The Lake District holds a special place in the heart of English people.
I mean, it’s a popular place for visitors from all over the world. More than 15 million people visit it every year! But if you’re English, like me, it’s really the only spot in the country you’ll find proper mountains.
It’s a well lived-in area, as well.
The wilds of Wales and Scotland offer mountains without the tourist trappings. But when the weather’s a bit grim — as it often is — there’s always something to do in the Lakes, from the Keswick Pencil Museum to a cruise on Windermere.
Special 199
Photograph by Paul Bacon.
In our current Special, we interview the man above, Terry Abraham.
Terry’s not a Cumbrian native, but definitely felt the call of the mountains. He was working in another industry, but had long had an interest in film and photography before a mountain biking accident caused him to reassess his priorities.
Something I can identify with!
He lives on the “wrong” side of the M6 at the moment, away from the tight lanes and huge coaches of the Eastern Lakes in the lovely Eden Valley.
What I love about Terry’s story is how he broke new ground in capturing the beauty of Fells. He did it by making a virtue of his passion.
His passion pushed him to camp on top of hills overnight. To climb them in inhospitable winter conditions, to set off well before sunrise and to stay up well after sunset. And by doing so, he captured the hills in all their glory.
Until he did so, there were no pictures like this:
Photograph by Terry Abraham.
This early morning phenomenon of the clouds lying low in the valleys is a rare and beautiful sight.
Have a poke around his social media for some other wonderful shots, including time lapses of the clouds rolling over the fells.
“Life Of A Mountain”
Terry’s work is already well-known after his film, “Life of a Mountain: A Year On Scafell Pike” was snapped up by the BBC and proved a hit.
It had already been enormously well-received by Cumbrian natives when it was first shown at the beautiful Rheged Centre, just outside Penrith.
Courtesy of Terry Abraham.
His latest will be live streamed from a cinema in Ambleside. It was filmed on Helvellyn, the most popular peak in the Lake District.
A man of the people
What has clearly made Terry’s work so successful is that he’s captured exactly what it is that everybody loves about the area.
The combination of natural beauty with a wealth of human history.
Slate miners, sheep farmers, Ordnance Survey workers, pub landlords — the best thing about the area is that at the bottom of every lovely hill is a lovely bunch of people, living, working and welcoming visitors to their gorgeous corner of the country.
It’s a winning combination!
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For more from Alex, read his blog here.
Alex Corlett I am the "Friend's" Features Editor, working with the talented Features Team to bring you everything from cryptic crosswords to financial advice, knitting patterns to international travel and inspirational real life stories. Always on the hunt for a new feature idea, I also enjoy cycling and love a good tea room.
