Places to go?

srichards

srichards

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Suz
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I need ideas for places to visit that aren't too far away from Stoke ie within 90 minutes car travel. This limits it roughly to 50 miles as the roads are just crap beyond belief to get anywhere. 90 minutes used to mean 90 miles.

I've done Ironbridge a few times.

I've got Oswestry ironworks, Port Sunlight, Lytham St Annes, Dinorwig (big trip) and the Leicester Gas Museum and Crich Tramway museum to do. There's the usual NT properties but I'm struggling for other places that aren't in hideous city centres either.

I have done the odd place because they have a silly place name eg Flash and Wincle so more of those might be fun :)

I tend to find after the third visit I'm totally bored of somewhere unless I leave it quite a number of years.

Any ideas?
 
Using this site you can draw a radius on Google maps - I've set it to 50 miles.

http://obeattie.github.io/gmaps-rad...=mi&lat=52.950865&lng=-2.248614&z=9&u=mi&r=50

If you click on Stoke you get lots of potential areas in scope. I don't know where all the heritage museum-y type places are located though (although there's a hat museum in Stockport - I've passed it on the train :) ). The radius is a good way to see if anything you come up with is within range though. :)
 
I was looking more at personal recommendations to weed out places that promise a lot but there isn't much when you get there :)
 
Off the top of my head, what about Anderton Boat Lift & Lion Salt Works both near Northwich. I've not been to the salt works so I don't know what it's like. We went to Anderton in the winter when the boat lift wasn't in operation. It's in use now so should be more interesting!
 
I haven't been to the Salt works yet. I'd forgotten about that one :) Boat lift I went to years ago so it's probably time for another visit.
 
RAF Museum at Cosford
Hawkstone Park Follies, can do Morten Corbet Castle on same trip
Liverpool should be just in range, historic waterfront, plenty of museums, catherdrals, etc, a compact city so easy to get about on foot.
Oswestry also has a railway museum
Near Port Sunlight is a Boat Museum

It really depends on what you want to photograph....tell us more...or do you just want to a good day out?
 
Black Country Living Museum.
Llangollen for the trains.
Portmeirion - must go back there myself.
 
Yes. Not now. Too many kids and grannies.
September midweek sounds good.
OP is welcome to come on the meet even with his retro kit:)
 
mickledore said:
Yes. Not now. Too many kids and grannies.
September midweek sounds good.
OP is welcome to come on the meet even with her retro kit:)
Click to expand...

:D and I think you will find it isn't retro, its future classic. :D
 
I've done the Ellesmere Boat museum once. There's not much there that justifies the entry cost.

Portmeirion is a bit of a trek so I'd definitely wait until outside school holiday times.

I might go back to Llangollen. There's also Bala and those trains and general scenery to be had.

I find most places I've shot round like a dose of salts within an hour.

Not a fan of cities so Liverpool isn't somewhere I'd go. Oswestry is looking good if it has more than one thing to see as it's useful to go off and see several places at once rather than just the one.
 
I know you don't like cities but Liverpool might be worth a trip on the 19th. I didn't know when I set the meet up but on Sunday 20th the Round The World Clipper Race starts from the Albert Dock. The boats are presently sailing up from Portsmouth so on the Saturday there will be a lot of activity. All the fleet and all the crews and support will be there. If you like people / candid shots there will be plenty to go at....once you're past the grockles. I'll probably go down on Thursday!!!
 
Mr Perceptive said:
Well if you go to Oswestry, you can always go up to Lake Vrynwy or Welshpool (another Steam Railway) or Chirk Castle for an NT visit.
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No tripods inside Chirk Castle. They take them off you at the door. Handheld only and it's not bright so high ISO.
 
A few suggestions.....

If you like waterfalls, Pistyll Rhaeadr is well worth a visit, not too far from Oswestry and within an easy drive from Stoke.
http://www.pistyllrhaeadr.co.uk/index.html

If you like to walk:
Chrome Hill, between Longnor and Buxton, a nice circular walk with great views
Shutlingsloe Hill (amazing views) from the top & Macclesfield Forest
The Roaches & Ludds Church - I think I will be heading there as soon as we get some good light

Churnet Valley Railway for steam trains & canal walks, food and drink at the pubs at Consall and Cheddleton

Magpie Mine. Old workings and head gear, a great place for photography. perhaps followed with a drive over to Monsall Head for great views and a nice café.

A little further afield, but the views from the Precipice Walk near to Dolgellau are amazing and the walk is not difficult.
http://www.mawddachestuary.co.uk/walks/new-precipice-walk.html

I agree about the traffic, I have been looking at the maps this afternoon deciding where to go over the weekend, avoiding motorways.

Hopefully some of these may be of interest.

Chris
 
I was up Chirk way for a week at the start of June, lots of stuff to see in the area.

Erddig
Chrik & Pontcysyllte Aquaducts and the canals around Trevor Basin
Llangollen Railway
Valle Crucis Abbey
Plas Newydd
Castell Dinas Bran
Horseshoe Falls
Attingham Park
Benthall Hall

Just to name a few.
 
I don't think I've done Powys Castle either.

I hate tripods fortunately. It's wide aperture all the way and 400 speed film. Or just take the digital... sssh ;)
 
Foxbat Flyer said:
A little further afield, but the views from the Precipice Walk near to Dolgellau are amazing and the walk is not difficult.
http://www.mawddachestuary.co.uk/walks/new-precipice-walk.html
Click to expand...

Precipice Walk is very good, its a hill walk without walking up a hill!! Another one nearby to that is the Torrent Walk http://www.eryri-npa.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/267223/TorrentWalk_e.pdf

TH Roberts Cafe in Dolgellau is well worth a visit too https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=d...1&tbs=lrf:!2m1!1e2!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:9
 
I'm lazy too so anything involving a walk of more than about 15 minutes especially if it requires proper walking boots isn't likely to happen either...

Any more for any more? I've got a massive pile of film to get through over the next 12 months :)
 
Don't forget to look out for one day or weekend type events such as local country and county shows, village fairs, etc. It's Chelford Traction Engine Rally this weekend (Astle Park, Chelford, Cheshire) for instance, quite a big event with around 60 traction engines, classic cars, vintage tractors and motorbikes, etc., plus some assorted characters in the crowds that go to these events, so plenty of photo opportunities. I'm just about to set off to go there now; there's a Voigtlander Perkio and a Canon EOS3 that need some exercise! :)
 
Yeah. I've seen the signs for that Astle park one. I do look for the weekend events but they can be very crowded.
 
I've done Cosford. I've never found it that interesting. Mach Loop might be good though (y)
 
Ah yes, the mach loop. Make sure you take that little Voigtlander, perfect for jet aircraft shots.
 
Stoke is near the peaks isn't it ??


duh ?


I'm not a big museum shooter, architecture and epic scenery grind my gears, just driving over the peaks without getting out the car makes my pants fall down..
 
joxby said:
Stoke is near the peaks isn't it ??
Click to expand...

Yes it is. :) I do drive over and have a good look. There's also the Staffordshire Moorlands not far away. There's a cracking hillside with heather on it within 20 minutes of home which I think I may have to go and take a closer look it. There's also mow cop which is good for long range views.
 
I don't know the peaks well but I do like to drive around places like it, just to see what is there.
I don't think twice about turning down a daft narrow track, driving it and hoping to come across something worth shooting, it does get dull going to the same places you know have at least one photo opportunity, because the chances are you've already shot it and only environmental changes are going to make it worth going back for......but, you go anyway.
Recommendations have the same kind of caveat, on one hand its nice to shoot something you haven't seen before but in the back of your mind its gonna be short on originality if you can't impose your own take on it.
There is security in the above that you will shoot at least something...:/
 
Foxbat Flyer said:
A few suggestions.....

If you like waterfalls, Pistyll Rhaeadr is well worth a visit, not too far from Oswestry and within an easy drive from Stoke.
http://www.pistyllrhaeadr.co.uk/index.html

If you like to walk:
Chrome Hill, between Longnor and Buxton, a nice circular walk with great views
Shutlingsloe Hill (amazing views) from the top & Macclesfield Forest
The Roaches & Ludds Church - I think I will be heading there as soon as we get some good light

Churnet Valley Railway for steam trains & canal walks, food and drink at the pubs at Consall and Cheddleton

Magpie Mine. Old workings and head gear, a great place for photography. perhaps followed with a drive over to Monsall Head for great views and a nice café.

A little further afield, but the views from the Precipice Walk near to Dolgellau are amazing and the walk is not difficult.
http://www.mawddachestuary.co.uk/walks/new-precipice-walk.html

I agree about the traffic, I have been looking at the maps this afternoon deciding where to go over the weekend, avoiding motorways.

Hopefully some of these may be of interest.

Chris
Click to expand...

Second Chrome Hill/Parkhouse, one of my fave spots in derbyshire. Goyt valley round the corner worth investigating, the road out of there up to cat n fiddle is a nice hidden gem (closed to cars at weekends) with some old packhorse bridges over it.

Bit closer to you the Roaches & Lud's Church, personally not such a fan of the Lud's church part (d'oh just spotted Chris mentioned here too)
 
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Oswestry ironworks/sculpture park was a waste of time.

Now joined English heritage so slide into middle age is going well...
 
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