This Outdoor Trail is magical

It was the opening night when we visited Blenheim Palace, not really knowing what to expect, but it’s fair to say that the Illuminated Trail exceeded our expectations.

Treetops glow in the dark and the colours are amazing. There are light sculptures and a constantly changing vista to keep things interesting. As you begin the trail you walk through a light tunnel glistening with 100,000 small lights – a magical experience.

The trail itself is around one mile long and as you return towards the Palace you are greeted with seasonal projections onto the house itself and search-lights dancing across the sky.

It was great to photograph, though to be honest it was also a bit of a challenge.  The exposure levels varied so much between the various set pieces and it was quite busy on the opening night too.

The fantastic light experience is available to book at Blenheim Palace until the 1st January.

A few photos…

A weekend in Southport

A little bit of everything last weekend in Southport both in terms of the weather, which was cold and also photographically with a bit of street photography, a few sunset photos, a visit to an art gallery and a firework display.

I guess it’s the variety that makes Southport a good destination for a short break at this time of year.  The AtkinsonWhitworth gallery was a great spot to shelter from the rain and enjoy the latest exhibitions.  The costumes of Vivienne Westwood pictured below formed part of an interesting display. I enjoyed the portraits of various celebrities wearing the same t-shirt against a plain grey background. It was interesting to see how they each posed and managed to make the t-shirt their own.

There was also a fabulous art exhibition featuring painting by Nahen Shoa called ‘Black Presence’ which is also worth a visit.

Here are a few photos…

A visit to Cuerden Park

It wasn’t a planned visit to Cuerden Park. We had been out and about visiting local DIY stores, searching for something or other, which was pretty mundane. We did however remember that there was a cafe at Cuerden Park which was only five minutes away and so we set off, more in hope of finding a coffee and a place to relax for a while than taking any pictures.

As it happens, we didn’t get the coffee. We hadn’t counted on the cafe being like the place  in Lancashire for dog owners. Every table was taken. It would appear that this is the place to go if you are a ‘professional’ dog-walker, because everyone seemed to have at least three dogs lashed around the seats and table legs.

So, no space for us in the cafe but we did still enjoy a walk around the country park, albeit as the only ones without dogs in tow!

Here are a few pictures…