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peaklass.bsky.social
Peak District photographer, writer and noticer. Mostly eating cheese and sharing little moments of beauty. All images my own. https://linktr.ee/Peaklass
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If you stand very still right now, you can feel it. A slow awakening, reaching, uncurling, every tiny thing flickering back to life. The birds are singing a little louder, and the light from longer days stretches into all the shadows. Everything lies just ahead of us, around the next corner.

Winter mornings can shine with such quiet colours, the light muted, a whisper rather than a shout. As I stood here the only noises came from the sleepy ducks and the ripples on the water, and the first rays of sun turned the frozen birch trees to rose gold before my eyes.

Something a bit different from me - I hope you don’t mind. I’m having a few days away from the Peak District in southern Italy, and on Sunday I fulfilled a long-held dream to see Pompeii. It was as fascinating as I expected, and also I met possibly the most smug cat in the world.

I don’t think I’ve ever loved my village more than I did yesterday. The hills sparkled with bright snow, the mists curled lazily below, and the church stood half-hidden in trees crafted from diamonds. I could have stayed all day in this spot, listening to the bell ringing out through the valley.

Now, more than ever, we need the comfort of quiet places. I stood here and listened to the silence, marvelling at the perfect white that nestled in every swoop of the land. Sometimes it feels as if the world is going quite mad, and it helps to remember how reassuringly brief and small we all are.

The #peakdistrict village of Hathersage yesterday, as the snow fell softly and the lights twinkled. Only a few hardy souls were out, and me in my wellies. Hathersage has strong associations with Charlotte Bronte, and The George Inn (pictured here) is featured in her classic novel ‘Jane Eyre’.

Only 1 day to Christmas in my mini advent calendar, and I had to end on a gate! Standing here felt like peeping into a fairytale. I got very snowy, but every branch glittered, every tree shone, and I hardly dared breathe for fear of breaking the spell. Happy Christmas Eve!

2 days to Christmas in my mini advent calendar without fiddly doors, and I’m on this little Peak District lane, a quiet escape from the rush and bustle of life. The magnificent beeches form an honour guard to welcome you in as you return, and I always breathe a sigh of relief when I see them.

Only 3 days to Christmas in my mini advent calendar! A different view of Mam Tor, looking up from the Vale of Edale, snow dusting every rocky ridge. I love the swooping curves of the fences, and I’m indebted to the person who stood at the summit as I took the shot, giving a sense of scale.

4 days to Christmas in my mini advent calendar, and we’re standing in the complete peace of this woodland, the snow and fog damping every sound save for a slight creaking of branch against branch, and the softest patter of flakes as they land on the soft ground all around us.

5 days to Christmas in my mini advent calendar! Stripped of their leaves in winter, trees reveal their true shape and form. In summer you barely notice these trees on the hillside but in winter they're a family of three, branches touching, beautiful and intricate in the falling snow. #peakdistrict

6 days to Christmas in my mini advent calendar, on a narrow lane in the #peakdistrict, leading through the fields and trees, over the streams and hills. It was shining after a fresh fall of snow, the little cottages cosy in the valley with the bulk of the moor watching over them protectively.

7 days to Christmas in my mini advent calendar, sharing my own favourite festive #peakdistrict shots. As I passed this dark pine wood, my eye was caught by a spotlight of sun pouring through the trees. It lit up a beech sapling, turning it into a flame of colour and light in the gloom.

8 days to Christmas in my mini advent calendar! I came upon this woolly gang on Longstone Moor enjoying the pink morning sky and the promise of warmth it might bring. Their bodies left little patches of snow-melt in the field as they stood up one by one to watch the sun rise together. #peakdistrict

9 days to Christmas in my mini advent calendar and today’s shot is from Flash, the highest village in England. This remains one of my favourites because it's so very English; the snow falling softly over the churchyard and covering the wonky postbox on a stick beside the old stone wall.

With only 10 days to Christmas (🫣) I thought I'd share a #peakdistrict mini advent calendar with a festive photo countdown?! This is the village of Litton, looking like the heart of a snow globe. No other people, no cars, just a quiet fall of snow on the village green, and me with my camera.

Sometimes it doesn't matter where the road leads. All that matters is the first glimpse of daybreak rushing up the valley and trickling along the verges to light up the hedgerows. Sometimes all that matters is the spring in your step as you walk up the hill to meet the morning.

Sometimes, on the darkest days, the best place to be is in the woods. Among the noisy rattle and creak of bare branches and the constant seethe of water over rocks, there's a strange kind of peace, as if Nature has been waiting to welcome you back. 📍 Peak District, England

I love this view of beautiful Bakewell, and perhaps never more so than on quiet winter mornings. Just a jumble of dreaming, higgledy-piggledy rooftops, the smoke coiling up lazily from the chimneys to meet the mist rolling down from the hills, and beneath it all, the murmuring, oblivious river.

A farewell to autumn as we move on, the final splashes of colour now fading in the woods. This was a perfectly still morning, no haste or pressure, no noise but the rush and bubble of water. I stayed long after I'd taken the shot, just watching and listening and breathing it all in. #peakdistrict

I wish Autumn never had to end. Not just for the colours, but also that calmness and stillness, the quiet that hangs in the air like a physical presence. But every falling leaf is like a little tick from a clock, time passing in orange swirls and flutters.

You can keep your big sweeping vistas, miles and miles of spectacular views. For me, there’s endless beauty in a tracery of delicate branches contoured with snow, arching over a perfectly petite gate, leading to a glimpse of hills in the beckoning beyond. That’ll do nicely. #peakdistrict