Thursday the 30th of January 2025, The calmness, the serenity, The River Trent down below and a delightful Nottinghamshire view.

Nottinghamshire is one of those counties that somehow "feels a little bit left behind in the world of landscape photography." And that is quite strange really - just googling landscape photography UK, will bring up a plethora of content from other landscape photographers, and just where do they tend to photograph? Well the more well known areas of the country from The Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Peak District.... You kind of get the idea. But Nottinghamshire though is a county of many surprises, and it was on Thursday the 30th of January 2024, that after a lovely lunch at Fables Coffee House in Edwinstowe, a delightful drive through the Nottinghamshire countryside took place, and just heading along the A616 towards Kelham and then following the course of The River Trent, via the villages that sit on the banks of The River Trent happened, what I saw was a county that really does lend itself to landscape photography with a plethora of beautiful rolling hills, quaint villages and scenes just awaiting to be captured. 

And wait a minute, heading into the Nottinghamshire village of Fiskerton, I just had to stop off for a little while and take in the glorious views, behind me of course was a low setting sun which made for some rather difficult conditions to photograph, but instead I turned the drone around and managed to capture the following views of The River Trent and some delightful views of the Nottinghamshire countryside, the River Trent of course in these photos is winding its way north towards the historic town of Newark and beyond, but again encroaching Spring could also be felt, and yes, the blue sky probably helped with that. 

"A Trent of a Fiskerton Panorama."

"Floating above the River, a Trent of a View."

"Serenity and Calm, the Trent snakes its way. A delightful view."

Monday the 27th of January 2025, for sometimes you have to visit a location but try something different. Another visit to a location of calm and a location of History - the beauty of Belper River Gardens.

The last time that I visited the delightful and glorious "Belper River Gardens" it was on Saturday the 11th of January 2025, of course the landscape surrounding Belper River Gardens, well it was a little bit different - as the cold weather, lingering snowfall and frost had transformed the landscape and made it that little bit more magical, this time around though well the weather had changed yet again, and thankfully the skies, well they did have blue in them which was refreshing to see. But again there was something else, the light casting a beautiful light, golden to a degree on the River Derwent, at the side of the old brick mill, yes the snow might have gone, but a certain Winter Bareness which lacked colour could also be seen, but somehow calmness could be felt along with a certain sense of serenity, and a feeling of encroaching Spring was surely in the air.

"The Golden Derwent Glow."

"Winter elements, the beauty of The River Garden Bandstand."

"Water, Elements, Bandstand."

"Beauty of Red Brick, the Old Mill." - (Colour.)

"Beauty of Red Brick, the Old Mill." - (Black and White.)

Thursday the 16th of January 2025, A truly glorious and ethereal flight looking down towards the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire Borderlands of The Erewash Valley and a curious morning sense of Beauty.

"The Winter continues and the surprises, for they keep on coming along."

6.30am and what is that, I can see outside? For yet again the sight of frost, well "freezing frost" this time around has made a slightly marmite like return, but along with it, as 6.30am soon bid farewell and the light began to peek through, what else did I notice? Well that of course was a truly glorious Cloud Inversion, that could be seen in The Erewash Valley, magical it was and I knew that I had to capture it. Below of course are the photos that I had taken in the morning.

"Silence, Blue, Vista."

"The Dreamy like Morning, Cloud Inversion of Magic, the Winston Glow."

"Magical Morning, Erewash Dreaming."

"Just above the roofs, floating within a Cloud Inversion Dream?"

But then by the afternoon, I was looking out the window and noticed something else happening, for the sky was blue and yet to the west where I was looking, what was encroaching? Again a beautiful bank of fog, and again I just had to capture that, and below are those photos.

"Flying close to the mysterious beauty."

"Light and Fog, on the Cusp."

"Looming, As the Fog encroaches."

But I also had to capture a little video showcasing the beauty of what I had seen in the afternoon, for I had literally flown by the cusp of the encroaching fog, on what has in ways seemed like the most curious of Winter days, with a strange kind of ethereal beauty to it, and if you want to see the video footage that I captured, then it can be found here.

Saturday the 11th of January 2025, Taking a look at the cusp of Frost and Snow, combined with History. The stunning light and beauty of Belper River Gardens.

As a county goes, "Derbyshire" has some truly amazing and contrasting landscapes and those landscapes well they vary so much have there own unique and interesting elements, from the curious limestone dales of the southern parts of The Peak District National Park and The Derbyshire Dales all the way to the more dramatic, bleak and beautiful gritstone elements of The Dark Peak, which are part of the more Northern flanks of The Peak District National Park. But it also goes without saying that history can also be found, clues from yesteryear, and beauty within that history can also be seen. 

And it was on Saturday the 11th of January 2025 that I had visited Belper, a historical town located within the equally famous Lower Derwent Valley, a town that is located on the banks of The River Derwent and a town that old ghosts from The Industrial Revolution can be seen, and the most infamous landmark within Belper happens to be the old red brick Mill, that stands guard above the Belper skyline, next door to this old red brick Mill, is of course Belper River Gardens, a delightful place to walk and explore, to relax and watch the world go by or to grab a bite to eat in the glorious Park Life Café at The Swiss Tea Rooms, but as I was awaiting for Coffee to be served, I wanted to capture the beauty of Belper River Gardens and the mill from a unique perspective, yes I have photographed Belper River Gardens on many occasions before from ground level, but to get a different perspective from the air, well that just had to be done. 

And from above I was met with a truly delightful glorious light, dramatic yes, and one in which a contrast could be seen, a deep frozen frost, but elements of snowfall that was still on the ground, and yet looking westwards more snowfall could be seen, yet looking eastwards, the snowfall that was still lingering on the ground, well that was on the cusp of a more Frosted landscape. Yet a short distance away in Nottinghamshire, only the deep frost remains, and yet in Belper and its surroundings, the last lingering remains of Snow, and that is because of course of Altitude differentials within the landscape, but what I had come across, the views, well they were nothing short of magical.

"Within a frosty River Gardens Rush."

"Frosts to the left, Snow to the Right, and a Derwent Valley sense of Beauty."

"The River, The Gardens, a delightful light and a glorious Winter Belper Sight."

"The Bandstand, The Mill, Rays of Distant Winter Light."

"The Glorious Belper Winter Light, Cold and Bitter Glow."

"Above the trees, to The Mill."

"Floating gently above, the Gardens below."

"The Bandstand, The Mill, The Glorious Winter Light, a Distant Sight."

Friday the 10th of January 2025, Clear and Cold, the Beauty of Winter, the Beauty of Shipley Country Park.

Cold, Raw, Bitter and yet strangely beautiful, the ground and pathways/roadways through Shipley Country Park, were covered with Ice, making any walking - that little bit more interesting, yet somehow the light was just magical and well I just had to send the Drone up above this glorious parkland to capture its magic, and a landscape that just seemed so calm and beautiful, crisp as well and yet here I was looking at the beauty of Winter and the beauty of Shipley Country Park. 

"Frost, Ice, Green, The art of Winter Beauty."

"The Winter magic of Shipley Hill."

"The magic of Winter, a delightful light, a Frosty Sight of Shipley Down Below."

"Fields to Valley, the Calm of delight and beauty below."

"Floating above the Winter Calmness."

"The Winter Path, a Woodland Golden Glow."

"Frost on the sides, a beautiful Winter Light."

Thursday the 9th of January 2025, The beauty of the "golden Winter light." Made for a magical sight.

It was the poet W.H. Davies who famously in his poem entitled Leisure wrote the following opening lines, "What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare?" And it was on Thursday the 9th of January 2025 that I had noticed something, I could see the sky turning golden, a Winter golden glow was forming, the sun was beginning to set, and the weather was just crisp, cold and fresh. Me though I just had to capture what turned out to be a truly glorious Winter sunset, yes the nights are drawing out which is noticeable since Winter Solstice, but just how many others took the time to Stand and Stare at the artwork that nature provides? Probably not that many.

"A sense of Winter Gold, The calmness towards The Valley Glows."

"Suburban Gold, the Winter Sunset A delightful Golden Glow."

"Blue and Sunset Gold."

"Gold and Suburban Rush."

"A magical Winter Light, the Seeping colour of Gold across the Roofs."

"Floating above, encountering the Winter Gold of a delightful Winter Sunset."

Wednesday the 8th of January 2025, A bitter start and a certain sense of calm.

Well what an interesting start to January 2025 it has been so far, some eight days into the month of January and the best way to describe it is the following,

"Rather Baltic, Bitter and Raw."

And with that, well the landscape has also looked spectacular, a landscape that was covered with snow gave way to a landscape that was transformed by a deep, cold frost and a landscape that just seemed so very calm and serene. For the season of Winter might not be that colourful a season, but it is a season that brings with it a certain sense of beauty that if you take the time to observe, that beauty can be found.

"The cold, The Beauty, A landscape of Suburbia gives way to the Valley Beyond."

"Streets of Frost, a cold bitter beauty."

"Ice and Raw. The town below."

"The beauty and serene, a frozen landscape below, the Winter charms."

"From Frost in Urban Areas to the Valley beyond."

"A sense of Cold, A Sense of Frosted Calm."