August Astro and Wild Camping!
Towards the end of August I had quite an adventurous few days. One evening I spent some time climbing at wind gather in the Peak District, and decided to hang around for the Milky Way as the night was predicted to be clear! I made myself a coffee and waited for the show to start.
Once set up, I took a few test shots, and felt disappointed that there was a LOT of light pollution. I knew there would be some, but it was so bright. Feeling disheartened, I persevered. I didn’t hold up much hope, but I was pleasantly surprised in post as the image turned out a lot better than expected!
A Pleasant Peak District Surprise
A few days later, I traveled to Snowdonia, for a wild camp up the Watkins. Due to bank holiday traffic, we arrived later than expected. So set off late. If you haven’t done the Watkins path up to Snowdon, it is a pretty gruelling path. Not technical, but it starts at the lowest elevation and it seems like an endless path up (when carrying wild camping gear, at least!). The Milky Way was due to rise, and we wouldn’t be where we intended to camp in time. So we had to stop, I set up my tripod and proceeded to get the best shots I could.
We then continued the never ending journey up, in the dark, and finally found somewhere to set up camp. I am getting quite proficient in pitching in the dark now! We sat and watched the stars and some low cloud settle in the valley. Retiring to bed, it felt like I got a few hours sleep before sunrise. It was a beautiful scene to wake up to, and we got the cameras and drones out. After a leisurely morning, we packed up and headed down the Watkins, loaded bags into the car. We then called into the Caffi Gwynant for a well earned coffee and cake- the cakes there are delicious and I highly recommend this place to anyone doing the Watkins!
A room with a view!
The remained of the day consisted of refuelling and car napping in anticipation of another night of astro! This time I opened to go round Ogwen Valley, and I intended to get some shots of Tryfan with the Milky Way, with the Afon Lloer. Due to my legs being a bit battered from the night before, I wasn’t able to get as high as I wanted. I wisely took my camping chair, set up my tripod and waited for the stars!
It was a truly beautiful sight, and I managed to get some beautiful images despite a bit of cloud rolling in. I was absolutely knackered at this point, but astro is always worth it!
My adventure didn’t end there, the next day I did my second multi-pitch climb with a friend, Lavaredo, a VS. My first time with half ropes, and it was terrifying! But I managed it in the end, with some encouragement. What an incredible few days and I was very much glad for my own bed when I got home!