A perfect Spring Light, the beauty and magic of Shipley Hill/Horsepool Hill.

As I currently write this, well the "delightful Spring skies and sunshine" have somewhat disappeared and instead the grey weather has seemingly returned. But it was on Wednesday the 5th of March 2026 that a visit to Shipley Country Park was on the cards, this time again it was time to explore Shipley Hill/Horsepool Hill - but this time the direction of the walk was in a somewhat "Anti Clockwise" manner, and walking around well what did I encounter? Well for a start a glorious and delightful Spring Light, combined of course with delightful works of art that nature provides, and below are the photos that I captured.

"Spring Blue, and a Spring Lane."

"Bare and into Spring."

"Yellow and Woodland Shadows."

"The Yellow Glow, takes away The Woodland Bare."

"Branches bare, Blue above."

"Dappled Gentle Light of Bark."

"The Blue, The Bare, Little Elements of Green."

"Yellow is the carpet, below the trunks that Stand."

"Strands and Flakes."

"Layers, Flakes and Veins."

"A Barkscape of a Panorama."

"Woodland Light, a Clear Spring Bright."

"The Spring Hill Side."

"Guardians and the Blue."

"Woodland Bare and Bright."

"The Sculpture of Wood, under Spring Blue."

"The Dappling of Delicate Afternoon Spring."

"Uniform, Bright Bark Light."

"Icehouse is the Abstract."

"Abstract Elements of The Icehouse."

"A Gentle Spring Magic."

"Like Sculpture, against Blue."

"Tentacles and Green."

"Tentacle Spring City Light."

"Birches bathed in Afternoon Light."

The simple views and delights of the first day of "Meteorological Spring." For the vistas and views of Moorgreen, and the delights of Greasley Church, was just bliss to see.

"Thank Goodness for that. Winter, Meteorological Winter is now gone and what is here instead? Well that of course is Meteorological Spring, a time in which the landscape will now begin to change quite rapidly with new life, new colour and beauty that can be seen as nature begins to awaken again after being in a rather deep sleep throughout the bare of Winter."

And it was on Sunday the 1st of March 2026 that with Spring in the air, that I just had to get out, the first place of course was Moorgreen - complete with its stunning vistas and views over towards the historic Beauvale Priory in the distance, an element of warmth and the landscape looking that little bit more alive. Okay the woodlands of Moorgreen perhaps were not back to their usual lush and green looks, but that did not matter as the landscape just looked beautiful, the bareness of Winter seeping away slowly, and below are the photos that I managed to capture.

"The sense of Spring, an afternoon Greasley Scene."

"Across those rolling beginning of Spring Landscapes."

"The Priory and Green Lands."

"Over the Hedgerow, and Green Lands a Glow."

"Rolling Panorama of Moorgreen towards the Priory."

"Like a Painting, the Landscape of Green and Colour return."

A short while after encountering and capturing those views, it was then a short drive back towards the historic Greasley Church, where of course I wanted to capture the first elements of Spring, and with that some incredibly simple yet beautiful compositions is what I found, with a delightful afternoon light, and of course Daffodils and Crocuses - making for some truly magical photographic opportunities and those photos can be seen here. 

"A Greasley Spring Panorama Sings."

"The afternoon light, the Spring Colours provide a Delight."

"A Greasley of a Spring Postcard Scene."

Moods and Grey. Yet somehow the Canal Basin at Langley Mill was just so serene with a strange element of beauty.

The end of February of 2026 could easily be described as being "something akin to a mixed bag, weather wise!" And that of course is because to a degree, a break in the continuous grey, damp and meh weather that had been in metaphorical force, since January had been in place. Yes, only six or seven decent days with anything like sun or blue skies were visible. But towards the end of February 2026, this last week and well things began to break, and thankfully the return of sunshine and blue sky, this time of course delicately intertwined with the signs and elements of the arrival of Meteorological Spring. However though despite the return of sunshine and blue skies, there were of course some days, in which the grey, gloomy and damp weather did make a brief return, and it was on Friday the 27th of February 2026 that a chance visit to Langley Mill, meant that I had time to capture the delightful and magical Canal Basin. 

And whilst this unique and picturesque canal basin, that signals both the start/end points of the Cromford/Erewash Canal(s) looks beautiful in much better weather, with sunshine and blue skies, well that was not exactly the case on Friday the 27th of February, with the return once again of grey and damp weather, however though it did mean that I had to be slightly inventive and this time around I ended up capturing the serenity and stillness of the basin in a more moody way, with Black and White, and below are the photographs that I had managed to capture.

"February Moods and Grey. The Serene of The Basin."

"The two barges."

"The Two Barges of Old and the Modern elements."

"Lock Side Beauty."

"Serenity and the Lock Gate."

"Serene as the Water flows through the Gates."

"A Simple View, A Basin Side of Life."

"The House, Reflections and The Tollhouse."

"Reflections and The Way of Waterside Life."

"Atmosphere and The Boatyard."

"Gliding through the end of Winter Grey."

Even within the "February Cold and Grey." Beauty and Abstracts can still be seen, finding magic at Shipley Hill.

To say that the start of 2026 has been largely meh, claggy and grey - well that would be a massive understatement, and whilst there has only been something like six or seven days of anything that has included elements of sunshine and blue sky, well the rest has just been grey.  Still though that is to be expected what with it seasonally still being Winter. But it was on Wednesday the 18th of February 2026 that a visit to Shipley Country Park, was on the metaphorical cards, and a walk around Shipley Hill/Horsepool Hill, a location that I have visited on many occasions that no matter what always has something to capture, and despite it being cold and grey, well beauty and abstract artworks could still be seen, and below is what I managed to capture. 

"The Winter Woodlands so Bare."

"Elements faded, Elements they Hold On."

"The Abstract Elements of Brick. Art in the Works."

"Green in Winter Shine."

"Layers, Shades, Elements of Green."

"Growth and Monochrome Beauty."

"Elements and Rhododendrons." 

"Tentacles of Green."

"The City under Rhododendron." 

"Into Bud, for it is still Winter."

 

"Woodland Elements a Grow."

"Wall of Green."

"The Bleak elements of Winter Woodland."

"When a Tree becomes Sculpture."

"Venus in The Bark."

"Icehouse."