The Twilight Lake

A quiet and serene picture of the famous Friar's Crag viewpoint on Derwentwater in the beautiful Lake District. The sun had long since set between the mountains of the Newlands Valley including the distinctive shape of Cat Bells but there was enough light to produce long exposures well into twilight.

Derwentwater has become known as Queen of the Lakes, and it is not difficult to understand why. Although a largish lake (the widest in Lakeland), it is extremely shallow – so shallow, in fact, that roe deer from surrounding woodland have been known to swim across to Lord's Island, one of Derwentwater's small, wooded islands. In addition to Derwentwater's seven permanent islands there is, occasionally, a curious floating island. This mass of tangled vegetation appears when marsh gases (upon which it rests at the bottom of the lake) become trapped in the weeds and carry the 'island' to the surface.

Photography by Jon Gibbs.