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Finding Space

A Wander to Black-a-tor Copse, an ancient oak wood on Dartmoor

By Glavind StrachanPublished 4 years ago 2 min read
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Black-a-tor Copse, Dartmoor

Back in May, just as they were relaxing the restrictions for visiting our National Parks, I decided to take a trip to one of my favourite parts of Dartmoor.

Black-a-tor Copse is an ancient high altitude oak woodland on the northern most edge of the moor, and can be fairly easily accessed via Meldon Reservoir (though I've never actually taken that route).

The harsh and unforgiving weather on the moor means the trees are somewhat stunted and twisted, giving the wood a magical and almost fairy tale like feel.

The ground (like many wooded areas on the moor) is covered in moss, giving the granite rocks the appearance of having been sprayed by a lush green snow machine!

Dappled Light on Mossy Clad Granite

I only shoot images using lenses from old film cameras and I feel more at home in these 'analogue' environments.

I'm always careful not to associate too closely with people who spend way to much of their time telling everybody how "spiritual" they are, however I would never try and diminish the obvious healing power of nature.

Life finds a way

You'll be aware by now that I'm not actually spending much time telling you about the Copse itself, and that's because I firmly believe that people should experience things for themselves. In the same way we should draw conclusions from first hand experiences and actively question the motives of those who seek to divide people.

Black-a-tor Copse is one of those places I have come to enjoy visiting (as a photographer I continually fail to capture its magic, yet I still want to return) sometimes it isn't about having a tangible memento it's more about holding a snapshot of your emotions and senses tucked away in your memory.

Over the years, I've found that any space can become somewhere personal, in someway enlightening or purely grounding.

When I first re-discovered photography my personal situation meant that my "photographic landscape" extended only as far as the local park.

You'd expect these circumstances would make my photography uninteresting and repetitive, yet in reality it taught me to look at the mundane from different angles, to reassess what we sometimes take for granted. The result of this time in physical introspection lead to me discovering my style of photography.

My photographic style is an acquired taste!

Why not visit a favourite location today and just think about it from a slightly different perspective? One of the things I've seen so many people do at any number of 'beauty spots' is to shoot exactly the same vista as the person next to them ... turn around ... what is behind you?

If you ever have the chance to visit Black-a-tor Copse, or anywhere on Dartmoor, I would (obviously) highly recommend the experience. It is not for the faint hearted, you will need sturdy boots, wet weather gear, adequate provisions and an open mind.

You can see more of my photography at my website or look for me on social media 😍

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About the Creator

Glavind Strachan

I'm a photographer from Devon in the UK. I shoot using only old film camera lenses, and like to feel that I have a knack of capturing the essence of a place or person ... I'm probably quite fanciful in that thought!

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