22/06/2026
Sat on the Coniston lakeshore after sharing a delicious meal in Ambleside we let the ambiance wash over us, taking in the serenity. Checking the time of the sunset on my phone i discovered Zero mobile coverage - Perfect. The Sun now dipping below the Old Man of Coniston but still illuminating the high drifting Cirrus clouds turning them golden and then pink. As the wind dropped and the lake became calm, reflections emerged out of the dissipating ripples as the faint sound of music from a wedding just along the shoreline drifted in on what remained of the breeze.
BUT... Fly campers had set up shop right next to the jetty had strewn their litter everywhere and their teenage daughter who clearly did not want to be there constantly whining about needing to charge the ipad and the local population of midges now out in force circling our heads were slightly ruining the experience for everyone else gathered to see the sun setting on the first day of summer.
i claimed my spot by planting my tripod on Rigg Wood Jetty overlooking Peel Island once the conditions seemed about right I used my trusty Canon 5d Mark 4, Canon 24-70mm lens at 24mm, F11 and ISO 100. Adding a CPL(Circular Polariser) brought out the finer detail not visible to the naked eye in the clouds and enhanced the colour. The use of a 3 Stop ND filter allowed me to use a 13 Second Exposure to flatten out the remaining ripples, catch those lovely reflections and thankfully the noisy internet deprived kids let me have it all to my self for about 15 minutes.
The Milky way will line up directly at the end of the Jetty by the end of august standing vertical and extending right overhead. i think this location is dark enough to warrant a night time visit at the end of summer to hopefully catch the night sky spectacle so watch out for a clear sky around the new moon on the 11th September and get your flask and warm socks ready.
