The arts and colour of a "Hidden Valley." Vistas, Views and Arts of Felley Priory Gardens on a Summer Afternoon.

There really is something quite magical about the county of Nottinghamshire, for it is "a county of interesting landscapes, rolling hills, hidden valleys, heathland, woodland and a whole lot more that is just waiting to be explored. Yet somehow it is a county that seems to be left off the map by a lot of landscape photographers." Which is a real shame, because as a county goes Nottinghamshire really is a county that offers so many views, vistas and subjects to capture and photograph. And it was on Friday the 31st of July 2026, that a visit to the historical Felley Priory was on the cards, a location that I had not visited in a number of years, and a location that is located in an aptly named Hidden Valley, a location that has suburbia in close reach, but seems a world away from the rushes of modern life, a location in which various wildlife can be seen and heard and somehow a location which seems ever so slightly slower paced, perhaps even a a place where time does move slightly slower. 

And after a delightful lunch in the lovely tearooms, it was then time to explore the gardens of Felley Priory - yes the heatwave had changed the surrounding landscape, but walking around the delightful gardens I came across an area of peace, tranquillity, arts and colour, that was just exquisite to see - and below are the photos that I had managed to capture. 

"The arts of The Border. Elements of Colour they Grow."

"Hydrangea: A Complex Work of Art and Nature."

"Shapes and Layers of Green, Pink and Orange Glow."

"Under Blue, the frame of The Landscape."

"Under the Blue of a Felley Serenity."

"The Serenity of Summer, a Scene of Beauty and Peace."

"Life Framed."

"Summer Dreaming, by The Water."

"A Time for Reflection, Summer Dreaming."

"Framing a Peaceful Scene. Felley during Summer Glow."

"Layers of The Garden Arts."

"Painted is the Landscape. A Summer of Beauty."

"The Palette of Colour."

"Pink, Beauty and Colour."

"Impressionism Planted."

"A Felley kind of Frame."

"The Hidden Valley, Views and Peace."

"As the Eyes enter the View."

Finding arts and seeking shade, what I found within the woodlands by the side of Moorgreen Reservoir.

There are certain places that no matter how many times you re-visit them "always seem to hold various new compositions that are awaiting to be captured." And one of those locations happens to be a stretch of Moorgreen Woodlands and the section of the woodlands that is situated on the banks of the aptly named - Moorgreen Reservoir. For the last time I had visited it was of course at the end of May 2026, the Bluebells had all but gone, however there was a sea of Wild Garlic growing, but fast forward a couple of months to July 2026, and a return to these delightful woodlands was on the cards, yes a lack of rain and continual heat has of course meant that things had changed since last time, but walking along the delightful pathway, amongst the shade of the woodlands, well what I came across was an art gallery of layers and elements that woodlands offer and somehow manage to sooth the mind, and below are the photos that I managed to capture. 

"The Pathway of Shade and Summer Solitude."

"Into the Oasis of Green and Layers of Summer Lush."

"The Petrified Forest within The Summer Woodlands." - (And the back story behind this photo or what these strange petrified looking plants are, well they are Rhododendrons, that back in Late Spring were looking beautiful and colourful. Of course fast forward to July, and after a number of Heatwaves they had ended up looking like this, and there was just something slightly spooky perhaps about seeing these Rhododendrons in this state.)

"Light, Shade, Woodland it Glows."

"Serene is the Woodland Scene."

"Green fades to Orange Fire Like Glow."

"The Sculpture of Summer Woodland."

"A Square of Natures Arts and Layers. For is that Autumnal Elements I do See?"

When the conditions force you to capture the landscape in a different kind of way. Seeing the landscape in the "Ansel Adams" way.

As a season goes, Summer can be glorious, with perfect conditions for photography, but at the same time Summer is one of those seasons that can be "marmite like and bland." And when you take into account and add a heatwave into the mixture of things, along with some clear blue skies and golden fields full of barley/wheat, plus of course parched grass and a parched landscape, well that can also wreak havoc and make things that little bit more challenging for photography. So what is the solution? Well it is rather simple and it is to simply,

"Travel back in time and to take a leaf out of the world of Ansel Adams and his photography. Capture the landscape in Black and White, see the beauty of the landscape in a more unique way."

And that is exactly what I did do on the afternoon of Sunday the 19th of July 2026, when I was looking across the countryside that surrounds Moorgreen, Beauvale/Beauvale Priory and of course the fields of Greasley, and what I came across was just magical, and below are the photos that I managed to capture. 

"The Lone Tree and the Field waiting for Harvest." - (A little side note is that the black element within the field is more than likely soil? Which can be used to create a firebreak if a wildfire did occur.)

"Across the rolling fields, under a clear sky."

"An Ansel of a Beauvale View."

"As the lane passes by the Summer Landscapes."

"Out there in the Fields."

"Auger Time."

"The Combine and The Tractor. And Mr Auger."

"The Waiting Game at the side of The Field."

The art of Sandstone. Taking an unusual look at the abstract beauty of the built environment at Greasley Church.

A Warm Saturday afternoon on July the 18th 2026, and after a delightful lunch at Beauvale Priory Tearooms, I had a little bit of time on my hands, and where to go? Well in my mind I had the following thought going around in my mind which was, 

"Well it has to be Greasley Church. For I have not visited there since the Spring, since the beautiful Cherry Blossoms were in bloom."

Of course since the Spring has been and gone, Summer has arrived and that has bought with it a change in the landscape, especially with the recent lack of rain and of course continual heat which has made the landscape look a little too parched, a sad sight to see. But Greasley Church though always seems to have something photogenic to capture throughout the seasons, and throughout the seasons the architecture of the church and the way it blends into the surrounding landscape is also magical to capture. 

But hold on? Architecture, well that is another element of art, and this time around, just a short walk around Greasley Church, and I came across various artworks, which are perhaps "a little bit more on the abstract side." When I was looking at what I could find, textures, layers, shapes and things that caught my eyes within the sandstone elements of the construction of this glorious church, and yes you do not have to be religious to appreciate the beauty of churches, for they are works of art within their own rights, as are all religious buildings, but it is the Architecture which is the art, and below are the photos that I had managed to capture. 

"Sand and Concrete, Colour and Grey."

"Scream and Cobwebs. Munch about Observation."

"Layers and Splits."

"Cave City, within The Sandstone Walls."

"The Wall of Texture, Colour and Layer Beauty."

"Iron Red Systems."

"Layers Exposed."

"Like a Beach, the Sands of Time."

"Little Martian Seas of Red."

"Is there any life here on Mars."

Artistic and Magical Moments at the end of a Summer Day. For I had moments to capture something truly Spectacular.

Observing - for that is the key thing about photography, the observation of how things can change within mere moments, and of course being prepared for that. And it was just a little after 21:30pm on Saturday the 11th of July 2026, that I had been observing some rather, "chalk like clouds." Ones that had a certain style to them, that I had a gut feeling would light up. Moments passed by, and then what did I notice? Well I had noticed that the colours were changing, elements of pink, purple and of course orange, and that signalled to me at least,

"That there was going to mere moments in which to capture the sky, to witness the artistic and magical moments at the end of a summer day, during of course the third heatwave of 2026!"

And I managed to get the metaphorical flying tripod with a camera attached to it, into the sky, and well what did I capture? Well something truly spectacular, and that of course was a work of art, that lasted moments, a short amount of moments and below is the results of what I had managed to capture. For nature really does have a way of creating arts, that people seemingly ignore. Yet take the time to observe and beauty can be seen, even if it lasts just mere moments. 

"The Glow, the Orange and Pastel Summer Hue."

"The work of Art above The Rooftops of Suburbia."

"A Panorama of a Summer Sky it Glows."

"Dreamscape Summer Glow."

"A Portrait of Art, the Town under Summer Sky."

"The painting of Summer Sunset, Abstract and Beauty Shine."

"The Summer Canvas of Painted Sunset Fire."