It was summer last year when I visited Wycoller before (see HERE), so in some ways I felt I'd exhausted its photographic possibilities - but that didn't stop me meeting up with camera club friends for a summer outing there a couple of weeks ago. Arguably a mono treatment suits the ruined house, Wycoller Hall, that was reputed to be the inspiration for Ferndean Manor in Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre.
The very old bridges across Wycoller Beck are always photogenic. The packhorse bridge dates back (probably) to the 15th century. We were speculating whether it was constructed with a wonky arch or whether it has twisted over time. It still seems remarkably solid to walk over, just wide enough for a horse or one person to cross. There is a ford too, but the packhorse bridge must have been used if the beck was in flood. It has the characteristic low wall profile that would have allowed a horse loaded with panniers to cross unimpeded.
I was attracted to the contrast between the delicate apple blossom and the time-worn, rough stonework, though I don't know that I made the best of it.
That looks a great location for photographs. When camera clubs go off on these trips how on earth do you all keep out of each other's photos?
ReplyDeleteGreat textures...and the last one with the blossoms, ah, a beautiful contrast.
ReplyDeleteLove the last one.
ReplyDeleteCertainly the pack-horse bridge was not built that way. Over six centuries the ground of the left hand bank has slid forward, possibly caused by a rain swollen river.
ReplyDeleteWonderful and evocative shots.
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