Tuesday, May 03, 2011

A Napton album

I've been looking through the photos we took on our last trip, and remembering what a picturesque place Napton is.  As you would expect from its name, Napton is a sleepy place (sorry).  It sits perched on a hill with panoramic views over the countryside, while the canal sweeps round it below.

We walked up the hill so that I could take a reproduction shot of the famous Napton photograph showing the locks climbing up towards the high plateau to the south.  A view that has been used in loads of books.  You have to stand on tiptoe to get the camera over a hedge, then it's easy.  Recognise it?  A pity I couldn't get Herbie in the picture.  She was just out of sight, bottom right.


Much of the land here is given over to grazing, although there is plenty of evidence of ancient cultivation as nearly all the fields have pronounced ridge and furrow patterns.


Up on the hill the pasture is wonderfully undulating and there is a large collection of what seem to be rare breed sheep (Jacobs?)

 and ponies.

Probably the best view we had when we were there was not really of Napton at all, but of the sky at sunset.

3 comments:

Vallypee said...

Lovely spot, indeed. At least one of the sheep in your photo looks like a Jacob. I used to keep them and all mine had brown and white or black and white splodges. They also had four and sometimes 6 horns, while my ram had two handle bars instead.

The sunset is spectacular! Well taken...or is it caught?

Vallypee said...

Hmm, on closer inspection, I see two Jacobs, and is that a lamb they are nuzzling?

Anonymous said...

I see that you are enjoying your camera!!

Richard