Pembrokeshire Road Trip: Day 1 – Green Bridge of Wales and Elegug Stacks

[John Baker]

I am just back from a trip over to Pembroke to try to capture some dark skies and take advantage of the recent run of good weather. When planning these things, you hope for a good clear night, in the end we managed 4. So rather than do an uber post, I will split this into separate evenings…

When planning a trip, you try to pre-visualise what locations will look like, where things will be and how they will look. Thankfully there are some great app to make things easier, so I use the wonderful PhotoPills as well as Sky Guide and Celestron SkyPortal, plus several others for tides, weather, etc.

One of the key locations I was keen to get was the Green Bridge of Wales, this is natural arch, the best time of year to shoot the site is April/May when the Milky Way is further across to the South East. But another great site which is very close is the Elegug Stacks which is definitely good in July. Unfortunately both of these are part of the Castlemartin Ranges so access can be difficult, so the plan was to take some push bikes to cycle the 2 miles to the site from the range gate – but we were lucky and when checking with range control we were told the gate would be open and we would be able to get access on our first evening – a couple of shots…

Green Bridge of Wales...

The other thing to add is you are perched on top of 160 ft cliffs and to get a good view you do need to be close to the edge!! The location is full of Guillemots and Razorbills and the noise was incredible, the white streaks on the rocks are bird poo.
I was not expecting Mars to be quite so impressive,  Saturn was clearly visible in the core and Jupiter was above the viewing platform. 
This is a combination of 9 shots, vertical at 15mm, 30" exposures, f2.8  at ISO 5,000 - Lens 15-30mm Tamron f2.8 on Canon 1Dx

Moving around to try to get a better alignment of the core, gave this view - again a 9 shot stack - to be honest, I was not going to do anything clever while on top of the cliff!!

Moving a short distance along the cliff top brings you to the second location, the Elegug or Stack Rocks. 

This is a single image taken on my 8-15mm fisheye, shot at f4, 60" and ISO 6,400

 

back on the Tamron, a single exposure at 15mm, f2.8, 30" & ISO 6,400

As you pass across the range you pass St Martin's Flimston Chapel, this dates back to the medieval period.

Back on safe ground this was an 8 shot panorama, taken at 15mm, f2.8, ISO 6,400

An 8mm shot to show the Milky Way extending across the sky

A final selfie as conditions were so good....

That was night one, back in bed for 4:30 -  I will continue the story in another post

 

[Davey-T]

Nice set John, we had a few camping holidays at Porthclais many years ago, black as your hat, I swear you could read a book by the light of the Milky Way

Dave

[Sunshine]

Those are some beautiful images, really, the cliffside shots and the last one with the small church are my favourites, there's something about that last shot, that seems haunting, for lack of a better word.

As a photographer, i read into, and get lost in images that grab me, if i had taken these i would be doubly proud.

[John Baker]

14 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

Nice set John, we had a few camping holidays at Porthclais many years ago, black as your hat, I swear you could read a book by the light of the Milky Way
Dave

Thanks Dave, this was my third visit it was carefully planned to get the tides and moon just right - while I hoped for 1 night, we ended up 4, there was a fifth, but I was too tired to go out

10 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

Those are some beautiful images, really, the cliffside shots and the last one with the small church are my favourites, there's something about that last shot, that seems haunting, for lack of a better word.
As a photographer, i read into, and get lost in images that grab me, if i had taken these i would be doubly proud.

There are occasions where you are in the right place at the right time, this was only day one, they do get a lot better!!!!

[Davey-T]

Nice coast walk and this chapel if you fancy travelling a bit further

Dave

Sorry about the big link

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/St+Non's+Chapel+and+Well/@51.872239,-5.2687415,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipPT33aujQ3fenBKGPYUokvPtax1RugY2m4quK1j!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPT33aujQ3fenBKGPYUokvPtax1RugY2m4quK1j%3Dw128-h86-k-no!7i1200!8i801!4m5!3m4!1s0x48691e4533b9fab7:0xffd82418386a944!8m2!3d51.8722385!4d-5.268741

 

[John Baker]

8 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

Nice coast walk and this chapel if you fancy travelling a bit further

Dave

Sorry about the big link

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/St+Non's+Chapel+and+Well/@51.872239,-5.2687415,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipPT33aujQ3fenBKGPYUokvPtax1RugY2m4quK1j!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPT33aujQ3fenBKGPYUokvPtax1RugY2m4quK1j%3Dw128-h86-k-no!7i1200!8i801!4m5!3m4!1s0x48691e4533b9fab7:0xffd82418386a944!8m2!3d51.8722385!4d-5.268741

 

That would be night 5 - it was an amazing set of sessions, the best run of nights I have ever had...  Off to write part 4 & 5 thankfully that's only a single post...

[Davey-T]

 

1 minute ago, John Baker said:

That would be night 5 - it was an amazing set of sessions, the best run of nights I have ever had...  Off to write part 4 & 5 thankfully that's only a single post...

Looking forward to more, brining back some happy memories, got some pic's somewhere from pre digital days.

Dave

[John Baker]

24 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

Looking forward to more, brining back some happy memories, got some pic's somewhere from pre digital days.
Dave

I normally shoot around South Devon, Dorset and Cornwall - getting over to Pembroke is a real trek, but I love the area. I could say its just like Cornwall but without any people and that makes it simply the best...