Light, Magic and History: What I found one late afternoon around "Wirksworth."

Taking the left turn on the opposite side of The River Derwent, at Whatstandwell, and taking a left turn up the B5035 (Wirksworth Road), you are immediately taken into a world that seems a million miles away from the more touristic routes of the A6 as it winds towards Cromford and Matlock, instead the B5035 meanders uphill and leads you through a mysterious “Lord of the rings” esque world - with trees flanking the road as it gains height, twists and turns and views stretch out over the Derwent valley below, but eventually one turn and the view has gone, leading you higher up until you eventually reach “Wirksworth Moor” a flat and desolate rural area that has the ability to tell stories from both the past and present.

“Whilst not exactly heather moorland, Wirksworth Moor, is rural pasture land, the fields undulating as you go by them and wonder what stories can be told. Here you are well off the tourist routes and here it is all about going off the beaten path, for what will be discovered?”

Eventually having made it to the other side of Wirksworth Moor, it was now time to turn right, before forking off to the left at The Malt Shovel, a pub that sits on the road between Belper and Wirksworth, however this road is more “off the beaten track” but it has the ability to raise questions and just asks you to explore, however it was downwards, down on the B5035 as it slowly winds its way towards the small and beautiful market town of Wirksworth, as the road begins to literally wind itself downwards you can already see Wirksworth in the distance as if it is somewhere that is out of a book, another world almost and one that is just asking the visitor to discover it’s curiosities - behind me though the sky was Grey, yet as I saw in the distance something magical was on the horizon, the town of Wirksworth just glowing under the late March afternoon sun, glistening is what it was and that in itself was something to behold.

Magical is what the landscape is, and the glistening of the sun on the town of Wirksworth just confirmed why we should cherish the landscape surrounding us. A short while later having made it to the bottom of the B5035 and crossing the bridge over the Eccelsbourne valley railway I eventually found myself within this magical gem of a town. The town of Wirksworth itself sits in the northern flanks of The Eccelsbourne Valley, a hidden valley that winds its way towards Duffield, with the aptly named “River Ecclesbourne” meeting the River Derwent in “Duffield” another town on the A6 just below Belper and north of Derby. However, having arrived in Wirksworth it was time to explore, and the last time I had visited Wirksworth was a short while before Christmas of 2021, when I was completely taken away by the beauty of the church that Wirksworth is also famed for.

As a town goes, Wirksworth is small, quaint and picturesque, surrounded by hills which make it seep into the landscape like a painting, viewpoints a plenty add to it’s charm, but it is a town that also has a lot of history and that should never be forgotten - a lot of people will merely “drive through Wirksworth” without stopping or taking the time to explore, and that is a shame really because this town has a lot more to offer than just a pretty looking high street.

Yet ironically the first stop for me, was the high street and unlike a lot of towns across the country, Wirksworth high street is full of delights and curiosities that make this Derbyshire gem gleam like a Diamond, gone here are the big chains and instead little independent stores just add to the atmosphere and ooze charm, one of the shops I decided to have a look in was “Upcycled Creative” which was something of an Aladdin's cave of treasure of upcycled items and gifts to suit all, the seats made from an old supermarket trolley just raised questions, questions on why more people can not see what can be made out of items that would otherwise be thrown away in the scrap heap, yet this glorious independent Wirksworth gem just proves that with a bit of imagination anything is possible and it takes a little bit of thinking outside of the box to make things work. Yet this is one of just a lot of independent and almost hippy like creative shops that exist within Wirksworth.

And of course Wirksworth itself lends itself to landscape photography, which is one of the reasons why I was here, to revisit and explore again, although this time extra daylight was on my side, after leaving Upcycled Creative, I walked a short distance and turned left, to a hidden part of Wirksworth that not many people would know even existed. This part was a pathway that surrounds the glorious church of St Mary’s Church, a hidden gem that needs seeking out and discovering, I had previously in the dark of December 2021, taken a photograph on a winter afternoon and knew I just had to come back, and that was why I was here, the light on the other hand was something else to behold and in the distance looking east above the hill towards Wirksworth Moor, was encroaching grey clouds, but the church was basking in a magical ethereal light.

Wirksworth Treasure - (Landscape).

Wirksworth Treasure - (Portrait).

This light was just something else, calming and soothing, but would it get any better? After taking the first two photographs I noticed a tower, like something from a fantasy novel, basking again in the light and looking almost semi-French, I mean it is worth looking up sometimes as architecture in itself can be thought provoking and is possible of communication.

French dreams in a Derbyshire town.

Then I just turned around and saw an alleyway, narrow is what it was, old and charming and the bike at the end along with a passing pick-up truck made for an interesting composition, but which do you prefer? Colour or Black and White?

Alleyway Dreams - (Colour).

Alleyway Dreams - (Black and White).

I just wondered in a split second how many stories that ancient alley way would have to tell, stories from yesteryear as well and the shop on the other side of the road from the alleyway also added to the subject in the photograph.

Before I knew it - another angle and another photo opportunity, in front of me now was the church looking perhaps even more delightful than when I had first seen it, by now something else was happening and that light was looking even more delightful and serene, the calm of the light against the church was changing and for the best, in my mind was just the vision of yesteryear along with the history that I was going to find out.

Leading are the rails - (Landscape).

Leading are the rails - (Portrait).

Railings surrounding the church making for interesting leading lines and it was like stepping back in time, I then walked towards St Mary’s Church with an open mind, before eventually turning right into the church itself where I was greeted by a certain sense of calm and tranquillity, as soon as you step into this delightful church you are greeted with history and information about the history of the church itself.

Of course though for such a small town, St Mary’s Church is one that was built for the town upon the history and industry that Wirksworth itself is famed for, that industry being Lead, and Wirksworth was built on the Lead mining industry. Everywhere you look around there is stone and links to mining, the landscape communicates this easily to anyone with a keen eye. Whilst the outside of St Mary’s Church is simply stunning, the inside of St Mary’s Church, again is another delight that is worth exploring, and here I was inside this delightful church. But another curiosity exists here and that is the following carving.

Greetings from "Th' Owd Man.

Named simply as “Th' owd Man” which is the oldest representation of a miner from 1,000 years ago, yet here I was looking at this piece of historical artwork and piece of history that was right in front of me. Amazing that this carving can raise so many questions and in this case it certainly did.

Leaving the calm and serenity of the church I exited and turned right, in front of me another building that looked odd and not too different from another building in Ashover. Yet this building was another Grammar School - detached from the Church yet provided another curiosity and built in the same style as the one in Ashover is.

Grammar Gold.

By now I was on the other side of the church, and the magic had changed, becoming that slightly more richer. Golden was now the colour of the magical Wirksworth light, and I paused and looked up at the spire, reaching ever higher towards a grey sky with flanks of blue within it.

Art in the light.

When Gold vs Grey.

But then as I reached the location near to where I had entered the mystical and magical circumference path of St Mary’s Church, an explosion of artwork occurred, I say explosion as the light felt as if it had exploded into gold, the gold with the grey of the clouds and immediately I was transported into another world, one that could be forgiven as being as a scene of being within a novel about rural life, was it real? Yes it was.

Richness of Gold.

Enchanted afternoon light.

Wirksworth Gold.

Afternoon light.

Gold of the Church.

Shadowed in a scene.

Magic is the calm.

Magical wonderland is what I had been in, yet now it was time to move on, I headed back to where I started from, and a short distance away I had arrived at another location that remains hidden. A “Sci-Fi” like world located above the town of Wirksworth - known simply as “Star Disc.” Star Disc itself is something of a modern stone circle that provides a place of sanctuary along with education and event space, outdoors and comes alive at night, with stories and science about the skies above.

“Wirksworth is just one of those places that offers so much for such a small place, history, art and community that is vibrant, where questions are asked and stories are told, where it is like walking through a living art gallery, the angles of the streets and scenes are just waiting to be discovered. Yet time is what is needed here, so slow down and let the delights of this town encompass you with its delights.”

Immediately though upon arrival at Star Disc, the light had changed again and it was almost like being in a Terry Pratchett novel, blue, orange, yellow and pink, ahead of me in the distance a rainbow and here I was virtually alone, the only one at this magical location. Looking towards the south I captured the following change in the sky.

Atmospheric Charms.

Then I managed to “strike gold” from left to right. The magical light had returned and the landscape was immediately lit up again, Wirksworth below and the valley on fire. I was amazed and whilst I normally do not do panoramic photography, I managed to capture the following panorama.

Gold are the hills.

Upon looking backwards I was equally amazed, the Star Disc and the calm of it, combined with hints of orange and yellow towards the west was something else to behold. I paused and was pleasantly surprised with the following,

Afternoon Gateway.

A kestrel and another one above, hunting in the quiet late afternoon sky was just magical and magnificent, detached from the rest of the fractured world. I was in a state of solitude, quiet solitude of course and that in itself was one of the most strangest sensations ever experienced. Still though, another panoramic opportunity arose.

Light and gold casts magic.

The valley below and the town below was something of a serene scene, quiet all around and still yet the skies rapidly changing, but in my mind now was another viewpoint, behind me the steps that lead you to the top of Star Disc, were calling and beckoning me to climb them, when I eventually reached the top and the platform with the views and the light that by now was ever changing like some kind of theatrical show, performed by mother nature herself.

Light Up.

Landing on Star Disc.

The pink of the Disc.

Star Dreaming.

Slowly walking back down the steps I had walked up on, something struck me, and that was the element of escapism and magic that I had encountered, it was like nothing else I had encountered before and was just sheer beauty in its own right and whilst I was only in Wirksworth for a short time, one late afternoon, what I had found was light, magic and history, which for a small town is something else, and for anyone visiting Wirksworth it is worth stopping in this magical town and actually exploring, for you might also discover a secret and story that has not been told, but perhaps the best way to describe Wirksworth as, is that of a book, fantasy or not, it has chapters that will make you want to discover it more and more - and that in itself is a unique way of looking at a town steeped in history and stories that make you want to see how the novel progresses.

Seek out what Wirksworth has to offer and you will soon find another discovery.

Landscape Claustrophobia: A walk around the foggy Codnor Park Reservoir.

Dense, thick and something akin to a hypothetical “pea soup” at least that is what I thought it was when I had arrived at “Codnor Park Reservoir” a rather unassuming body of water flanked on all sides by gentle swathes of woodland and easy access to the waters edge for fishing. For you could be forgiven for thinking that this particular reservoir is just a reservoir but its existence goes back to the days in which the Cromford Canal would have looked rather different, and Ironville would have been a smelting pot of industry, reliant on the Cromford Canal for transportation purposes - now days though the canal itself is quiet and further upstream at Cromford the canal can still be seen, however follow the canal downstream and it vanishes, but traces can still be seen. Of course though Codnor Park Reservoir is situated on the course of the Cromford Canal and it is here that you can take a glimpse into the past and see the un-navigable remains of this once busy canal.

However though the skies were not visible and instead everything was grey, for a thick fog had been lingering all day, and wherever there is water, the fog somehow seems thicker and slightly more claustrophobic, but did this matter? To me it did not, as I captured the following rather minimal photo of the metal bridge that leads in the direction of the dam.

Startpoint.

But instead of going over that bridge I glimpsed to my left and the minimalism of the trees on the other side of the reservoir screamed out at me, dense was the fog and on the frozen body of water, the ducks, swans and seagulls were partaking in a strange version of dancing on ice, I just had to capture the following rather grey photograph.

Skating are the birds.

.After capturing that photo I continued walking and soon the path ahead of me looked calm, eerie almost and evocative, the grey almost claustrophobic fog having an impact on me, yet it was so peaceful and calm, like nothing else I had experienced before, a sense of magic I was enveloped within and yet the cold harshness could be felt, tranquillity beside the water. I had previously visited Codnor Park Reservoir last year and whilst it was not foggy it was grey but at least you could see, instead this time it was like walking or bathing in a dense amount of pea soup, yes the fog was really claggy and dense, but did that stop things from being so magical? No it did not, anyone else would have more than likely wanted to stop and head back home to keep warm but I just wanted to continue and find some more magic that would be waiting for me as I walked around this calm lifeless body of water, frozen over and shrouded in a blanket of thick, grey fog.

I had walked a short distance now and something screamed out at me, the trees that were flanking the reservoir looked mystical, almost something akin to “middle earth” from lord of the rings and I had to slow down - for they looked magical, calm and more like works of art, the water still eerily still with no lapping, instead pure silence and I managed to get the following photographs.

Robots of the water - (landscape).

Robots of the water - (portrait).

Reflections of solitude - (colour).

Reflections of solitude - (black and white).

A little further on and another brief stop, this time I looked back over the water at the other side of the reservoir and things just looked so still, grey and bleak in a lot of ways, not bleak as in wild, but instead bleak and harsh, peaceful it was but that was all part of the magic, a lack of people and instead it was me vs nature, working with nature and amazed at what it was providing.

To the other side.

What is on the other side?

Fog surrounding.

After taking that minimalistic photo I continued along the pathway, claggy it was underfoot but ahead of me the leading line of the path leading into the fog was something else I just had to capture.

A mystery path - (portrait).

A mystery path - (landscape).

There is something as a landscape photographer about pathways, they can be both thought provoking and one of the most simple things to capture, and yet they always change no matter what season it is and that is one of the most exciting things, along of course with the “leading lines” which can add a little something else to what could be a potentially bland photograph. A little further down the path things started to get more and more interesting, the fog and the density of it was something to behold, I paused and looked back, looked back at the reservoir, by now no ice on this particular stretch of water but not even a solitary ripple - instead stillness, calmness that was so eerie, spooky yet relaxing in a strange way.

Window of the fog - (landscape).

Window of the fog - (portrait).

By the water is art.

Side's and paths.

I continued to walk for a short distance until I had to stop yet again for I had come to feel like I was now within the mangroves, the stillness of the trees, the fog and the trees just looked so peaceful, petrified, science fiction like to some degree.

“Fog, what is it? Dense is what it is and a sort of nothing that makes no sense, odd is the other way of describing it - but in reality it can provide something else and make photography that little bit more interesting.”

Like the mangroves is what the quiet unassuming woodland was like and it was this section where I slowed down even more to take the sweet sound of nothing in, the sound of silence and still.

The mangroves of Ironville - (portrait).

The mangroves of Ironville - (landscape).

The meeting point.

Enter the dream.

A walk through claustrophobia.

Formations within an apocalypse.

Carrying on the walk I crossed over a metal bridge, apocalyptic almost and modern, yet the view from the bridge looking up the bare boned remains of the Cromford Canal with the fog, made for an alien view.

Ghosts on the Cromford Canal - (landscape).

Ghosts on the Cromford Canal - (portrait).

Upon the other side of the bridge, I turned left and investigated some more of the quiet, still remains of the Cromford Canal - it just looked so mysterious, frozen in time, not a sound apart from the sounds of yesteryear within the auditory imagination from times gone by when this canal would have been busy with industry, now silence yet pause here and imagine what things would have been like, I did.

Gathering thoughts.

Into the fog we walk - (landscape).

Into the fog we walk - (portrait),

Turning back on myself I walked the short distance along the pathway that runs alongside the opposite side of the reservoir, shrouded in woodland with little pathways leading off towards the quiet fishing spots where anglers wait with baited breath to catch something, for how many hours do they await for a fish to bite? Either way in front of me the trees just looked magical and the frame that I found with the pathway leading down a slight incline was something else.

Gateway to Mordor - (Portrait).

Gateway to Mordor - (Landscape).

Truly enchanted I was at this stage, the fields just barely visible on the left hand side of the path and the “Mordor” like woodlands on the right of the path that I was one just looked petrified, bleak and asleep - yet the birds awake, whilst other creatures sleep. The pathway ahead of me silent and bleak, with the moody grey of the dense and thick fog as company, I continued to walk and each time the trees looked different, like something from a fantasy novel that somehow you just cannot put down - one that wants you to keep reading and investigating the characters within it.

Fog meets the gound.

Rainforest or not?

Inner serenity - (Portrait).

Inner serenity - (landscape).

A grey empty space.

Inside the mind of fog.

The lookback.

Paths to grey.

Undergrowth.

Amongst aliens.

Twisted fog - (landscape).

Twisted fog - (portrait).

Eerie is the path to Mordor.

Leading down to solitude.

Eventually the distance between the fields and the reservoir narrowed and to the right of me, grey with a singular path leading to a platform for anglers.

Simply platform.

Now the water was closer, flat and calm it was with ducks, moorhens and swans mooching about, the seagulls in the distance still skating on the ice, but flanking and hugging the non icy section was life, bird life, it was like I had entered another world, another planet perhaps.

A window on the reservoir.

Forever grey.

Then by magic, swans came out of nowhere gliding gracefully along the water, hugging and flanking the shoreline, serene and gentle they were heading towards me and I just had to capture them.

Emerging from the sides.

The swan train.

A train of swans.

After the swans had said hello, I kept walking, through this eerie landscape and pathway that lay ahead of me, but I could not help, looking back at the route I had walked along, a sense of calm was still surrounding me and the bulrushes and trees blending silently into the fog like disappearing ghosts was just something to behold, pausing briefly everything felt so ethereal, dreamlike almost yet alien, “is this reality or imagination?” is what I thought to myself; but no this is reality. Strange really how the environment and the weather can have on the mind.

Foggy sides.

In quiet solitude they grow - (colour).

Like the ghosts - (black and white).

Like the ghosts - (colour).

Reservoir stillness - (Black and White).

Reservoir stillness - (colour).

Blending within.

Glow of fog - (portrait).

Glow of fog - (landscape).

In front of me the path started to go up an incline, and I turned right, walking over the dam in the direction of where I had started the walk from, across the path at the top of the dam I walked, amongst the grey, with no visible views over the water to look at, instead though on the left of me a bridge, an old bridge over a disused branch of canal that would have joined onto the Cromford Canal, now though this old bridge is rather photogenic and the skies above the bridge milky almost with the moon just poking through above the fog.

Through fog, through trees - (landscape/Black and White).

Through fog, through trees - (landscape).

Through trees, through fog - (portrait).

Approaching the bridge.

Under the arch.

Moonshine through fog - (portrait).

Moonshine through fog - (landscape).

I walked back along the connecting bank towards the location where I started from, but looking back the dam seemed curious, like a hidden sleeping creature, designed to keep water within the reservoir and water from creating potential havoc and damage, yet amongst the fog it looked so magical.

Fog on the dam - (Black and White).

Fog on the dam - (colour).

By now it was dark, and behind the location of where I had started the walk from, a road with cars passing up and down it, was the next subject I wanted to capture, dark it was by now but maybe that is one of the reasons why I managed to get these ethereal and science fiction looking photos.

Rapture in the fog.

Finally I had finished my walk of “landscape claustrophobia” , the fog making the mind feel that little hemmed in, yet was I to complain about the fog? No I had embraced the most of it, and made something out of a flat and otherwise dull, dank, grey and seemingly foul afternoon and even though there was a distinct lack of sunshine or light, the fog had proven to me that you have to work with the weather and the landscape - but sometimes within photography the best things are minimal and the fog sure did provide that minimalism that we sometimes need.