Tor View

The Dartmoor landscape as seen from the ancient rocks of Sheeps Tor

tor  (tôr)

n.

1. A high rock or pile of rocks on the top of a hill.

2. A rocky peak or hill.

(thefreedictionary.com)

This photo shows the view over Burrator Reservoir from Sheeps Tor, Dartmoor, Devon. The ancient granite rocks of this Tor were formed hundreds of millions of years ago as magma slowly cooled beneath the Earth's surface. These rocks have since become uncovered by erosion, but being more resistant to erosion themselves, they are left standing like silent sentinels upon this hilltop and many others in the Dartmoor National Park. Dartmoor has the largest area of granite in Britain and is full of these tors, or "rocky peaks". 

Brick Lane

Some urban photography for you today, for something a little bit different. The Brick Lane landscape is very interesting, with influences of different cultures, a jumble of stalls selling a variety of wares, and the "world famous" graffiti street art. Here are a few photos of "Banglatown" from last weekend.

Delicious cakes, graffiti and more. "Brick Lane Bakery" taken outside the Morena Bakery.

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To Beeches in Winter

Happy New Year to all of our readers and customers! 

It may be hard to believe we are into January 2014 now with the weather conditions remaining unusually warm (although very wet and windy) here in the UK. However, this wet and warm spell may end very soon as forecasters warn that the bitter Arctic snap which has been affecting the US will be making its way to British shores as we move into next week. So, we may finally see some snow this winter!

Snow and sunny skies last winter at High Beach in Epping Forest, Essex

Here is a wintry photo to get you all in the mood for the Arctic snap. "To Beeches In Winter" comes from my stock of images taken last winter, and although it didn't feature in the Epping Forest in Winter post or the Spring Clean Winter Photos collection it is still very high up on my list of favourite photos. The sky is a pure shade of blue, the snow shows the passage of many snow-crunching feet, and the grand, pollarded Beech tree in the foreground is balanced by a motley row of pollard trees in the background. The miniature family in the distance add a sense of scale, and a human perspective to the beautiful Epping Forest landscape.

Autumn Series 02

These two Autumn images feature some more advanced colours than the Autumn Series 01 post, with reds and browns much more dominant before the wintry weather this December finally caused the leaves to drop.

The field maple, an early starter when it comes to Autumn, had already lost many of its leaves in the photograph above, yet the remaining leaves show beautiful shades of colour and a classic maple shape against the sky. I couldn't resist taking a photo of the beech tree in the shot below either, as the canopy displayed an extraordinary range of colours at once, and the very vibrant red leaves saw an echo in the rusty red lichens on the trunk.

With some gusty Winter weather now here (some parts of Britain could experience gusts of up to 144km/h as storms hit today and tomorrow), it seems that will be all for the Autumn series for 2013. If forecasters are right about snow warnings though, we could be in for a very White Christmas indeed!