Mountain Pro, photo essay

hart fell in winter | photo essay

hart fell in winter Phil on Black Craig

With the first snows of winter covering the hills, Editor Phil Turner accompanied photographer David Lintern on a walk around the Hart Fell Horseshoe in the oft-neglected Scottish Borders.

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January 2013 | Mountain Pro | 23

photo essay | hart fell in winter

hart fell in winter | photo essay

‘Back of beyond’

‘Massive blue lines’

Phil took a moment to re-orientate his map in the hinterland behind Hart Fell, transformed from exposed moorland into alpine tundra by the first snow of the season. Suddenly, the sky opened up.

The heavily textured diagonals of Carrifran Gans cutting across a vivid sky after a morning of heavy cloud and Baltic wind were an impressive sight. The drystane dyke also served as good shelter for a lunch stop.

‘Light wars’

‘Season of the witch’

We were both pleasantly surprised by how much snow there was above 600m this early on, and just how expansive this area felt – almost like the Cairngorms in miniature. This shot is from the same position as above, but angled to the east, as I fumbled with cold hands and camera buttons to keep up with the fast changing light.

The elegant, swooping lines of Hart Fell and Falcon Craig ahead of us. This photo sums up how I feel about the Scottish winter hills – dramatic, stark and uncompromising but with hard edges softened by a low and gentle light. The Hart Fell horseshoe is a great value round within striking distance of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle, and was a stunning way to usher in the colder months.

24 | January 2013 | Mountain Pro

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January 2013 | Mountain Pro | 25