Seeking Autumn, for it had been a while since I last visited the magical Shining Cliff Woods.

 “Ah, after a year it was good to be back again visiting Shining Cliff Woods.” At least that is what was in my mind. I had previously visited Shining Cliff Woods in November of 2021, however after that visit on the next day my left knee felt strange, almost as if when I tried to lift and bend it, a snap would happen. Of course though a year later and after some physio my left knee is a lot better than it was this time last year - and it was just the other day that I had decided to revisit Shining Cliff Woods, an area of woodland that sits within the lower part of the Derwent Valley, just behind Ambergate - and the chances are is that if you were travelling from Derby along the A6 to Matlock and beyond you would more than likely blink and not even see or know about Shining Cliff Woods. But here I was a year since my last visit, hoping to catch Autumn; the change in the leaves, the red, orange and yellow hues that Nature produces each year before it enters its “sleep phase for the winter.” Of course though, with a strange summer that temperatures exceeded some 40 degrees I knew in the back of my mind that perhaps Autumn and its colours were going to be somewhat questionable. Either way though I wanted to seek out the beauty that these magical and magnificent woodlands had to offer. And upon arrival at “Holly Lane” I encountered the first sign of Autumn.

Seeking Autumn.

The leaves on the floor and the wall making for a relaxed introduction into what the woodlands would potentially offer, or perhaps not offer. At this moment though I knew that maybe it was slightly premature to expect lots of Autumn foliage, but I still had to seek out the delightful artwork that is classed as Autumn. Yet, despite the orange leaves on the ground, the looks of Autumn something strange is what I felt and that was a warmth, a warmth that was ever so slightly confusing, I mean October is meant to be a cool almost borderline month and yet here I was at the start of a walk in the middle of October and it was a barmy 17 degrees, spring like to a degree and is it any wonder I was ever so slightly confused. I turned around after capturing the above photo and walked along the pathway ahead of me - still hoping to capture colour and yet everything at the moment seemed green, lush almost and perhaps due to the warmth I was questioning the seasons and of course the climate that has subsequently been altered, I dare say “but surely the wildlife must be confused as well.” But it was the greens that popped in front of me making for an almost alien-like scene in front of me. Perhaps I was walking on a path on some forest moon; but instead I was at Shining Cliff Woods.

October 2022. For where is Autumn?

The Pathway to Exploration.

The trees from the left of the path, the pathway ahead of me looking green, for here there was no signs of Autumn. But did that matter? No, as there was a glorious hint of peace and escapism. Ahead of me I could see other people also enjoying the magic of Shining Cliff Woods, and it was here that I paused to talk, a delightful dog and the owners of the dog is who I was now talking to, but it was when I turned off the pathway that I was on that I learnt who I was talking to, to the right of me on the pathway that I was now on heading towards the old wire works was an abandoned old property that I had the vision of a certain “Kevin McCloud” from Grand Designs and a camera crew appearing out of nowhere; that part did not happen though. Although I stopped yet again and the people who I had previously spoken to I was speaking to again, an interesting discussion is what was had and I found out that who I was speaking to was “3wheeledrambler” an Instagram user who is on a mission to seek out and find accessible walking routes within her home county, her story is incredible and she took up the use of social media to share her discoveries and adventures plus to educate people that no matter who you are and what your abilities are that you can still explore. 3wheeledrambler uses a specially made bespoke wheelchair that is specifically designed for outdoor use and for crossing complex terrain. You can see her BBC Interview below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-derbyshire-60233119

And please do give 3wheeledrambler a follow on her social media pages, feeling inspired and moved it was now time to seek some more of the Autumn colours, ahead of me I could see the old wire works of Ambergate, now they are largely left abandoned although a Gin Factory, A Quirky Arts Space and a Museum to cars now exists in some of the old wireworks buildings. But it was the abandoned buildings that I could see that provided some interesting opportunities to photograph. 

Autumn Abandoned - Portrait. 

Autumn Abandoned - Landscape.

Colours above the Wireworks.

Abandoned Beauty.

Upon reviewing the photos that I had captured whilst walking through the abandoned industrial buildings I could see how nature and architecture compliment each other in a strange way, something eerie perhaps or strange; perhaps even marmite; but old buildings left in ruins along with nature looked apocalyptic at first but they had a strange beauty to them, Autumn I could see and the world seemed less fragile almost; but I suppose that is the effect that Shining Cliff Woods has, a calming effect and one of escapism and serenity. After walking past the Gin Factory it was now a turn to the left, and I knew that perhaps I would encounter some more Autumnal colours, although how much was another question without an answer. The terrain now more rugged, the colours of Autumn now on the ground, trees still green and slightly confused - but then I noticed something ahead of me, framed beautifully like a work of art, a yellow/orange hue with a rather green background. I paused for a moment and captured this fine piece of artwork.

Autumn Confused.

But the pathway still lay ahead, the ground slightly slippery and the pathway subsequently acting like a climbing frame providing challenges - perhaps I was now in nature's playground, either way the incline was long and gentle with surprises to the left and right of me.

“Shining Cliff Woods is one of those places that inspires, that slows the mind, body and spirit down, that offers so much for so many people, that has questions without answers and one that says come and explore - yet no matter how much you explore, here you will always find something else, for that is what makes it a unique and interesting place to be.”

Before long and after passing quite a lot of greens, I eventually came across some more Autumnal looking scenes, and if I had looked to the left, I would have seen a less colourful scene, here on the right I was looking at a delightful scene that just summed up “Autumn” perfectly. I stopped, paused and was amazed that despite it being warm, despite a lot of green still existing, that nature could still find ways and means to amaze the glancing eyes.

The Autumn Carpet.

Autumn meets the Green.

As I walked further up the pathway towards the lake, I lost the Autumnal colours that I had been seeking out, but now it felt as if I was in some kind of Lord of the Rings novel, I looked to the left and the layers of green, the shapes of the trees and the expanse of unexplored untrodden scenes looked so serene and gentle, mystical and enchanted to some degree and complex; but isn’t that what nature does? Provides things that are complex works of art, and best of all that artwork is free.

Complex Art of Nature - Portrait.

Complex Art of Nature - Landscape.

I knew that after a while the pathway would level out and one of the most unique parts of Shining Cliff Woods, is the oasis of its hidden lake, a place that needs seeking out and another place of calm, tranquillity and serenity. And after a short while I had reached that place, the bench I could see in the distance used by so many people all creating unique experiences surrounded by nature and it could easily be another universe here, surrounded by the sounds of nature and removed from the world.

No Swimming amongst Beauty.

Lakeside Light and Magic.

Intertwined by the Lake.

After spending some considerable time surrounded by nature, not to mention the oddity of a warm mid October sunshine breaking through the canopy it was now time to move on, I retraced my steps, heading towards the pathway that I had walked along - but instead of turning left, I walked straight on, the pathway here was narrow and more complex, like a puzzle with a missing piece that you had to find in order to complete the walk over this odd and strange terrain. But eventually I the pathway began to level out and get wider, I was now rather high up and to the left of me I could see unique shapes, quirky shapes like sculptures that nature creates, that nature has created.

What nature sculpts - Portrait.

What nature sculpts - Landscape.

After some undulation, the pathway began to go up another sharp quick incline to meet the roadway/pathway that if I had not turned right on and headed towards the Wireworks on, that I would have found myself at. But I was now at the very top of a tarmac road/pathway, eventually after walking down a short distance I noticed a clearing and in the distance over the valley I could see Whatstandwell. A village associated with The Cromford Canal, yet it looked magical from afar.

Whatstandwell from The Shining Cliff Woods.

Continuing down the roadway/pathway I was still seeking any signs of Autumn and before long I had found colour again, magical colour and whilst it was not fully Autumnal colour, nature here had proven that even if it is confused by the warmth it can still put on a show of some description.

On the turn to Autumn.

Hinting at a change.

The pathway into Autumn.

Autumn Grounded.

Before long I had reached the pathway that I had set off on originally, a trampled piece of ground, the light now had turned that little bit more darker as the sun was beginning to say goodbye and ahead of me darker shades of magical green, alien like to a degree yet magical, eerie and silent. I paused for a moment, surrounded by silence and captured the following photograph.

Is this October or not?

For I had originally wanted to seek Autumn, and to a degree I did manage to seek Autumn at Shining Cliff Woods; but it was sparse, the autumnal scenes few and far between and that is down to the climate change, the oddity of a warm summer and a rather warm Autumn. But did that matter? The climate change part did as Autumn has so much magical elements to showcase to the world, sadly though for the younger generation I do not think they will ever get to see a true Autumn anymore as that has changed, instead this is what Autumn is probably going to look like for some time, affected and abused by humans who ruin it. But either way though I had found something magical and it was Shining Cliff Woods that contained that magic, changes all around and considering that prior to this visit I had not been here in over a year, new things had been found, new details had been found and yes that is what nature does. Despite it being confused, despite it not being fully Autumnal, hints of Autumn could still be seen and found, even if I did have to work to find those scenes. But nature regardless, will still put on a show and that it certainly did do this time. But will we get to see a “proper autumn” again? That is the big question that remains and that unfortunately has no answer. Yet if you do want to escape then make sure you visit Shining Cliff Woods.

A beautiful farewell to Summer of 2022 and a certain sense of magic. Light and Beauty at Brinsley Headstocks.

“Meteorological Autumn” has finally arrived and here we are in September of 2022, but of course there is something of a paradox; whilst meteorologically it is Autumn, Summer on the other hand eventually transitions into “full Autumn” on the 23rd of September; but then again that could be something of a strange oddity of nature and the way it works, thus keeps us all on our tip toes. Still though If I was to bid farewell to “Meteorological Summer” I wanted to do it with style and I wanted to find the farewell charm; which of course had to include light, atmosphere and a slight feeling of transition, something along the lines of,

“One minute you can see the summer, the next minute in the next scene you can feel Autumn beginning to encroach upon us.”

And that in itself was a challenge within its own rights. But here I was, at Brinsley Headstocks, an area that is now green and full of beauty with wildlife - some hiding and some being visible; yet it was not always the case, Brinsley Headstocks before it was a nature reserve and a place of sanctuary used to be called Brinsley Colliery; back then the landscape would have been very different to how it looks today. However the only two remains of the old Colliery are the headstocks and of course the old railway route which is now a pathway and one that I had started to walk along, before long I arrived at a gate and ahead of me against an interesting looking sky I could see the headstocks and the trees behind them. The light at this point was magical and I captured the following photographs.

Mood of the Headstocks - (Black and White).

Mood of the Headstocks - (Colour).

Then I continued along the pathway; yet I had to look backwards at where I had walked and a simple composition I was now faced with, the greenery and the path which once would have carried Coal, now sitting silent providing a sanctuary for all to enjoy - yet the echoes and stories of yesteryear could still be heard.

Where the old tracks run.

Before long I had walked down the rather strange dip of the footpath and up the gentle yet short incline; things had changed by now and to the left of me I noticed the wooden bridge over the aptly named “Brinsley Brook” at one time water would have been in it; yet because of the heat wave, the recent summer time temperatures that broke records of some 40.3 degrees, the brook now has little water at all, instead it is sad and dry; made even sadder by the new development of houses being built just a short distance away from this beautiful site and of course the developers have had to alter the brook; but I wondered to myself “Will the brook ever have water in it again?” or is that over at the hand of the developers building the housing?

Portal of Beauty.

After seeing the rather magical portal of the Bridge over the sparse and dry brook, I continued and ahead of me the light was even more magical and magnificent - here the light was creating the artwork and I knew I had to capture what was in front of me, serene is what it was; silent and I was thinking to myself “Summer you have been full of surprises, some of them good, some of them bad what with wildfires, yet Autumn, you need to be a healer.” Either way I loved the simplicity of the scene in front of me.

Magical end light of Summer.

Then came a change, whilst I could have gone straight on along the pathway ahead of me, I opted to turn of the pathway that I was on, a ghost of an old freight train from yesteryear carrying Coal, had gone by, and now the path that I was on was narrow; overgrown yet providing a home for nature to thrive; before long I had found myself noticing colour everywhere and it was almost as if I had stepped into a painting; the plants that I had discovered along with the interesting purple, red and white attributes were all saying a final farewell before they enter the sleep state for Autumn and Winter, after which they all come back out and blossom next spring.

The magic of getting close.

Standing out in Purple.

Purple is the Painting.

An alien growth.

Textures of Plants.

But hold on, the way that I was walking took me towards the wooden bridge over Brinsley Brook, and after seeing the beauty of the flora and fauna, something magical happened, I could see to the right of me the bridge and with it a magical and magnificent light. It was really unlike anything else that I had seen before and I knew that I only had moments to capture it, for will I ever see the same scene again? More than likely not; but I had just documented it.

End of summer framed.

Crossing over the bridge, the brook dry as bones I turned right, now it felt as if I was in some form of rainforest or alien planet, green everywhere and a strange humidity, I walked along the path before I arrived at a location that I have photographed on many occasions before; yet I could just here the scene in front of me whispering “Autumn will soon be here, and next time you see me an explosion of colour will have happened.” But the steps leading up to the top of Brinsley Hill just looked magical and like it had been copied from a Science Fiction novel and placed in front of me.

The route of Aliens.

I then continued; the woodland that I had walked through had disappeared and before long I could see the headstocks again, in front of me remaining silent. However, though the magic this time was in the skies, I paused for a moment and eventually found the perfect compositions to take, some panoramic, others not panoramic and it goes without saying I loved the results.

Incoming changes in Drama.

A "Headstocks" of a Panorama.

Catching the last of Summer Light.

After taking those photos it was time to take a short break, I sat on the bench and contemplated at what I had seen so far; the magical light, the flora and fauna and in a strange way the way in which Summer was beginning to say goodbye, for I knew the day after would be the start of Meteorological Autumn - but this was a final farewell before the weather slowly begins to change. Ahead of me I could see an interesting composition looking down to the final gate that I would pass through and the one where at the start of the walk I had captured the first views of the Headstocks.

Leading onwards.

Welcome was the short break - but now it was time to move on, I walked towards the gate; clunk and clang, the gate had closed behind me, then I looked back yet again towards the Headstocks, this time the light was even more magical, and behind the headstocks the trees I could see had a certain magic to them. 

When you can see a Change.

For whilst I could still see elements of Summer time, I could also see an encroaching Autumn, albeit beginning to arrive slowly; but what I had witnessed was a sense of magic with light and beauty; for this was the meteorological summer time saying goodbye in a strange way and one that I had witnessed in art form, the light affecting the landscape and affecting the scenery making things look magical, yet it came with a warning, a stark warning that soon, lurking in the wings will be an explosion of colour that is just waiting to be captured and with the explosion of Autumn colour on the way, that is also something that I am looking forward to capturing. However, what will summer be like next year? Will it be full of beauty and magical light, or will it be different bringing with it new stories to tell? I for one do not know, but I do know that I had bid farewell to summer and it had bid farewell to me with an ethereal beauty like nothing else that I had ever seen before - that in itself is something that will remain with me for years to come.

Humidity, "Signs of an encroaching Autumn." Surprises by the canal.

Water, what is it that makes it so magical, so calming and so soothing? For they are all questions that have a mere hypothesis as an answer, or as answers, but either way I just knew that I wanted to be by the water. The heatwave might have gone but now the humidity has arrived, although for how long it will remain in place for, that is another question. But wanting to escape the humidity I thought that “being by the water might just be the best option.” And with that I had arrived at Shipley Lock, a lock that straddles the Erewash Canal, to the left of me the canal was meandering in the direction of Langley Mill, where under the bridge it actually becomes The Cromford Canal, a canal of history but one that has been forgotten - although plans do exist to make this historic canal “navigable” again; yet it is a question of when that will happen; mixed in with the question of funding for good measure. Yet to the right of me a view of the canal meandering towards Winston, the local wind-turbine and further on in this direction the Erewash Canal eventually meanders gently down locks and again past forgotten pieces of history to meet the River Trent at the aptly named “Trent Lock.” Looking to my right the bridge over the canal, and it was this that I crossed, but then the next question was simply,

“Which way to walk, if I walk in the direction of Langley Mill Basin, what magic will I find and subsequently if I walk along the canal towards Winston in the direction of the final destination of the canal, due south, for what magic will I find as well?”

A tough decision for a split second lay ahead, but in the end I had opted to turn left and walk in a more northerly direction along the Erewash Canal towards Langley Mill, I started off along the canal towpath, the humidity slightly building and a grey overcast sky ahead of me and some five minutes later I had to stop, ahead of me lay a mystical looking pathway surrounded by all shades of greenery that was surrounding the towpath framing it in a strange way, one that had questions, no answers as to who had walked along the path, I paused for a brief moment and here is the result.

Shaded in Green.

Passing through the shades of green - the undergrowth eventually gave way, ahead of me the skies grey and the humidity still with me, for I was expecting a cooler experience, what with being by the water and yet that did not look as if it would happen any time soon. Either way though I continued along the towpath, the canal to the left of me and yet in the distance I could see something different, under the grey skies a colour palette and one that spoke “Autumn is on the way” a sentiment that felt true, yes the heatwave has accelerated the leaves changing colour - but I for one could see some Autumnal colour ahead of me, a sure sign that nature will be bidding farewell to us before it enters a deep sleep yet again in the wheel of existence that we all experience. The colours though looked like a painting, the dull grey skies brightened up just ever so slightly by a change of colour; with the orange, red and yellow tones just beginning to show themselves, revealed and reflected into the canal.

Encroaching Autumn.

By now the towpath had changed again, along with the canal, sweeping bends in the canal and on the opposite side of the canal in the fields, a white horse drinking the water, one could say in this instance I wanted to experiment, I did and these were the results.

What can be found here?

Horse Reflections.

Abstract of the White Horse.

I then continued walking, yet after a short couple of minutes ahead of me was “Shipley Lock.” Another lock on the Erewash Canal, that over the years has changed; the bridge over the lock leading to the other side of the canal, and it is at this point that the towpath switches sides, yet in my mind were memories of walks through the adjacent fields towards the River Erewash, now of course that has changed and access rights have changed slightly as well, meaning that fields once used for exploration are now used for grazing and pasture land. But despite that I challenged myself to find a somewhat interesting composition of Eastwood Lock, a Lock on the canal that I always struggle to find a composition despite looking so photogenic, needless to say that I was pleased with the result of what I had taken.

Eastwood Lock Framed.

Then I continued to walk, heading over the bridge and onto the opposite side of the canal, continuing to walk ahead with the canal now on the right of me, and past the Lock, I looked back for a brief moment, at another change, that change of course was another one in which you could just see the first autumnal changes beginning to take place and a curve in the canal.

Changes of a meandering Canal.

“Changes, Changes are Everywhere.” For that was the first thought in my mind, and the opposite side of the canal had brought change with it, I continued to walk ahead, still heading in the direction of Langley Mill - and the canal also rapidly changing, the plant life changing and the landscape also changing as I walked along. After a little while I had reached another bridge, one that is photogenic and one that you could easily “record via photographs throughout the seasons” only this bridge carries the rather unknown road that is named “Tinsley Road.” Yet somehow this bridge also can tell stories of things and people that have passed over it, looking at the views along the canal. I paused for a moment and captured its ethereal looking scenes of calm and mystery.

A Bridge of Time.

Then I continued along the towpath, underneath the bridge until I had gained a short distance, then I looked back at where I had walked, the bridge this time still looking calming, soothing and ethereal with shades of green which soon will look awash with autumnal colours, like something that perhaps Turner would paint if he was still alive.

Like "Turner Would Paint - (Landscape).

Like "Turner" Would Paint - (Portrait).

By now even more changes had occurred, things seemed that more rustic, dramatic even and dreamlike, a Moorhen amongst the reeds to the right hand side of me, framed by green caught my eye.

Moorhen Reflections.

Eventually I had arrived at a point of the towpath in which the canal and the towpath decided to change yet again into a living art gallery, one of life underwater that remains rather hidden, and one of wildlife but sculpture, on the other side of the canal, in the water a mass of something that looked almost alien, spooky and odd - but was it alien, spooky and odd? Or was that the mind telling me that. What it was in reality was the roots of a tree that had grown into the canal that had formed a living sculpture, and I decided at this point that “Abstract” would be the best way to describe this as.

Abstract Rooted - Black and White.

Abstract Rooted - Colour.

Colour or Black and White? Personally I like both the colour and both the black and white, but leave a comment and tell me what you think looks better. Walking along, the humidity was still with me, but a creeping sign of an encroaching autumn lay ahead of me; and a magical glow of transitioning leaves could also be seen, reflecting into the water that was so calm and still.

First beginnings of Autumn.

Still life by the canal.

I continued to walk, but then something on the opposite side of the canal stood out to me, at first I thought it was just the way the tree looked, but it was not, instead as I got closer and closer - it eventually got a lot clearer as to what it was, perched in a tree was a bird, not a small bird but one that looked slightly prehistoric, plucked out of Jurassic Park; it was so still, at height looking down on the people who had walked by and perhaps not noticed, but what was it?

“Ahead of me in a tree was something, as I got closer I could see that it was a Heron, perched in a tree as still as day, as still as the night, this majestic bird waiting patiently for its next move, for what will that be? A fish for its tea?”

Yes I had only seen a Heron perched in a tree, something that I had never seen before, yet it was at the end of July, when someone in Buxton had said to me “There is a Heron in a tree, within the park.” Now here I was observing a Heron in a tree; was this a sign or not a sign? Either way it did feel slightly spooky that a month later I would also witness a majestic bird casually looking down on the canal from high up in a tree. Yet why do Herons stand in trees? Well that is because they build nests in trees.

Heron Tree.

Unexpected.

After capturing the photos of the Heron - I reviewed the images that I had taken and reached the conclusion that this magnificent and majestic bird looked like a Judge, waiting in a courtroom. Yet I could not believe what I had seen, and the majestic bird had posed for me. Now with an element of surprise I continued to walk, the canal swooping as it meandered towards Langley Mill, but then after walking through the woodland overhang of the canal, another photographic scene was in sight. The bridge that carries Anchor Road, ahead of me and this scene that lay ahead of me just spoke so many words about why people are drawn to the canal and it’s elusive and evocative charm that it provides, ones of calm, serenity and peace, for here things were silent, yet changing slowly.

Waterside Charms.

Serendipity by the Water.

I walked onto the bridge, and the beauty of the canal is what I could see, again a different angle had provided me with another raw element of beauty and calm, another canal boat berthed at the side of the canal, and the greenery and shades of the trees providing a backdrop as the canal nears its end point at Langley Mill, just a short distance away. I then turned back around and looked back at where I had walked, a willow drooping towards the water and the reflections of stillness, for this is what a walk on the canal is about.

Shades of Green and Blue.

Drooping towards Water.

Walking over the bridge I was now on Anchor Road, and that was for a brief few moments, before I turned right, the canal was now nowhere to be seen and a pathway lay ahead, usually what can be seen during the warmer months are an abundance of Sunflowers that grow in an area of land just off the pathway that remains something of a wildlife haven, just a few remained now, but I continued to walk, until The Erewash Canal came back into view, again I was looking for an interesting and unusual composition to capture and then before long I found the perfect view, again slightly abstract but with a delightful frame, reflections and growth.

Water Framed.

After that, the winding pathway lay ahead of me, looking like it had been plucked from a fantasy or Sci-Fi novel, and this was the next scene, just perfectly framed, with the glorious twisting and turning of the pathway ahead of me.

Walking through a Fantasy - (Portrait).

Walking through a Fantasy - (Landscape).

Losing sight of the Erewash Canal, to the left of me was the rustic, overgrown Nottingham Canal, a canal that ran parallel to the Erewash Canal, and one with a different history, now you would be lucky to even get a SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) along this stretch of canal, yet despite it being overgrown and rustic; this canal is home to wildlife, further down the canal near to the Bennerley Viaduct it is used for fishing, plus even there it is home to Wildlife, yet it remains much more silent, again full of charm and discoveries to be made as you follow its course towards Nottingham. Eventually though I got to a section of this hidden and rustic overgrown canal with a small avenue of trees, the pathway leading the way and with that shades of orange on the floor, leaves that have fallen due to a lack of water throughout the summer, also signalling that maybe we are in for an early Autumn this year.

Walking towards Autumn - (Portrait).

Walking towards Autumn - (Landscape).

Which way is it now? Did I continue to walk along the towpath until I reached Newmanly’s Road, or do I cut down through the field and re-join the Erewash Canal? Eventually I decided that re-joining the Erewash Canal seemed like a good decision, and it was. By now the grey skies had broken and the humidity had slightly dropped, instead it seemed a whole lot fresher, again still calm but the light worked its magic, and ahead of me MFN, a former pub now turned into a quirky music venue, owned by the former drummer of Showaddywaddy, one could say the scene of the countryside here and the building might be like “marmite” but somehow the light was working wonders and the canal was with the reflections of MFN, of course the trees ahead still green - but for how long?

Music and Water - (Portrait).

Music and Water - (Landscape).

Eventually I had arrived back at the location that I had started the walk from, and I thought to myself, “If I had walked in the opposite direction I would not have seen the heron, perhaps even I would not have seen the signs of an encroaching Autumn.” Yet because I had walked along the canal in the direction of Langley Mill, I saw a Heron, in a rather unusual location, and I saw the signs of an encroaching autumn, something that is magical and something that will remain with me for a long time, for the last thing on my mind was the Humidity at this moment, instead my mind was more focused on the surprises that you can find by the canal, and I for one had found surprises and signs of an ever changing canal, one that tells stories, one that changes and one that offers sanctuary and peace for those who use it for pleasure, to live on and for the wildlife that also call it home as well - and that is the best feeling, the one of escapism by the water.