108 miles

108 miles. An odd number and what on earth are you talking about I here you enquire. Well let me tell you dear reader and put your mind at ease that I am not losing the plot here. That is, in fact, the furthest distance I have ever travelled to take a landscape photograph from my home…….so far. This all comes with a caveat as next year I am fully intending to smash that distance out of the park so please do not think I am preaching about the benefits of “staying local” or any such nonsense.

I took up this noble hobby once again in 2021 during the lockdown. I wont repeat the story as it has been written before and you can read all about it in an earlier blog. Since then, in nearly five years of wanderings I have never travelled more than 108 miles from my home to reach a landscape mark. I am kinda proud of that as you may be starting to realise. Recently quite a few of the Youtuber photographers were posting great videos about the virtues of staying local and focussing on your home patch to help develop your skills and I guess I beat them to it as I have been practicing this method for a number of years now. Not for any particular reason I might add, but one being I am quite poor and all my spare money goes on camera gear that I then find out I dont want or need (I can see Dave wryly grinning at this!). Also, I have never felt the need to clamber all over the Lake District or Snowdonia. I admire the photographers that do as they produce some stunning images but A. Steep hills and B. Very touristy areas. Another reason is since the “Lockdown” prices of trips away in the UK have become quite extortionate. Camp sites charge ridiculous amounts of money to park for a night. B and B’s are £60 a night plus and many wont give you a reduction as I would rarely be there for breakfast anyways! Fuel costs are another issue. A drive to Scotland and back would blow through the best part of £170 just in fuel. British roads are more like medieval tracks nowadays that the Romans would be shaking their heads at and tutting under their breath, with potholes you could lose your Mother in, police hiding on every verge with their speed cameras and roadworks…..,well lets not get into the stupidity of British roadworks!

About as local a spot to me as it can get! Just under a mile from my house.

Pause at this point as I realise I am now ranting but you get the idea right? Holding down a full time job also hasn’t helped as that massively restricts the amount of time I have for this hobby anyways.

So, with all of the above I have basically stuck to a radius of 108 miles and day trips only in my photographic journey so far. Many a morning I have stumbled out of the door at 3am cat in hand and coffee by the food bowl on the floor. I am pretty sure in my younger days I was COMING home at 3am not leaving….funny how things flip like that! Myself and Dave will plan out a Sunday trip (well Dave would tell me where we would be going and I would just agree lol), He would pick me up in the Co op car park and off we would go on a morning adventure, sometimes an all day one if we were lucky. Dave likes to drive so I would buy the coffees, teas and food as my part of this affable arrangement. And you know what? Its worked very nicely for nearly five years. Obviously, we would have days where either him or I have gone off alone for a session somewhere and thats quite often when we have both had our best conditions!

A good example of this is this session I had a few years ago. Dave was in another wood.

Now I am not one for blowing my own trumpet but in the radius of 108 miles I have managed to capture 3 images that have gone on to do rather well in international photography competitions. And Dave has just recently won the Intimate landscape image of the year in the NLPA, a high achievement indeed and one I am very proud of him for.

One other reason and probably the main one for me that I have never ventured more than 108 miles is the woodlands I have within this radius are some of the very best in the country. As a predominantly woodland photographer this is of massive benefit to me. With some of the twisted ancient oak woodlands of Dartmoor, the giant Beech trees of Dorset, and some absolutely beautiful patches of woods in Somerset and Wiltshire’s ancient Savernake I am spoilt for choice within those 108 miles. Along with that I have some of the best coastline within 40 miles of home along the Jurassic coast of Dorset and some pretty decent dark sky areas too which sates my appetite quite nicely for seascape and astrophotography too. So in reality I have had no real need to explore further……but that will change next year.

As my avid readers will know I am investing in a camper van next year with the intention of spreading my wings further afield. The full time job will be gone and I will have far more free time to go off and explore my beautiful country, despite the extorionate fuel costs, terrible road systems and greedy speed police (I dont speed, I just think they should come clean and admit its a tax not a penalty!).

One of the amazing scenes I have access too locally.

First on the list will be Luskentyre, a place I have longed to visit for a number of years but when looking at the costs of staying there found to be well out of my price range! Now, being able to rock up in a camper and stay for a week or so means its now a viable location for me to photograph. I also plan on a trip next autumn to Glencoe in Scotland, hopefully with some photo friends in tow! I am also planning more overnight stays at places like Cornwall, having the abiltiy to drive down the night before and sleep there rather than leaving at god knows what time in the morning with a cup of bewildered cat in tow! Yes, campers come with their own costs but it will still work out far cheaper than booking a B and B or an Air BnB for a night or two. I am a simple man with simple needs when it comes to living and as long as there is a hot coffee and some food I am generally a happy chappy!

So, in 2026 it will be adieu to the 108 miles. Like a chick leaving the comfort of its nest I will be spreading my wings and heading out into parts unknown, hopefully not into the talons of a passing Sparrowhawk! Would love to arrange some meet ups with any of my readers too reagardless of where you are in the UK. Maybe you can show me round your 108 miles? Wait, that sounds wrong…..

Toodles