Late August is the perfect time to see Dartmoor’s heather in bloom, offering a photographer’s dream palate of vibrant purple alongside bright yellow gorse and the iconic grey granite tors. This year, we’re privileged to have local photographer Julian Baird lead three partner walks with us, all offering insight into capturing Dartmoor’s beauty through the seasons, and our first walk focused on photographing Dartmoor’s heather.
Fifteen keen photographers joined us near Bonehill Rocks on the 26th of August, and we set off from there to walk across Bell Tor, Chinkwell Tor, and Honeybag Tor. The walk was at a relaxed pace and was as much about noticing as it was about photography, with Julian expertly weaving between the group and offering advice on positioning and perspective, as well as calling people over quickly if the light was falling on a certain spot. We had a variety of photo capturing devices, from professional cameras to smartphones, and everyone was able to experiment with doing something slightly differently.
The heather didn’t disappoint, despite the preceding spell of dry weather, and it was in abundance around Chinkwell Tor. We had the perfect mixture of sun and cloud for landscape photography on the day, offering textured cloudscapes and shifting patterns of light. Julian shared that bright sun, despite being a pleasure to be out in, can not always offer the best contrast for photography. He took time to stand with each person in turn, look through what they had captured so far, and suggest how they might further perfect their images. Alongside this, he was able to talk lenses, shutter speeds and settings, helping those coming back to their cameras, or testing out new ones, to feel more confident.
Three different species of heather can be found on Dartmoor: Ling (or common heather), bell heather and cross-leaved heath. As the name suggests, bell heather can be identified by its purple-pink bell shaped flowers, which are on display between July and September. It’s a vital source of nectar for insects, including bees, and it thrives in acidic, dry, well-drained soils. Cross-leaved heath is similar looking, but has larger bell shaped flowers and begins flowering slightly earlier, in June. Common heather, or ling, has small pink flowers growing from wiry stems and be found in abundance on Dartmoor, growing on moorland, bogs and in acidic woodland. In exposed areas, plants grow in dense clusters low to the ground, sometimes living for over 40 years, and flowering annually from August to October.
Julian is a landscape photographer who has been exploring and photographing Dartmoor for over 10 years. His work is shaped by long-term engagement with the landscape and its changing conditions, developed through repeated visits to familiar locations. Julian works as a photography tutor and location guide, helping others discover Dartmoor’s landscapes and develop confident, thoughtful compositions. He also shares the stories behind his images through writing and video, including the Discovering Dartmoor series on his blog and YouTube channel. We’re excited for the following two walks, which will focus on autumn on Dartmoor and the majesty of Great Staple Tor, which are both offered for free as part of our partnership programme.
The second walk in the series is on Wednesday the 7th October, and details of all our upcoming walks can be found in our online calendar. We hope that, through offering opportunities such as these photography walks, people can access knowledge from local experts and improve their confidence in enjoying time out on the moor. Photography offers a chance to slow down, notice the landscape around you and build a familiarity with place through the seasons, as well as promoting exercise and mindfulness. Having a beautiful image to share is just one of many benefits.