Outdoor Photography

50 Outdoor Photography February 2018

Forest-in-Teesdale is not only designated an Area of

Outstanding Natural Beauty, but it also sits in part of the

north Pennines that has been scientifi cally classifi ed as a

sub-arctic region. David Forster takes a trip into the cold

Forest -in-Teesdale,

County Durham

How to get there From Middleton-

in-Teesdale, follow the B6277

towards Alst on for six miles; the

parking area is signed on your right.

From here, walk west along the

B6277 for 100m and take the track

on the left , signed Birk Rigg. Pass

to the right of the farm buildings

and continue down the fi eld to a

gated st ile. Continue st raight ahead,

passing to the left of a white barn.

Just beyond the barn, turn right and

head through the gate into another

fi eld. Go through a second gate

and then trend left along the fence

to a bridge over the river Tees.

Do not cross the bridge; inst ead,

follow the riverside path upst ream

for approximately 300m to reach

the viewpoint.

What to shoot Wider landscape of

the river Tees and Harwood Beck,

whitewashed farm buildings and the

rocky escarpment of Cronkley Scar.

Best time of day Dawn/sunrise and

sunset/dusk. This area is a dark sky

location so is also good for night

sky photography.

Food/drink Langdon Beck Hotel,

Forest -in-Teesdale, DL12 0XP,

01833 622267,

langdonbeckhotel.com.

Accommodation High Force Hotel,

Forest -in-Teesdale, DL12 0XH,

01833 622336,

thehighforcehotel.co.uk.

Other times of year Spring for rare

fl owers growing next to the riverside

path, such as the sp ring gentian and

bird’s-eye primrose. Summer for the

traditional wildfl ower hay meadows.

Ordnance Survey map OL 31

Nearby locations High Force

waterfall (2 miles); Summerhill

Force waterfall (4 miles).

6 miles from Middleton-in-Teesdale • 36 miles from Durham City

ACCESS RATING

This sparsely populated region

is made up of small hill farms

surrounded by traditional wildfl ower

hay meadows and backed by wild

moors. Being an upland region the

weather can be pretty harsh, and it is

common for snow to fall between the

months of November and May.

I try to visit locations that inspire

me in all seasons and weathers, and

having already visited several times in

both spring and summer, I was keen

to capture some winter scenes as well.

When I made this visit there was a

biting wind blowing down from the

north and it certainly felt rather arctic

as I made my way across the fi elds and

down to the confl uence of the river

Tees and Harwood Beck. Outside of

winter this location is usually a noisy

place, with rushing water, wild winds

and calling birds. That day, in the

pre-dawn, it was silent save for a few

rivulets of water still running in the

deeper sections.

Just beyond the confl uence – and

almost one mile from the nearest

road – the whitewashed farmstead

of Wheysike House lies abandoned

in the landscape. To refl ect this

sad reminder of how diffi cult it is

to eek out a living in such a harsh

environment, I wanted to show how

wild and remote the location is, so

chose a wideangle lens to emphasise

the whitewashed farmstead’s isolated

position. There are several places

along the riverbank that provide good

viewpoints, but I chose this particular

50-51_VP_DPS_David Forster_227_SW.indd 50 18/12/2017 15:23