Autumn in the Lake District is heaven on earth for landscape photographers. This year was exceptional; it felt like the stars aligned, the weather, the colour, the light, and the atmosphere. If you’ve never visited Cumbria in autumn, I’ll try to paint the picture for you, though truthfully, words will never do it justice.
Picture the return of morning dew, each droplet glistening in the first light as it clings to the grasses during a crisp, misty dawn. A sea of bracken sweeps across the fells in waves of rustic reds and browns, shifting from deep summer greens to gorgeous earthly tones. Woodlands explode into a mosaic of golds, oranges, and reds, their colours drifting in and out of view as a subtle early morning mist ebbs and flows across the landscape.
It’s no wonder photographers fall in love with the Lake District, but this year felt different. This year felt like one for the record books.
Why Autumn 2023 Was So Special
Autumn is a season that landscape photographers adore, but equally dread. We hope for stunning colours and mild weather, but it very rarely pans out that way. Autumn in the UK is, by nature, a storm season, known for dynamic weather – typically unsettled thanks to relentless deep low-pressure systems sweeping in from the Atlantic. It only takes a poorly timed storm front to arrive and destroy weeks of anticipation.
Autumn 2023, however, broke that pattern.
Storms still formed throughout autumn, yet somehow, the North West escaped unscathed. Longer spells of mild weather allowed the autumnal colours to develop slowly and uninterrupted before reaching their peak between late October and early November. Trees held their leaves as the bracken matured; the landscape was truly glowing with colour.
It was, without doubt, one of the finest displays of autumnal colour the Lake District has seen in years.
What This Meant For Landscape Photography
Autumn 2023 delivered the kind of conditions that landscape photographers dream of. Calm, settled weather brought countless opportunities to capture the beauty of the Lake District in all of its autumnal glory. Early-morning mist ebbed and flowed through the valleys and surrounding woodlands, creating depth, mystery, and beautiful layers of separation across the landscape.
Golden hour light was almost a constant feature, sweeping across the fells and highlighting the rustic colours as they emerged from the delicate veil of mist. The near-perfect conditions that delivered misty mornings also transformed the lakes into glass, perfectly reflecting the surrounding landscapes.
It was the kind of autumn that rewarded early starts with the most photogenic conditions you could ask for. It was nice to experience one autumn without the usual chaos of dashing out between storm fronts, racing against the next weather system.
It wasn’t all plain sailing: The Fear of Missing Out
Despite autumn 2023 delivering truly picturesque conditions, in hindsight, the season wasn’t all plain sailing. In classic Simon style, I was a little overly eager for autumn to arrive, and ended up heading out earlier than I should have, clocking up more trips than I’d like to admit. It was nice to see the slow, subtle transition from summer to autumn, but it was exhausting! The fear of missing out got me again; the colours simply weren’t ready.
And then there were the forecasts. One morning in particular, the weather was predicted to be clear and calm, yet I found myself hiking to the summit of Loughrigg Fell at 5 AM through relentless, unforecast rain. I was on the verge of calling it quits and turning back, but I told myself, “I’m here now, I may as well push on”. I’m so glad I did!
Not long after I reached the summit, the rain faded, and the mist began to form in its place. As sunrise neared, conditions went from dire to mindblowing, and I was treated to one of the best temperature inversions I’ve ever witnessed from Loughrigg Fell. As I picked my jaw up off the floor, I managed to capture a couple of photographs illustrating just how special the morning truly was.
Highlights of Autumn
Without doubt, the most memorable trip of autumn was to Derwentwater, Keswick. As a kid, Derwentwater was the first lake I ever walked around, and it will always have a special place in my heart. Naturally, it felt nostalgic to return, especially during the height of autumn with the seasonal colours at their best.
Autumnal sunrise from Catbells
During the first day of the trip, I took an early morning stroll up Catbells to catch the sunrise before the crowds arrived. It didn’t disappoint; the low-raking golden light was simply breathtaking as it illuminated the rustic bracken on the lower flanks of Catbells. I took a few photographs to capture the moment and then sat and watched as the rising sun brought the landscape to life.
A stroll through Manesty Park
Heading back down before the crowds arrived, I decided to have a stroll through Manesty Park. I know I say this about almost every location in the Lake District, but Manesty is a true haven for landscape photography. It’s a place of absolute beauty, one which never fails to leave me in awe, especially at the peak of autumn.
As I made my way through, I was stopped dead in my tracks by a scene that can only be described as magical. A delicate frost clung to the surrounding grasses, but as the sun rose, cresting over the surrounding fells, the ice began to melt. Mist began to rise from the grasses and the surface of the lake. But that’s not what caught my attention. What caught my attention was the most surreal sight of a single flowering gorse bush, surrounded by waves of autumnal colour.
In an almost reflex action, my camera was out, and I was lining up a composition. Admittedly, it was a tricky scene to expose correctly due to the dominant highlights of the illuminated bracken in the distance. I decided to expose to the right (ETTR) to preserve highlights, knowing I could rescue shadows in post-processing. What a result for the first morning of the trip.
On my way back to the car, my camera somehow found its way out of my bag a further two times. It was one of those mornings where it was almost impossible to take a bad photograph. The first photograph featured a sunstar through an explosion of autumnal colour, and the second, a selection of birch trees catching some glorious light amongst the lower flanks of Walla Crag.
A view of Catbells from Crow Park
To complete the trip, I started the second morning off at one of Derwentwater’s most famous viewpoints, Crow Park. Crow Park delivers sweeping views over Derwentwater towards the iconic Derwent Island with a backdrop of Catbells, Maidenmoor, and the jaws of Borrowdale. Let me tell you, during peak autumn, this is one view that should be at the top of everyone’s list.
As a landscape photographer, I couldn’t have asked for more from the morning; it truly delivered everything I could have asked for and more. Gorgeous golden light, waves of rustic autumnal colours, and near glass-like reflections across the surface of Derwentwater. What a way to end autumn 2023.
Yew Tree Tarn: An Honourable Mention
A week or so before the trip to Keswick, I stopped off at an all-time favourite autumnal location: Yew Tree Tarn. I honestly think this is one of the most underrated spots in the Lakes for landscape photography. It’s so easy to dismiss its beauty and head up to Holme Fell instead. It’s a great location to track mist. You generally find the area between Yew Tree Tarn and Elterwater is a hotspot if the conditions are prime.
On this particular morning, the forecast was about as perfect as it could be for mist, and it certainly delivered. Glass-like reflections, mist, and a sea of autumnal colour, what’s not to like?
As the morning progressed, it was clear there wasn’t going to be much opportunity for light, and so I ventured into the woodland to see what I could find. It wasn’t long before my camera was out, and I found myself photographing a lovely scene featuring a section of the winding path alongside Yew Tree Tarn.
No more than 5 metres from the scene above, I noticed a cormorant, quietly perched on a fence post running through the tarn, surrounded by an explosion of autumnal colour. Slowly but surely, I edged into position behind a tree and captured the moment. It doesn’t get any better than this.
