My mission today was to see how far I could get on a tenner with a Norther Rail day ranger ticket. I started at Skipton…

Majestic sweep of Skipton station.

My snapping started before my journey when I was inspired by the lovely sweep of the platform with it’s striking ironwork. Skipton seems to have always been a well kept and proud station and a fine Yorkshire town for that matter too.

On route to my planned destination of Lincoln necessitated changes at Leeds and Sheffield. I didn’t have time for any photography at Leeds (not missing much in my opinion). I did stop long enough at Sheffield to explore the station surrounds.

Sheffield water feature

This passing duck modeled the water feature at Sheaf Square very nicely, giving a pleasing balance and touch of ‘quirkiness’ to an otherwise perhaps unexciting shot.

Backdrop of Sheffield steel.

More ‘quirkiness’ in every sense, with a sculptured steel water feature making a striking backdrop for my final Sheffield snap, before I returned to the station for my next train. An hour and twenty minutes on from Sheffield through pleasant countryside is the beautiful city of Lincoln and my final destination.

Historic Steep Hill in Lincoln.

And it is!

Lincoln

A bit of exercise from the station, up the hill to the historic heart of the city.

Tearooms and tourists everywhere when you turn the corner for your first proper view of the Cathedral. Building work started here in the 11th Centuary and the cathedral has had a chequered past, including an earthquake and later partial collapse from poor construction. What you can see today though is breathtaking and though by many as even more beautiful than York Minster.

Lincoln Cathedral

Nicely framed by some foliage and carefully avoiding unwanted ‘clutter’ of people and cars as it was, my preferred shot was actually the next one a few steps away from the top of the castle walls.

View from Lincoln Castle

A love a good viewpoint and this was a great one, not least because with most of the surrounding land flat, you can see for miles. In contrast to other shots, I really like the sight of Lincoln’s only preserved windmill, 

Interesting Lincoln rooftops.

which looked splendid behind the chimney pots and with Cottam Power Station in the corner. This is looking north-east, opposite to the previous view. Once again, my trusty zoom lens makes all the difference.

Wave Of Poppies

A striking visiting attraction to the castle was the poignant and beautiful wave of poppies sculpture. Tricky to photograph to show it at it’s best, I tried various angles and lenses to create a good shot.

A study of the poppies

A close-up using the zoom certainly showed off the colour contrast against the grass. With both shots, patience was required to avoid people being in it.

Another train trip is coming shortly, when I went to explore Nottingham, my next destination!…