For me, being in the mountains requires solitude to fully experience the landscape. Hoards of people tend to 'dumb down' an experience which should be one of humbling, and trepidation in a large and unforgiving environment. Being surrounded by many hikers dilutes this feeling through safety in numbers - at least for me anyway. That's why I seek out solitude when venturing out into the mountains. What I've learned by hiking the lesser frequented hills and mountains is that they are no less impressive when it comes to views. They may just not be as high as some more popular summits, leading to them being largely ignored by visitors.
Here in the foothills of the Carneddau mountains in North Wales, my approach from the North gained a long grassy ridge that eventually leads into the heart of the Carneddau. Part way along, I found a rocky knoll with some superb rock formations with which to form a foreground composition, with the mountains in the background looking superb with menacing clouds and a subtle light show to pick out the topography. It was also completely absent of any other people, leaving me only with the sound of the wind whistling through the valley below me. This is how I like it.
I did have some company though, in the form of the Carneddau Pony. A small group were grazing nearby, and even found their way into my photograph, before eventually moving to lower ground. I was glad they were there and that I was able to feature a couple into my photograph because they are an integral part of this landscape having been residents here for centuries.
The photo itself was a waiting game as is often the case. I set my camera up and having only 4 sheets of colour film, had to use them wisely. In the end, a couple of sheets had issues, two others were keepers, providing the same view in different lighting. I settled on the one here, which I feel sums up the way these mountains feel perfectly.
You can see this image being taken in my video here;
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