For those that read my previous post on searching for dense forestry here in the UK, you'd have known that I have been using a drone to capture photographs and videos of different environments in efforts to see the natural locations of this land from a different perspective. In attempt to appreciate the surroundings I have more while, to a degree, being quite fed-up of it all. Warm and sunny days here during these summer months have certainly been nothing more than a disappointment, given they've been rather short-lived and followed by another week or cloudy and rainy days.
So, when a day of sun and warmth does present itself, I have ensured I have taken advantage of it and ventured out into a new location. Recently, instead, I've taken to spending an entire day walking through a totally new area. Starting off with the locations within Essex, England.
Essex is riddled with countryside roads and seemingly endless farmland, which doesn't sound all that appealing at first. However, if the weather is just right, you're surrounded by environments that reflect the atmosphere of that of The Shire from The Lord of the Rings, where the sunlight is golden and the colours of trees and flowers take reign.
In some areas, you'll find you're just surrounded by crops of corn that tower way above you on either sides of overgrown pathways tucked away and now hidden, clearly hardly touched by others. For such areas, I'd certainly recommend having access to Apple or Google Maps as you could easily find yourself walking with no set destination in mind as pathways grow more narrow and less travelled.
In the above video, you can see how the fields fill the horizon and show no end during golden hour. With the trees casting huge shadows deep into such fields.
As the sun began to set and the trees blocked the golden light, I found myself in an area surrounded by the towering crops. It was pretty easy to feel relatively lost, with the only sounds to be heard being sheep in the far distance; something you can even witness from certain areas as the fields of the horizon sit on hilly countryside.
The temperature would soon drop as a cooler breeze entered, flowing through the fields and overgrowth. It was an incredibly peaceful atmosphere void of the chaotic noises of civilisation, with no other people to be seen or heard nearby. These are certainly my favourite locations as of late.
During this trip of mine, I ensured I took a flask filled with water and some food. In hopes that I'd find locations peaceful enough to sit and relax for a little while as I fly the drone and take short breaks. This happened often, but most of the time I felt myself just drinking and eating as I walked, with a hunger not just for food, but for discovery. I wanted to venture deeper and find areas more and more isolated. Where even roads became thin and sparse. This is somewhat evident in the first picture of this post, where the road is barely wide enough to fit a single modern car, let alone be a functional road.
With the light disappearing more and more, the main views of countryside soon fade away, and the hills are no longer viewed by their appearances, but by the faint pieces of light that appear dotted across the horizon. These few lights are the odd farmhouses turning on their lights. Very hard to photograph from such a distance, but resemble the starts of the night sky in a way.
During these moments, I don't even want to begin to turn back and find my way back to civilisation. I have an overwhelming urge to remain. I think this is a sign that I should take up camping, of which I probably will as I venture out of Essex. Thanks to the drone, these trips are so much fun. The views and different perspectives of locations I'd never see and visit otherwise are spectacular. To see the world from above from any location really opens your eyes to the beauty that surrounds. That you don't see from the ground.
To end this post, I'll share another clip of the golden sunset. As the drone falls to the ground and trees engulf the light. A gentle fade away and good bye, until next time!