The Magic of Autumn Mornings in Swaledale
This morning’s walk with Seth reminded me once again why I love this time of year so much. Autumn has always been my favourite season, not just for its colours, but for the feeling it brings, a stillness in the air, a slowing down, and a soft golden light that seems to transform even the simplest of landscapes.
As the sun rose, the first light of day touched everything around us with a warm glow. The hillsides were painted in shifting shades of gold and russet, the trees caught the light in their turning leaves, and even the smallest details along the path, a fallen leaf, a glistening cobweb, the dew on the grass, seemed illuminated with quiet beauty.
There is something deeply rewarding about being out at this time of day, when the valley is just beginning to wake. The world feels both vast and intimate, expansive in its views yet close and personal in its details. It is in these moments, with Seth trotting at my side, that I feel most connected to the landscape and to the rhythm of the seasons.
Autumn in the Yorkshire Dales is never static, the colours change daily, the light shifts constantly, and every morning brings a new atmosphere to capture and to experience. For me, these early starts are not a chore but a privilege, a chance to witness the valley at its quietest and most radiant.
These are the mornings that stay with me long after the day has moved on, and they are why I return again and again to the paths, fields, and hillsides of Swaledale with my camera in hand.
