In the grip of Winter
One of the many attractions of the Isle of Wight, at least for a lot of people, is the milder winters we see here compared to a lot of the country. It’s often possible to count the number of frosts we get in a Winter on one hand, and I’ve only experienced snow 3 times in the 11 years I have lived on the Island.
However in early December 2022, the Island, along with the rest of the country was in the grip of a real cold snap, with temperatures rarely above freezing for about 10 days. This allowed some amazing conditions to develop and I was out as often as possible capturing images in these incredible conditions.
The first frosts on The Duver, St. Helens
I started with a trip to one of my favourite spots and the view of the beach huts at the end of the St. Helens Duver. I had planned to go to Alverston, which as one of the most central and low lying areas I figured would probably have some great conditions. Unfortunately the road there was closed due to an accident. One of the issues of not having these conditions very often is we are not really prepared for them and icy conditions are generally accompanied by a spate of accidents. Therefore I headed to The Duver. The location will be familiar to anyone who followed along on the 12 Significant Photos project. I had always thought this location would look lovely in Winter conditions, but being right on the coast it is fairly rare that we get frost here. On this occasion it worked out with the frozen ground and a heavy frost on the roofs of the beach huts. It was bitterly cold standing waiting for the light, and unfortunately a bank of heavy cloud came in just as the sun was rising, but I was happy to leave with my first shot of the conditions.
The Needles under the light of the full moon.
The freezing conditions also coincided with the full moon, and on Saturday morning I headed out early to get over to the Needles to re-take a shot I had captured previously of the moon over the Needles. The last time I went I was a day late and the moon was more off to the left so I didn’t quite get the shot I wanted. After a very steady drive over to the west of the Island with all the roads covered in a thick frost and a very careful walk up to the headland it was a cold wait for the moon to drop low enough in the sky to capture the shot I had imagined. It was a beautiful still morning under the moonlight with the lights of Poole, Bournemouth and Swanage on the Horizon. The image also includes Mars to the right of the moon. The freezing conditions really added clarity to the sky and the lights in the distance.
After a very slow walk / slide back down the hill to the parked car it was off to Yarmouth where the River Yar was looking stunning in the still and freezing conditions. I spent a good couple of hours composing and capturing a variety of images around the area, stopping only to recharge and warm up with a cup of coffee. I was very grateful to have my Jet Boil and Aeropress set up with me this morning.
Saturday evening brought the coldest temperatures yet along with freezing fog. With the potential of freezing rain forecast for the Sunday morning I decided to stay local on the Sunday and walk from the house to avoid having to drive on the frozen roads. I started with a walk into Firestone Copse and down to Blackridge Brook where it joins the Old Mill Pond at Wootton. The amount of water here can really vary as the level in the Old Mill Pond is controlled via the sluice gate at Wootton Bridge. On this occasion the water was high and had started to freeze. It was amazing to see, however I was really struggling to capture the scenes. it was only once I put the long lense on and started trying to pick out individual details that I started to unlock the potential of the scene, and I ended up capturing one of my favourite images of 2022, and one of the images for my 2022 Island Interior project.
Freezing conditions at Firestone Copse.
After spending a bit more time at Firestone Copse, I heard the familiar hoot of the Steam Trains whistle from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. It’s a familiar sound during the Summer months but doesn’t normally operate during the Winter. However for December they run Santa Specials and this was the first weekend of operation. I therefore decided to walk to Ashey where the line runs through the open fields in the hope of capturing the Train surrounded by frozen fields.
However on the way there I had to stop and capture the image below, the Farmhouse looked wonderful in the frozen countryside with the snaking road providing a lovely S Curve through the image.
A frozen Podcast lane and Farmhouse.
After capturing this image I had to rush slightly to get to the train line to capture the train, which I could already hear setting off from Wootton, otherwise it would have been a long cold wait for the next train. Fortunately I had a bit of time as I wanted to capture the train as it returned from Smallbrook junction to ensure the engine was the more pleasing forward facing. I made it to the spot I wanted to be just as the train was arriving from the Wootton direction which gave me a chance to capture a couple of test shots to make sure I had a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the train, and then I had a little time to get my composition right and set up ready for the return of the train from Smallbrook.
The Isle of Wight Steam Railwy’s North Pole Express travelling through frozen countryside at Ashey.
Whilst waiting the sky really darkened and it soon started to rain with the freezing rain that had been forecast, so after capturing the image I packed up and heading home with the rain getting heavier and heavier. Fortunately this meant it warmed the ground and didn’t freeze, unfortunately it meant I was drenched and very cold by the time I got home. I was definitely ready for a coffee when I got back.
Amazingly the cold conditions then remained for another week. It has been recorded as the longest cold snap on the Island for some considerable time. This meant there was one last chance to get out with the camera and capture some more images. On this occasion I headed to Bembridge and the Lagoons. Its a scene I have captured on several previous occasions but with the lagoons frozen and a heavy frost everywhere they looked better than ever.
A frozen lake and frosty reed beds at Bembridge Lagoons.
Bembridge Lagoons in the grip of Winter conditions.
The derelict water pumping station at Bembridge lagoons surrounded by a frozen lagoon.
Whilst capturing that final image of the pumping house the sun rose and with it a slight breeze filtered in, this breeze really heralded a change in the weather as your could feel the warm moist air coming in on the breeze. As I walked back to the car you could hear the frost finally starting to thaw, there was just time to capture one final image before the frost fully melted. When I had parked the car the temperature was -3 centigrade, when I returned the temperature reading was showing +6, quite the change in a couple of hours.
A final winter wonderland scene at Bembridge Lagoons before the thaw set in.
During the day temperatures remained high, although with the wind becoming cold again the wind chill was significant, however the following morning bought a return to more normal conditions with persistent rain. Until the cold returns, if it does, this would have to be the end of my winter photography!
Many thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the images.