remember it.
This one is for Graham... Haverthwaite and Lakeside Railway, chuffing it's way up to Lakeside, taken with D3 and 70-300 VR, about 1Km away from the watchtower. I can almost read the loco number on the screen at 100%.
This a five frame pano of the Cartmel valley with Hampsfell in the background.
We decide to go get some dinner and return in time for the Sunset.
On our way back up after dinner this Douglas Fir looked rather nice in the reddening light... D3 and 24-120 f/4
A nice bit of lens flare from the D3 - 20mm f/2.8D.
As the sun started to sink towards the horizon... The Coniston and Furness fells form the backdrop.
Just after Sunset, the Corney and Ulpha Fells, with their crags lead up to Harter Fell which is adjacent to Hardknot pass. Harter Fell is the tall one on the right which kind of looks like a volcano.
Harter Fell is central here. These are taken with the D3 and 24-120 f/4
The watchtower at dusk in silhouette.
And finally a surprise, the Moon had risen and as we walked back to the car I spotted this:
Again D3 with the 24-120 f/4.
I also took some IR and a 360-180ยบ pano of the watch tower and surroundings, however I can't afford to subscribe to PTgui yet so given the pano is splattered with PTgui logo's all over, I don't really feel like displaying it yet.
We did consider doing some star trails but went home at ten pm. We had done enough for one afternoon, I didn't fancy staying till two am, it was getting cold.
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Robert.