Castle Crag in Cloud

Well today was supposed to be the long awaited return to Langstrath valley and a high level walk via Stake Pass.  This was the walk when I had my fall last November.

However, the weather conspired against me.  What was supposed to be a bright day suddenly changed into a cloudy, rainy forecast with little chance of seeing anything even if I did go high.  A change of plan was in order so I planned a walk from the hotel, taking in Castle Crag, Grange, Manesty, Lodore Falls and depending on how I was doing (and the weather), Watendlath.

A light drizzle was falling as I left the hotel, and it stayed of and on most of the day, becoming more persistent in the afternoon.  Surprisingly there was always a gap in the clouds sitting above Borrowdale, possibly caused by the cloud crossing the central fells.  it provided some interesting light and a rainbow to the north on several occasions.  

All shot were handheld, despite carrying the tripod.  I must admit that I don't think the D850 is the most appropriate walk around camera, particularly in the indifferent light that was experienced for much of the day.  The ISO was bumped up for much of the time. I was also having to wipe the lens front element between most shots.

Despite the conditions I really enjoyed the walk.  It ended up at about 11 miles despite not including Watendlath.  By the time I had to make a decision it was raining more heavily and I didn't fancy the climb from Lodore.

The main image is looking back towards Castle Crag from Manesty, straight into the drizzle.  I was trying to protect the lens until I lifted it to take the shot and this was the one image that wasn't ruined by rain spots.  The extras include an ICM from near the Bowder Stone and the rainbow from the pass between Castle Crag and Goat Crag.