Numb Fingers and Thumbs

As the romantic colours of autumn are receding and the leaves that provided this annual display of splendour are most gone, we once again head into the winter. Until last year the winters in the UK were not much to talk about – to be honest they could be described as non-descript and positively boring. If we conjure up thoughts of what a ‘good’ winter should be – it should give us the crisp air, blue skies with frost and maybe a powdering of snow, even if only on higher ground.



The fact is that the UK winters have not been like this at all. We have been subjected for many years to a barrage of ‘cold dampness’ with grey skies and weather that basically makes you feel as miserable as it looks! That was until last year. The winter of 2009/2010 was a monumental shift in what we have been used to. Whether you consider this to be a good or bad thing is entirely down to personal taste and circumstances! The commuter thoroughly hates these days of slow or blocked motorways, freezing-cold platforms for delayed and cancelled trains and the same goes for the bus-stop experience.

For the outdoor photographer the arrival of a winter of this magnitude was something of a blessing for the portfolio. Many of us have the opportunity to grab the occasional image of the glowing sunset and sunrise, the autumnal colours of the trees are guaranteed every year and the summer will always deliver (even if in limited numbers) days of bright sunshine, but the winter wonderland was always considered as illusive.

I recall seeing the weather forecast with announcements of snow and thought little of it. That was until it actually arrived. I was stunned. And after it arrived it certainly did not want to leave! Fortunately I had the opportunity to visit two locations last winter and both rewarded me with very different offering. The first location was close to my home in Lancashire and the second was an arduous trip over Rannoch Moor into Glen Coe, a place I certainly love to be with a camera.

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