The Muker Wild Flower Meadows, a Photographer’s Guide
To view my current collection of meadow’s photographs visit here.
For meadows photography workshops visit here.
Introduction
Nestled in the narrow acre between the River Swale and Kisdon Hill, Muker’s wild flower meadows are acknowledged to be some of the best examples of upland hay meadows in the UK. For botanists the meadow’s confusion of rare flowers and grasses is recognised and valued as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). For farmers the meadow’s hay crop (used as winter fodder) is part of a traditional cycle of activity that stretches back hundreds of years. For the many visitors to Upper Swaledale the abundance of flowers, and their wonderful setting, provide a feast for the eyes and food for the soul. It’s impossible not to return from a walk through the meadows uplifted and inspired.
When to Visit
Due to its relatively high elevation winter lingers a little longer in Upper Swaledale. Spring, when it finally arrives, heralded by hardy men in shorts and the first tents popping up on the campsites, is in no particular rush. Snowdrops in March, daffodils and new born lambs in April, bluebells and wild garlic in May.
Around mid-May the ewes and lambs that graze the meadows are moved to higher pastures allowing the flowers to emerge, daises and buttercups first. The flowers grow quickly, so that when summer arrives on the 1st June the meadows are brim full of colour. Over the following two weeks the display reaches its height; each meadow maturing at its own pace and each playing host to a unique variety of flora. As June winds into its final week the grasses begin to overwhelm the flowers and the best part of the spectacle is over. From the start of July, and at the first opportunity for good weather, hay making begins in earnest (note: harvesting of the SSSI designated meadows are delayed by the rules that govern farming grants until mid-July). As each meadow is cut the Upper Dales become a patchwork of colours and patterns. It’s a superb time for taking photographs and a reminder that the meadows are not just a thing of beauty, but a valuable resource, which is a good prompt to remind people to stick to the paths. As the meadows are cut the wildlife take advantage with rooks and seagulls following the tractors and buzzards circling over the freshly cut fields.
Planning Your Trip
The meadows are a wonderful place to practice your photography, providing an abundance of opportunity to apply different skills and techniques. Gear wise, to make the most of the day, bring a range of focal lengths, from wide to telephoto, and a tripod able to sit right down at flower height along with a remote shutter release. An ND filter, to slow the world down, might not go amiss, and if, like me, you often end up lying of the floor to take shots, you probably don’t want to wear your Sunday best! For a small village Muker has good facilities - a car park, toilets, a good pub, superb tea shop & village store, great woollen shop, not to mention a fantastic art gallery and craft centre, but it does get busy especially when the meadows are in flower, so it’s wise to book accommodation early or arrive before the car park and verges are full.
Though there’s no bad time of day (or conditions) to photograph the meadows, timing can be important. Though the flowers are in bloom close to the summer solstice the meadows lie in the shadow of the fells, so the sun appears over the horizon relatively late in the morning and departs in the early evening (I’ve often arrived just too late as it dips below the fell line). Whilst it’s not a place for spectacular dawns and sunsets by arriving early, or leaving late, you’ll often have the meadows to yourself with a chance of some colour in the sky. At around 7:15 am the sun clears the fells and the soft, dappled light, shinning through the trees on the meadow’s edge, plays on the flowers, barns and dry-stone walls; this for me is a favourite time of day. On bright, sunny days lunchtime is better spent at the Farmer’s Arms as the mid-day sun, reflecting off the yellow buttercups, overwhelms any other colour or subtlety.
If you do arrive early you might spot deer, rabbits, pheasants and ducks with their brood in tow, before they disappear from sight for the day. Whatever time you go they’ll be swallows, swifts and house martins dashing in and out of barns and skimming the buttercups.
Composition Ideas
When first visiting the meadows it’s all too easy - for me and my impulsive nature at least - to be overwhelmed by their beauty and immediately snap away with little or no thought to composition. More often than not I end up disappointed with the results. To counter this impulse it might be wise to arrive with an idea of what you want to take away: the feeling of total immersion in a world of buttercups, purple clover and wild geranium; an impression of the patterns, colours and textures; the delicacy of each individual flower; the setting beneath towering fells; the abstract nature of the countless points of colour; the list is endless, but hopefully you get the idea.
Involving the meadows features and surroundings; dry stone walls, pathways, barns, trees and fells, that play a huge part in making them so special, provides structure and lends weight to a composition. Forgotten or ignored they add complexity and clutter! Including a focal point in the composition: a barn, the path that links the meadows, Muker Village itself - something that means something to you - will elevate your photograph from a picture of yellow buttercups (wonderful though they are) to an emotional connection to a special place and time. Photographing from a low vantage point, perhaps shooting just above the flowers, will provide strong foreground detail and interest, concentrate the colours in the background and reveal interesting compositions. An elevated vantage point will elongate the meadows and separate the different elements of the photograph (I often carry a small step ladder or platform around and just a few inches of extra height can change the dynamic!).
Photographing with a wide open aperture through the flowers, focused on just one, will highlight its individual delicacy and set it within a blur of colour. If you’re a fan of modern art, and Jackson Pollock, avoid a focal point, forget any rules of composition and just go for the pure patterns, textures and colours of nature’s abstract expressionism.
The meadows are rarely still; there’s usually a gentle breeze and often strong gusts, which transform the meadows into an ocean of colour. Combined with a tripod, and long exposure, the wind creates a sense of movement and an impressionistic feel.
Final Thoughts
The meadows mean different things to different people and perhaps they already mean something special to you. If not, spending time in the meadows with a camera to capture the experience is guaranteed to change that, and like many people you’ll look forward to returning for many years to come!
Information about the Muker wild flower meadows can be found via the following links.
http://yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Yorkshires-Coronation-Meadows
http://coronationmeadows.org.uk/meadow/lower-winskill-farm-meadows-langcliffe-nr-settle
https://www.ydmt.org/muker-meadows-swaledale