England Archives - Nicola Ann Art

Jan 07

by Nicola in Hiking, Nature, The United Kingdom, Uncategorized 0 comments tags: Country, countryside, England, Hiking, Wiltshire

Escape to the Wiltshire countryside

I felt grateful being in a position to return to live and breathe Wiltshire's special countryside over December 2020 and beginning of January 2021.

Oct 20

by Nicola in Architecture, Back2Blighty, Cities, London, The United Kingdom 2 comments tags: Architecture, Back2Blighty, Battersea, Battersea Power Station, BeanOn Photography, Chelsea Bridge, England, The United Kingdom

Iconic Battersea Power Station

Feeling inspired after relishing other people’s art at the Affordable Art Show in Battersea, I ventured along the Thames and happily explored the in-progress renovations of Battersea Power Station. I lived in Battersea many years ago and walked over Battersea Bridge to work, ran around the Battersea Park most days and dined weekly at a cheap and cheerful Thai place where I was known by name. What a delightful surprise to return and find an elegance of eclectic architecture, sonorous and arousing; the beauty of lines. Captured by the reflections, I wanted to include only them in the post; however, all the rest of my images are as charming. A completely different space to when I last visited fourteen years ago. I vow to return to sample Mother, oh please feed me mother, all artisan products sourced directly from Italy and apparently their pizzas are to die for!

Babeny Farm Stables, Dartmoor National Park

Apr 16

by Nicola in Back2Blighty, Hiking, Nature, The United Kingdom 0 comments tags: Babeny Farm Stables, Back2Blighty, BeanOn Photography, Bovey Castle, Dartmoor National Park, Devon, England, Hiking, horse riding, The United Kingdom

Nature Calls Dartmoor National Park, Devon

Thick, ancient wooded valleys, deep rivers with dense mosses in luminous greens and yellows are scattered throughout the wild moorlands of Dartmoor National Park. The largest open moor in southern England protects Dartmoor’s ‘little five’: blue ground beetle, marsh fritillary butterfly, cuckoo and ash black slug. There are two reasons I’d merrily return to dramatic Devon. First, horse riding through the moorland. We chose Babeny Farm Stables’ pub ride that gave us three hours in the saddle. A pity the weather limited our cantering through the boggy open moors. At least it limited the amount of people out and about too and provided a rather imtimate experience Second, Bovey Castle surrounded by 275 acres of Dartmoor National Park with deer and ponies amidst the rolling hills.

Mar 20

by Nicola in Back2Blighty, Black & White, Hiking, London, Nature, The United Kingdom 0 comments tags: Back2Blighty, BeanOn Photography, blizzard, England, Hampstead Heath, Hampstead Village, ice, nature, snow, Sunset

Let it snow London

Let it snow London; blizzards of heavy snow hit London three times this past winter, from December 2017 until end of March 2018, almost springtime. The last time I experienced snow settling in London was during January / February 2011. What a pleasure trudging through Hampstead Heath, up towards Kenwood House and around the ponds and the village during all three snow-dumps.

Road Trip from London to Dunnet Head: Kirkstone Pass, Lake District

Road Trip from London to Dunnet Head: Whaligoe Haven

Road Trip from London to Dunnet Head: John O'Groates

Road Trip from London to Dunnet Head: Dunnet Head

Road Trip from London to Dunnet Head: Cairngorms National Park

Road Trip from London to Dunnet Head: Yorkshire Dales

Impromptu Road Trip from London to Dunnet Head

With a change of plans over the festive period, we bravely set off on an impromptu road trip from London to Dunnet Head, the most northerly point in mainland Britain, Scotland. Heading to Scotland we travelled through the Lake District, exploring Kirkstone Pass; Lybster; Whaligoe Haven where the famous Billy Connolly filmed part of his television series titled The World Tour of Scotland; John O’ Groats; Dunnet Head; North West Highlands, Inverness; Cairngorms National Park with the snow-capped CairnGorm mountain range where disappointed skiers turned to sledging. Such serene vistas almost all looked fake, too perfect. Lost in its beauty, I experienced another side to Scotland (Fort William and Ben Nevis previously posted) that appealed to all of my senses in dramatic force. Forcefully dramatic; dramatically forceful. Four days later, the journey back to London took us through the Yorkshire Dales with miles of moors, valleys, waterfalls, hills and stone-built villages. Remote, rugged and rejuvenating, travelling the UK during the Christmas holidays proved to be an adventure that has to be repeated. With only Indian or Chinese restaurants open or rather still with availability at the last minute, I didn’t mind eating Indian food two nights in a row. […]

Ben Nevis, Scottish Highlands

In Edinburgh, the day before my Ben Nevis adventure, a street photographer warned me about the hike. “It’s steep at the start, in the middle and at the end. And it’s mostly steps, steep slippery steps. It’s tough, tougher than you could imagine.” Nonsense, I said to myself. How bad could it be, really?! After all I’d whizzed up Sani Pass (starting at 1544m and rises 1332 vertical meters to summit at 2876m) and Table Mountain (1,086 metres above sea level). Ben Nevis stands at 1352m above sea level, not that much higher than Sani Pass. The gradient only being 15 percent steeper. What’s 15 percent in the grand scheme of things, right? Well… Only after reading the article discovered on Walkhighlands about the hike, I thought much better of it. Perhaps Steve, the street photographer, wasn’t exaggerating after all. And not training for the walk was perhaps a little unwise from my side. From Fort William, a town nestled along the shores of Lock Linnhe, in the western Scottish Highlands, we accessed Ben Nevis. The United Kingdom’s highest peak. With the ground wet, rocks glistening, and the mist lifting at the beginning of the hike, the two of […]

Oct 05

by Nicola in Architecture, Back2Blighty, Cities, London, The United Kingdom, Uncategorized 0 comments tags: Back2Blighty, BeanOn Photography, England, Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel, Great Britain, Millennium Wheel, South Bank, Sunset, The London Eye, The United Kingdom, world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel

Coco-Cola London Eye – Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel

United Kingdom’s most popular paid for visitor attraction happens to be the Coco-Cola London Eye. Offering an unrivalled experience while absorbing the stunning vistas of the city, what’s there to beat it? Actually… Recently the 244m The Shard with its The View from The Shard has surpassed the 135m London Eye, but The Shard, is after all, not Europe’s tallest building as the London Eye is Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel. One can definitely boast with “Guess what I’ve just done? Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel!” Exactly! Without having to queue, being afforded a dedicated entrance with ninety percent fewer people, a Fast Track ticket was definitely worth its weight in gold. Especially during a balmy autumn afternoon below an unblemished sky an hour before sunset, how could it be resisted? Having experienced “the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel”, sometimes known as the Millennium Wheel, many years ago – twelve to be exact – I didn’t expect to feel as in awe of the trip this time round. Alas, with my expectations exceeded, I relished in appreciating every second of the rotating Coco-Cola London Eye, taking thirty minutes, while displaying the surrounding beauty that creates London. I feel […]

The Lady's Bridge, The Kennet & Avon Canal, Wiltshire

Aug 09

Kennet & Avon Canal, Wiltshire, The United Kingdom

Since my arrival in West Stowell, Marlborough of Wiltshire, a week ago, I discovered a pleasant walk to the Kennet & Avon Canal at Wilcot by avoiding all roads. Oh how I adore off-road! With the warm sun heating my bones and gilding everything in it’s path, beneath a bright blue sky, I set off on my journey of exploration: Over the fence at the end of the property; through the corner of the field with the heifers and a lone bull (must research how fast a cow or bull can run – anyone know?); a hop over the fence in to the next field, around the outskirt of lush grass; under a fence; another climb over a fence coated in barbs, in to a wheat field stretching for kilometres; along the bare meter-wide track through the middle of the wheat; over the final fence and on to the canal path. For at least an hour along the water’s edge, I hiked with many pauses in between to take photographs of all that caught my eye, hoping most of it’s the creative one. And we can all be the judges… Not long to go now… The row […]

Apr 30

by Nicola in Adventure, Architecture, Back2Blighty, The United Kingdom 0 comments tags: Architecture, Back2Blighty, BeanOn Photography, England, Exploring, haunted Stacklands Retreat House, Kent countryside, Sevenoaks Chronicle (UK), The United Kingdom, West Kingsdown

Sevenoaks Chronicle – Haunted Stacklands Retreat House

Towards the end of April a reporter from the Sevenoaks Chronicle (UK) approached me after discovering my blog piece on the haunted Stacklands Retreat House – original post here – requesting more information and permission to use my photography taken of the haunted derelict. The derelict is soon to be demolished. Read more of the article here or view it below.

Chichester Marina & Cathedral

“Where shall we explore today?’ “Umm… How about lunch at the nearest marina? In desperate need to see the sea.” I grabbed my laptop, clicked on Google, searched ‘nearest marina to Guildford’ and one of them happened to be Chichester Marina set in the beauty of a natural harbour. “And then we can visit Chichester Cathedral too!” Apparently Chichester Marina is “…the most desirable marina on the South Coast.” Who am I to argue? Actually, it impressed us all; however, I haven’t seen many others along the south coast of England to compare against. The highly recommended The Boat House Café on Trip Advisor fulfilled all expectations. A beautiful setting overlooking the hundreds of boats moored at the marina. We enjoyed a pleasant walk, admiring the catamarans, yachts, sailboats and dinghies while working up an appetite before devouring platefulls of fresh, mouthwatering seafood. With sated stomaches, we ventured in to town to view the impressive Chichester Cathedral. A warm welcome greeted us, and we were encouraged to join the tour that had just begun; instead, we decided to take in the awe-inspiring 20th-century paintings, sculptures and stained-glass below the tall arches on our own. The […]

Jan 09

by Nicola in Back2Blighty, Hiking, Nature, Sunset, The United Kingdom 0 comments tags: Back2Blighty, BeanOn Photography, cattle, England, Exploring, fox, Guildford, Hiking, nature, semi-rural village, Sunset, Surrey, The United Kingdom, woods

A few moments worthy of photographing

As I was about to put on my trainers for a run through the woods, the heavens, yet again, released its floodgates. Over the past couple of weeks, during a rather damp festive season that’s crept in to the New Year, I’d managed to steal a few moments worthy of photographing. With five days left, my time here in this quaint, semi-rural village in Guildford is soon to end. If only it would stop raining until after the day I leave so that I may enjoy one, just one, mud-free run through the woods. I suppose I should carry on dreaming… But soon, so soon I can feel the heat already, I’ll be back in Durban with humidity warmer than an incinerator – the type of weather I’ve never found fault with. Having an ocean less than a kilometre away, solves many issues accompanying overheating.

Dec 23

by Nicola in Architecture 0 comments tags: England, Guildford, house for sale, modern amenities, One-bedroom detached, Property for sale, Rural village, Surrey Hills, United Kingdom, Wood Street Village

Protected: An Image Screams…

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Jun 07

St Ives in Cornwall

End of April (for my birthday), I ventured down to St Ives in Cornwall and explored the seaside town, on the coast of the Celtic Sea, and its surrounding areas (St Just, Lands End, Mousehole – don’t get me started on the pronunciation of such place – and St Michael’s Mount) for a few days. The moment the sea filled my vision when arriving at St Ives I felt my jaw drop – the stunning colours of the water caused awe to wash over me. “Is this really England?” I’d asked my friend. I’d never known England to present such exquisite beauty before. About 12 years ago I first visited Cornwall and I did not recall it to be as vividly pleasing. Unless it’s taken my eyes and mind thus long to be fully open and aware and appreciative… Another delight took place while dining at the Porthmeor Beach Café, less than a 5 minute walk from St Ives’ harbour. The heated booths outside on the balcony overlooked the beach without any interruption, and the tapas of fresh fish couldn’t have been cooked better elsewhere. The dramatic sky added to the ambiance of the place, to the […]

May 06

by Nicola in Adventure, Art, Back2Blighty, Nature, The United Kingdom 0 comments tags: Art, Back2Blighty, Boats in the woods, Bristol, England, Leigh Woods, Luke Jerram, The Clifton Suspension Bridge, The United Kingdom, Withdrawn

Leigh Woods, Bristol – Withdrawn

I’ve been back in the United Kingdom for just over two weeks now and have relished every moment discovering the new and returning to rediscover the old. I’d lost all my photographs – unrecoverable from a smashed hardrive – 11 years worth of all my adventures while living in Britain and travelling as much as possible. And now I return to capture everything with an upgraded DSLR camera and fresh pair of eyes as eager as a leopard stalking an impala. So many photographs to review, edit and upload, I don’t know where to begin. Perhaps I shall begin with one of the most fascinating discoveries of recent days… Can you imagine seeing boats in the middle of a forest? Well, they are there in the middle of Leigh Woods, Bristol – Withdrawn – an art installation by Luke Jerram. What are the boats doing in the middle of the woods? How did they get there? Why would someone put them there? Why is there no smell of the sea? What is the point? Many questions flood my brain, more than normal *wink wink*, at just the thought of viewing […]