England’s Lake District

March 14, 2025: We will meet at Manchester Airport and depart for Windermere, England’s largest lake, close to the center of the Lake District National Park.

From our hotel on the shores of the lake, it is a short walk to Waterhead, where you’ll have the chance to ‘get your eye in’ photographing some of the boats moored there before your first dawn shoot the following morning.

March 15, 2025: Our first full day begins with a three-mile walk around Rydal Water, one of the most picturesque locations in the Central Lake District. We will stop at various points along the route, including the boathouse, caves, and lone tree. Surrounded by hills on all sides, Rydal is ideal for more intimate compositions using your telephoto lens.

After breakfast, we will travel to High Dam on the western side of Windermere. Tucked away in the woods above the village of Finsthwaite, this artificial lake is a hidden gem. Early spring is the perfect time for woodland photography as the trees awake from winter slumber. It’s a great location to try making order out of chaos.

For lunch, we’ll make our way to the village of Hawkshead. Here, you’ll get a few moments to explore its narrow alleyways, archways, and courtyards, lined with characteristic whitewashed stone buildings.

Our final stop will be the gothic castle at Wray, on the opposite side of Windermere to the hotel. Now in the care of the National Trust, the castle is an ideal subject for architectural photography. On the grounds, you will also find some fine old English oak trees and views across the lake towards the hotel.

After dinner at the hotel, we will have the first of our image reviews. This is a great opportunity to assess your photos, identify any technical issues, and make any adjustments to your photography in the days ahead.

March 16, 2025: Today’s sunrise shoot is a highlight not to be missed! It will be an early start as we make the 2-mile, 500 ft. climb for the iconic view of Windermere from the viewpoint on Loughrigg Fell, one of the best opportunities to photograph one of the many sweeping vistas for which the Lake District is famous.

After returning to the hotel for breakfast, we’ll make our way to Tarn Hows. Gifted to the National Trust by the author Beatrix Potter, the circular route around the tarn provides almost limitless subjects for a photograph, most notably the mature pines that line much of its shore.

From Tarn Hows, it is on for lunch at the village of Coniston at the top of Coniston Lake, infamous for the crash that killed Donald Campbell as he attempted to break the water speed record in 1964. At the Black Bull Inn, you’ll get to sample a pint of Coniston Bluebird, brewed on-site at the inn and named after Campbell’s ill-fated jet-powered boat.

After lunch, we’ll spend the afternoon exploring the area around the abandoned quarry at nearby Hodge Close. Derelict stone buildings litter the surrounding woodland, providing ample opportunity for creative detail shots. And those that still have some energy after the morning’s exertions can tackle the 400 foot climb for the view of the Langdale Pikes from Holme Fell.

Then, we return to the hotel for dinner and a well-earned rest.

March 17, 2025: Today we start at Latterbarrow, where the 20 ft. tall stone obelisk makes a fine subject for a photograph. Here, you will learn the importance of including a focal point and, if the weather plays ball, how side light creates the shadows needed to give your photographs a more three-dimensional feel.

When we return to the hotel for breakfast, we’ll collect our packed lunch before heading out for the day exploring Little Langdale.

Starting in the village of Elterwater, we’ll follow the River Brathay to Skelwith Bridge, stopping at various points along the way. From here, our route takes us through the woods, past the Colwith Force Waterfall, to Cathedral Cavern, a small network of interlinked quarries with a main chamber over 130 ft. high. If you’ve never tried HDR photography, this could be your chance!

We’ll break for lunch at Cathedral Cavern, so there will be plenty of opportunity to explore the surrounding area before returning to Elterwater via the village of Little Langdale, crossing the ancient packhorse bridge known as Slater’s Bridge as we go.

We’ll finish the day at nearby Loughrigg Tarn, a peaceful spot to enjoy yet more beautiful views of the Langdale Pikes. If you are willing and able, our guides will happily lead you up the 700 ft. ascent to the viewpoint on Loughrigg Fell. From here, the view looks out over the tarn below, and you may even catch the sun as it sets behind the hills in the distance.

Once we are back at the hotel, we will have another image review.

March 18, 2025: Blea Tarn offers another opportunity to photograph the magnificent Langdale Pikes. From the tarn, the climb up Side Pike is one of the finest in Lakeland. And the view of Great Langdale (which translates as “long valley”) is spectacular. The mountain photographer will be hard-pressed to find anywhere that offers such a high reward for minimal effort!

Breakfast at the hotel will be our last as we depart for our new base in the Northern Lake District. On the way, we will stop at the village of Grasmere, once the home of William Wordsworth and an inspiration to many romantic poets, including his friend, Samuel Taylor-Coleridge. If you still have room after breakfast, don’t miss the opportunity to sample some of Sarah Nelson’s world-renowned gingerbread.

The hills surrounding Grasmere are the perfect setting for our final morning in the Central Lakes. Our circular route passes through ancient woodland and alongside Grasmere Lake, offering various scenes and doubtless something for everyone.

After lunch at Tweedies Bar in Grasmere, we’ll make our way to Keswick. Here, we will finish the day on the eastern edge of Derwent Water. With many spots where it is possible to shoot from the water’s edge, it’s the ideal opportunity to crack out the ND filters and experiment with some long-exposure photography.

As the light fades, we’ll head the short distance to our new hotel for dinner.

March 19, 2025: We begin today as we ended yesterday, on the shores of Derwent Water. This time, it’ll be the western shore, in an area known as Brandelhow that sits at the foot of the popular fell known as Catbells. With so much to photograph, it is a mecca for the landscape photographer: the Otterbield lone tree, Otter Island on Abbot’s Bay, and numerous wooden jetties.

Afterward, we’ll stop at the hotel for breakfast on the way to the slate mine at the top of the Honister Pass. Here, we’ll enjoy a tour of the last working slate mine in England and take the opportunity to photograph the disused mine workings as we explore some of the older sections of the mine; a chance to experiment with low light photography and see how your camera performs at high ISOs.

Lunch will be in the village of Buttermere, one of the most beautiful places in the Lake District, if not the UK. We will spend our afternoon following the 4-mile route around Buttermere lake; a must for any visitor to the National Park. The pine trees at the lake’s southern end, beneath the mountains of Haystack and Fleetwith Pike, have been called the most photographed trees in all of England. If they don’t take your fancy, simply turn 180° and photograph the view behind you!

Once everyone has had enough, we’ll return to the hotel via the Honister Pass for dinner and another opportunity to discuss your photographs.

March 20, 2025: We start the day at St John’s in the Vale, close to Tewet Tarn. The short climb up Low Rigg provides the best view of the mountains of Skiddaw and Blencathra. We will use the rocky outcrops as foreground interest, adding depth to our photographs.

We’ll stop briefly at the Castlerigg Stone Circle on returning to the hotel for breakfast. Erected in 3000 BC, it is one of the oldest in England and is believed by some to have been a trading post for the local stone axe industry.

The rest of the morning will be spent cruising the lake of Ullswater in the Eastern Lake District on one of its steam-powered pleasure boats. If you only ever shoot using a tripod, it’ll be an opportunity to practice shooting handheld as you sit back and allow the fine views to simply float by.

With a stop at Glenridding for lunch, it will be on to the waterfall of Aira Force. Here, you’ll get the opportunity to experiment with exposure times as our experts demonstrate how to blur the motion of the water while retaining some detail in the flow.

We’ll finish the day with a climb along the Ullswater Way for the views of the Helvellyn Range from the side of Gowbarrow Fell. The viewpoint overlooks the lake, and with any luck, the setting sun will cast warm sidelight on the mountains in the distance.

March 21, 2025: It is another early start today as we make the 500 ft. ascent of Raven Crag. From the viewing platform at the top, you’ll be rewarded with fabulous views as the Thirlmere Reservoir stretches out in front of you, with the mountain of Hellvelyn looming ominously behind. This dramatic vista is perfect for a moody black-and-white photo.

After returning to the hotel for breakfast, we will set off for Lowther Castle, home of the Lowther family, the largest landowners in Cumbria. Here, we will photograph the castle ruins and explore the expansive formal gardens. You’ll also learn about the infamous ‘Yellow Earl’, one of the more colorful characters from the British aristocracy.

Lunch will be served in the beautiful surroundings of the Haweswater Hotel, overlooking the Haweswater Reservoir. But keep your camera to hand, as there may be the opportunity to photograph one of our indigenous red squirrels, which live in the woods surrounding the hotel.

We’ll spend the afternoon photographing the Haweswater Reservoir. Completed in 1935, the reservoir was created by damming one end of the Mardale Valley. The best vantage point is from the Old Corpse Road, used to transport the dead from the village of Mardale, which once stood at the head of the valley, to Shap for burial. We will get a wonderful view of the reservoir and surrounding mountains from here.

As usual, we will return to the hotel for dinner. In the evening, you’ll have one last opportunity to get feedback on your photos in our final image review.

March 22, 2025: Today is all about trees! We start by climbing Great Mell Fell to photograph the Scots Pine and Hawthorn, some of which have been bent over by the wind. A wide-angle lens will be handy here, as many of the best shots require you to get up close and personal.

It’s then back to the hotel for a hearty breakfast before traveling the short distance to the Lakes Distillery for a tour and the chance to sample their gin, vodka, and whisky.

After lunch, we’ll make our way to Borrowdale to explore this ancient wooded valley. There is much to explore here, including the River Derwent, yet more derelict quarry buildings, and Castle Crag, well known for being the lowest of the 214 summits documented by Alfred Wainwright in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells. From the top, we will be rewarded with fine views down into the Borrowdale Valley and one last chance to photograph one of the Lake District’s wide-open vistas.

As the sun sets, it is only a short distance to the hotel for our last evening together.

March 23, 2025: On your last day, we will make the 2½ hour return journey to the airport in Manchester.

However, there will still be one final chance for photography before that, when we take the opportunity to visit Lodore Falls, from which our hotel takes its name. Time permitting, we might even manage to squeeze in a quick visit to Manesty Park at the southern end of Derwent Water, just over the road from the hotel.