Today the weather was sunny and glorious. I wanted to stretch my legs, get some fresh air and play around with my old Samsung NX1000 with its 50-200mm lens. So I jumped in the car and drove the short distance from Dukinfield to Mossley.
I had thought about photographing the Pike from Lees New Road but decided on the Mossley Road elevation instead. This was in part due to the position of the sun, parking options, and because I knew there would be another vista to possibly capture there too.
I parked near the Hartshead Inn, now open again (outdoor seating only), after the latest lockdown easing. A quick stroll along Mossley Road gave me a vantage point that allowed both the Pike and the Inn to be captured together.
I then concentrated on setting up my tripod for the main Pike shot and thanked myself for thinking ahead about the better sun angle. The hillside was populated with a few grazing horses giving the 1 Km away Pike some reference for scale. It was only after taking the shot I realised there was a maintenance team roped onto the roof of Pike! I never expected to see them working there but I feel it makes the capture more unique.
Pleased with the first subject covered, I turned to the harder task of shooting in a westerly direction and almost into the afternoon sun. The vista I wanted was the growing Manchester skyline almost 14 Km away. Not just the Beetham tower and Etihad stadium but also the newer and higher additions near Deansgate too. So new in fact the crane is still in place for at least one of the towers.
Smiling I packed up and strolled back to the car for the drive home. Pleased that both shots were in the bag and a cool Peroni would be waiting in the garden.