take a look around you

We went for a walk yesterday afternoon. Just up the road, past the chickens, through the cemetery, along the field, through the park, back past the local shops. A walk we’ve done a thousand times. A walk we do probably 3 or 4 days a week, more when the evenings are light. It takes about 30 minutes, longer if we’re slowly ambling, or if we do a detour past the allotments, or through the woods, or pop in to see a friend, or pick up some fruit on the way home.

I often take pictures while we’re out, and then delete them. I can never quite capture the view. We’re high up here, the walk takes us along the edge of the hill, with views over the start of the Peak District in one direction, and the other hills of the city in the other.

Yesterday the sun wasn’t far off setting, the valley was filled with mist, and the light was beautiful. We stood on a rock taking inadequate photographs, and I remembered the panorama function on my new(ish) camera. I haven’t used it since we were in Orkney in the summer, obsessively taking panoramic views of the sun setting over the sea.

So here’s a panoramic view from a rock in my local park yesterday afternoon. It’s small on here – you should be able to click on it for a bigger view. The misty valley is the Rivelin Valley, the next valley is Loxley Valley, with a reservoir at the end. You can see the flats on the edge of the city.

In the evening, the Rivelin Valley is dark, but the city lights gradually start twinkling, and if you stand right in the corner of the park you can almost see round in a complete circle.

I love this view. I walk here often, and always feel calmer. But this is the first time I’ve managed to get close to showing you what it actually looks like when you’re there. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

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