Month: August 2026

Eclipsed

Way back in 1999, I travelled down to Cornwall to experience the total eclipse. Although the run-up to totality was ruined by cloud cover, I remember coming back to Wales with a few transparencies showing a partial eclipse after totality through thin cloud.

Over the winter I’d been mulling over the idea of visiting northern Spain for the total solar eclipse on August 12th. I asked family members and friends if they would be interested in joining me, and earlier this year began looking at transport and accommodation options for a small group. It proved to be a difficult search. Access to the western side of northern Spain is long-winded and/or expensive, (unless you fly – which I don’t) and reasonably priced accommodation was difficult to find. To cut a long story short I dropped the idea altogether.

While the eclipse in Britain would not be total, here in the west it was due to reach about 93% of totality- which is not to be sneezed at. As the day grew closer I became more and more keen on trying to photograph it. I dug out the solar eclipse filter which I had bought in 1999 and watched a few Youtube videos. Photographing a partial eclipse seemed more of a technical exercise than a creative one (a total eclipse would be a different matter). I had all the equipment I needed apart from the step down ring that I would need to attach the filter to my current lens, and that was easily obtained online. The forecast was good so what had I got to lose?

So come last Wednesday evening I was down at the seafront in Aberystwyth with my camera bag and tripod ready for the off. It was a long time before any changes were apparent in the sun’s shape or its ability to warm or light up my surroundings. But through the filter the tiniest bite into the sun that the moon made was soon visible and its size steadily increased for about an hour. Only after about fifty minutes could the dimming of the light be noticed and a slight cooling in the air be felt. I took an image roughly every 5 minutes as the sequence took place. Do I wish that I had continued beyond maximum coverage until the sun’s disc was fully visible again. Yes. Perhaps I should have taken the event more seriously: I may never see its like again*.

Back home I discovered that most images were over-exposed by about three stops, but that was easily dealt with. I also moved the white slider to the point where the sun ‘s brightness started clipping. Processing was a doddle compared to most landscape images.

The sequence below was taken roughly every nine minutes.

18.21 hrs
18.30 hrs
18.39 hrs
18.48 hrs
18.59 hrs
19.09 hrs
19.14 hrs
  • Or perhaps not……. There’s a total eclipse in southern Spain in August 2027, and totality lasts for 6 minutes.

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Spreading like wildfire (Part Two)

The “Roman Steps” climbing through burnt ground in the Rhinogydd.

The following day I woke early. I could see the fire still burning away but decided to keep well clear of the immediate area. I drove around the northern flank of the Rhinogydd towards Harlech and then cut across to Cwm Bychan on minor roads. The lower atmosphere amongst and to the west of the mountains was thick with blue and/or orange haze and visibility was poor. In normal circumstances my camera would have stayed in its bag but the intention was to document the conditions. I stopped several times to take photographs as I made my way slowly along a gated road (at least seven gates!) into Cwm Bychan. I think they capture the atmosphere quite well.

On reaching the “main” valley road into Cwm Bychan I came across a very definite “Road Closed|” sign. At this point I parked up, had a coffee in the van and put my walking feet on. But did “road closed” also mean no access to pedestrians? It wasn’t clear. Road walking is not my favourite activity but there seemed to be no alternative. After about an hour I reached Llyn Cwm Bychan; I could see that the crags on the other side of the lake had been burnt out, with small patches of vegetation still smouldering. At the farm there was no sign that footpath access to the Roman Steps (and the fire!) was forbidden so I carried on. Fire had fortunately not reached the ancient oak woodland on the lower slopes but as I emerged into open uplands I could see plenty of burnt ground. I carried on upwards along the Roman Steps towards the watershed.

The Roman Steps are definitely not Roman. However the rock laid in medieval times to allow sheep and cattle to be herded eastwards towards markets in east Wales and England did form a partial firebreak. For quite long stretches the flames had not apparently been powerful enough to jump from one side of them to the other.

Signs of the main fire to the east side of the mountains were becoming more obvious so I decided to turn back. I didn’t want to be a victim of the fire or the Emergency Services’ anger! I’d taken a range of images of the burnt ground and have posted the best one at the top of this post. I feel it works on more than level; it shows the results of the fire but also has abstract qualities. I drove home the way I had arrived, via Trawsfynydd; from the main road south it was clear that the entire eastern side of Rhinog Fawr was ablaze. How could this tragedy have happened? What were NRW and the Fire Service actually doing?

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