The Secret Waterfall?
I recently had a lovely long weekend in the Lake District National Park. The weather was glorious but from a photography point of view I really struggled for the whole trip. During the day and well into the early evening all the areas around the lakes were packed full of holidaymakers, day trippers and people just generally making the most of the great weather and all that the area has to offer. I don’t blame them but in conjunction with plain blue skies and clouds that only seemed to roll in just before sunset to block the horizon, I just couldn’t find my mojo. The creative juices just weren’t flowing.
On the last day we decided to leave a little earlier than planned and take our time returning home. We opted to take the less direct route, instead we meandered through the Yorkshire Dales with the idea of stopping off if anything looked worthy of taking a few shots. I expected the Dales to be just as busy as the Lakes and to be honest it was very similar. I had a location I’d read about in mind and as it’s not one of the big draw, honeypot, locations I thought we might have a chance of finding a composition or two.
The place in question was a waterfall. Scar House falls to be exact and to my surprise as I pulled into the layby to park, we were the only ones there. The falls are just a few metres away from the road and can be seen by passing motorists if they crane their necks and peer over the limestone wall into the small, wooded valley that contains the cascade.
It’s a lovely location. Really tranquil and stunningly beautiful in the late spring sunshine. Why it is so unknown compared to other falls in the area is a mystery to me. The water tumbles down the main falls into a plunge pool and then down a series of smaller cascades. The far bank was a riot of white wild garlic flowers (the smell of garlic was overpowering at times).
I moved around the scene trying out a variety of compositions, in total we were there for over two hours. We didn’t see a single other person the whole time, other than the disembodied heads of cyclists peering over the wall as they rode past (It’s a popular place for cyclists; the start of the Buttertubs Pass is just around the corner).
What a fantastic location. My mind is already racing ahead to Autumn colours or maybe some deep winter frozen waterfall shots. Only time will tell.
