Daybreak at the summit of the Blorenge

 

 A few weeks ago I was on vacation and decided one morning to get up before sunrise and walk up to the Blorenge trig point.

There is a lovely stone path now from the Foxhunter's carpark and its been well trodden by me over the years. I love it up the Blorenge. On this particular morning its was bitterly cold, perhaps one of the bitterest mornings of what has really been quite a mild start to the winter.

As I walked towards the summit I could see down in the Usk Valley that the dragons breath had formed and a thin blanket of mist covered the valleys below.

The sky was turning a fantastic colour. The sun would soon be on the horizon. I picked up my pace marching quickly in my wellies so that I could reach the top and set my camera kit up.

When I reached the summit I had just enough time to mount my camera on the tripod and prepare my drone for take off.

Up went the drone and the aerial views were fantastic. There was a blanket of mist between the Blorenge and the Skirrid. In fact the Dragons Breath as it is known locally had spread all around the Blorenge mountain.

Then the sun broke its blanket of mist on the Eastern Horizon and the scene was bathed in fresh golden sunshine.

I must admit I was freezing. the fingerless fisherman's gloves I were wearing barely kept the cold at bay and my fingertips were numb.

I quickly took a picture with my Nikon Z6 of the sun coming up behind the trig point.

The sun soon reached its zenith and it was time for me to walk back the car parkas the light was getting just a touch too bright. All morning I had been listening the Red Grouse chuckling away hidden in the heather. They are so difficult to spot unless disturbed. A dog bounded through the heather and flushed a small flock of grouse.

Fortunately I had my Olympus OM-1 at the ready and took a couple of shots of one of the Red Grouse as it flew past me lit up by the lovely morning sunshine.

It was a great picture to finish my walk and this blog with.