A walk through the Lime Yards in Ticknall

Hi All,

Between the village of Ticknall and the grounds of Calke Abbey near Derby there are some interesting photographic opportunities in the shape of the old lime workings. There are several interesting pools of water, a long tunnel, bridges and woods etc. 

Map of the area

In March on a cloudy Saturday afternoon my son Ben and I took a walk from the village hall in Ingleby lane over the main road and up the footpath to the beginning of the walk. Starting at the old tunnel we walked to the Calke Abbey visitors centre and then back through the woods to Ticknall village and finally back to the car park at the village hall. 

During the walk I took the opportunity to try some off camera flash shots in the tunnel, some panoramas down by the pools and also over the tops towards Calke. I also tried a few potential black and white shots. 

Some of my favourite shots can be seen below and the rest of the shots can be seen in the gallery on my website at www.carrington-imagery.co.uk .

This B & W shot was taken at the start of the walk looking over towards St. Georges Church across the fields. The shot was taken in RAW then processed in CS5 then converted to B&W using Niksoft Silver Efex Pro.

St Georges Church

As you reach the top of the path you arrive at the entrance to the old tunnel. 

Tunnel Entrance

The shot below was taken looking towards the tunnel entrance. I took a meter reading of the light at the entrance and then illuminated the walls of the tunnel with an SB910 speedlight stood on a small tripod at my feet. The image was given a boost by using Niksoft Color Efex Pro.

Inside the tunnel looking towards the entrance

The shot below was taken looking towards the tunnel exit. I took a meter reading of the light at the exit and then illuminated the walls of the tunnel with the pop-up flash in commander mode with the SB910 speedlight stood on its tripod just in front of Ben.

Ben at the tunnel exit

The shot below was taken looking towards the tunnel exit. The meter reading was taken for the light at the exit and then the SB910 speedlight was used at 1/125th  power to gently illuminate the ceiling. Niksoft Color Efex Pro was used to create a dual tone effect.

Ben in silhouette

This shot of the old bridge by the Lime Workings seemed to lend itself to a little vintage processing using Silver Efex Pro

Bridge by the Lime Workings

First of several panoramas. Three shots were combined in CS5 using the photomerge command. 

Pool Panorama

 Another panorama of the smaller of the two pools at this point of the walk. The light was changing constantly as the clouds cleared and the sun 

Pool Panorama

Panorama of the footpath crossing the field looking towards Ticknall with Foremark reservoir to the right.

Footpath from Ticknall

Black and white panorama overlooking Foremark Reservoir 

Foremark Reservoir

These are only a few of the shots I took on the day but as you can see it's an area that's well worth a visit. The grounds around the Lime Yards are extensive and can be quite dangerous. I can recommend sturdy footwear and a map.