Rydal Water

Location Guide: Rydal Water.

Rydal Water sits just north of Windermere and is easily accessible with the main A591 road running along its northern edge. Its a great location due to this easy access and the fact there are several classic photography spots in a very small geographical area. It doesn’t have the grandeur or remoteness of many of the other photography hotspots in the Lake District but with so much to offer its definitely a place worth visiting with photography in mind.

Best time to visit is sunrise to mid morning to capture the best of the light. If you are lucky there will be mist over the water that really adds to any composition. Parking can be difficult if you arrive late and especially in peak season, like many places in the Lakes, its very popular with tourists. The Pelter Bridge carpark is probably the best one to use, just a short walk from the lake shore.

The first location is on the southern shore, looking across the water to the iconic boat house. There are plenty of roots and rocks along the waters age for foreground interest but a calm morning with perfect reflections and a hint of mist is what you really want to capture here. From this same location you can shoot west across the lake towards Heron Island and the fells behind.

*Rydal Cave. A blend of 2 images to compensate for the dynamic range*

For an alternative view of the boat house head over to the northern shore and shoot along the waters edge facing east. Also on the northern shore is a lone tree sitting on a little island. Water levels have to be high for this shot to work, otherwise the island doesn’t separate from the shoreline. Away from the lake itself are a couple of other locations well worth a visit. The first is Rydal cave, a former quarry that is permanently flooded. The water isn’t deep but to keep feet dry, access is across a series of stepping stones. Again, popular with tourists, so patience is needed to get a shot free of people (or some Photoshop magic). The dynamic range between the dark cave and the bright scene outside is also a challenge, so bracketing images is recommended.

Over on the north side of the lake sits Rydal Hall, it’s formal gardens are free to enter and contain a waterfall with a grotto at its base. The scene is easy to capture from the bridge just down stream.

All these location are well known and have been photographed many times but that shouldn’t put you off. In the short winter months it’s easy to fill the whole day with these locations alone but its worth exploring along the whole of the lake shore for your own compositions.

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