Beech avenue, Hereford

The public open space on the south side of the River Wye at Hereford is graced by a beech avenue. In November it looks its best as each tree shows colours slightly different from its neighbour's. There is no doubt in my mind that autumn brings out the best in the beech and I have long thought it to be the finest tree at this time of year, better even than the acers.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

East cliff, Bridport

The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site that stretches 96 miles (154 km) along the south coast of England from Exmouth in East Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset. The cliffs along the coast date from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of geological history. Their rich fossil beds were one of the places where palaeontology emerged as a discipline that explained the earth's past.

The cliffs of the coast vary considerably in age and stability. East Cliff, near the small harbour town of Bridport, Dorset, is quite unstable and visitors are requested by signs to keep away from the base of the cliffs. It is a popular place for dog walkers and fossil hunters, not all of whom comply with the warnings.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

Walking disused railway lines

Disused railway lines can be found across much of Britain. The rise of the motor car led to fewer people using the railways and the politicians' answer to the problem of funding lightly used lines was to axe them. Many became cycle paths and footpaths. They were a welcome addition to the web of public rights of way, although they do have one disadvantage. Because they are straight or gently curved to accommodate trains, and have no sudden change of altitude or direction, they can be visually quite boring. Today's photograph shows dog walkers on a disused line near Ross on Wye, Herefordshire. This track stops where it used to cross the River Wye on a bridge (which is now gone): another drawback of disused railway lines.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

The back end of the year

When I lived in Yorkshire I often heard the last month or so of the year referred to as "the back end". The meaning of the phrase is self-explanatory. However, I never heard the beginning of the year referred to as "the front end", only "the new year". When I looked at this photograph it spoke to me of that Yorkshire "back end", a time when it is typically, cold or damp, when shadows are long, the bracken is dying down, and the brief appearance of the low winter sun draws a few more people away from their fire-sides and central heating. Of course, the dog walkers are out whatever the weather and this couple with their four animals, silhouetted against the woodland, made a nice composition for this passing photographer.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Silhouettes at the quarry

On a recent walk in the Forest of Dean we went to look at a large, working quarry. Like all such places it was fascinating. It was a massive and deep undertaking that appeared to be supplying stone for a variety of purposes. At a number of locations were piles of rock that had been assembled by type: principally size, but also, it seemed, colour. The quarry was at the highest point of that area of the Forest and the very highest summit was a heap of relatively small stones. A couple of other walkers and their dog were using the heap as a viewpoint. We decided to do the same and as we approached I took this silhouette shot of them as they surveyed the distant horizon.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Walking the dog

On a recent walk in part of the Forest of Dean that we had never visited before we found that the off-road cyclists substantially outnumbered the dog walkers. I tried to include some cyclists in a few photographs (for scale more than anything else) but was unsuccessful. This was due to their speed and their predilection for travelling in groups. No such difficulty with the dog walkers: this trio very effectively illustrated the size of some of the taller trees in Barnhill Plantation.

photos © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Spot the dog

Another day with a cloudless blue sky caused me to look nearer and look lower in search of photographs as we walked in and around the town of Ross on Wye. Few subjects presented themselves until I saw this young couple walking their dog and entering the "tree tunnel" that we were in. The dog was off its leash and was too quick for me to get a shot of it silhouetted with the people. However, this photograph allows you to play "spot the dog" - it's visible in the shot and not too difficult to find if you follow the obvious clues.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Dog walkers and silver birches

Dog walkers feature in quite a few of my photographs, usually as a point of interest and scale. In fact, I've often given thanks for dog walkers because they have frequently provided the human interest and compositional element that makes a shot worth taking. Today's photograph is a case in point. An avenue of silver birches isn't a common occurrence in my experience. This one flanks a bank that separates two small lakes in a nature reserve. Without the dog walkers the shot (and the avenue) would be be empty: they contribute the extra element needed to complete it.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100