Next up in our series of travel guide articles, we’d like to present you Robert McGuinness. He is a talented Instagram photographer from the UK – and he has been on some very beautiful trips recently. In this second article of the series, he would like to tell you about some stunning nature areas, that he has visited and are definitely worth a visit. His Instagram is @bobbimac.
The Peak District in England is somewhere I like to walk and photograph on a regular basis. l love this place, the history, the terrain, the colours, the weather… the mood. It has its own distinct character and personality and offers such variety of different landscapes. There are two main distinct regions in the Peak district, the Northern end is considered the Dark Peak and the hills are much higher and comprise of dark grit stone, the Southern end is considered the ‘White Peak’ where hills are usually lighter limestone cut by steep-sided valleys or dales. Typical scenery will include working farmland characterized by dry stone walls and hedgerows. The south-western part of the Peak has a mixture of wild moorland, rivers and isolated rock outcrops. All parts have their own unique beauty, if you visit early in the morning it is often quieter and you may catch an atmospheric cloud inversion or fog in one of the river valleys… I would highly recommend a visit.
Tryfan, Ogwen valley, North Wales near Snowdonia. Wales is an amazing country in the West of the UK. If you like wild scenery and mountains like I do you will find plenty here. This particular shot was taken on the North Face of Tryfan which is one of Wales' most famous mountains. An amazing place and definitely worth the long climb up for the beautiful views looking towards Snowdon and the Glyders. The North face of Tryfan is a fun climb but can take a while depending on your experience, there is no set path to the summit when climbing it from this direction. When you make it to the top there are two rock pinnacles called Adam and Eve, legend says if you make the jump from one rock to the other you will earn the freedom of Tryfan.
Brecon Beacons South Wales… A contrast to North Wales' rocky and rugged scenery, the Brecon Beacons have a unique, bleak, melancholic beauty to them. We arrived early morning on an autumn day and It was sunny which was initially disappointing as we all hoped for more ‘mood’ for photography. However, Welsh mountain weather is unpredictable and very soon we were enveloped in low clouds and mist. We followed a long and clear path to the top of Pen Y Fan taking shots along the way. As we made it to the summit I caught this shot of my friend Luke on the edge of Pen Y Fan looking over the valley. Despite the views being obscured, it was an amazing atmosphere.
Alp Grüm Switzerland – I was invited by the Rhätische Bhan railway to go and Instagram parts of the beautiful rail network in the Eastern Swiss alps. The train takes you through breathtaking mountain scenery and is listed under the UNESCO world heritage convention. I visited many places whilst I was there but one place that has remained with me was Alp Grum. We spent the night in a beautiful old and recently refurbished railway hotel. This is situated at the top of the mountain overlooking a turquoise glacial lake. Food and accommodation were fantastic; however, the views stole the show! I woke early before sunrise and took a steady walk to the top of the mountain. The sun began to make an appearance and created the most beautiful light which was diffused through the low cloud and fog on the mountain. It was mesmerizing and it illuminated the trees and some surviving poppies on the slopes which intensified the colours and contrast of the scene. Light like that is rare and beautiful…. I felt lucky to be there.
