A simple guide to hiking with Whippets in the Lake District. [Disclaimer – there is actually only one Lake in the Lake District (Bassenthwaite), the rest are classed as Tarns or Waters – good pub quiz knowledge!]

Do you need any special kit if you plan some fell walking with your whippet?

I would highly recommend investing in a good harness, preferably with a handle. If your whippet hasn’t had to navigate things like stiles or a little bit of rock scrambling, this will make both of your lives much easier.

As well as the harness, a bungy lead which you can connect round your waist so that you can keep your hands free for any small scrambles but also, if you are out for a while, you don’t want to have to hand hold your dog lead the entire time.

My go to brand for both of these are Ruffwear, I’ve been using them for about 8 years and both the quality and longevity give me faith and peace of mind that my whippets will be safe on a fell walk. I’ve recently changed Bertie’s to a Flagline as he prefers this, but you can read about why I think Ruffwear are brilliant on my blog The Best Harnesses for Whippets. 

I’d take water and a collapsible bowl – I’ve found whippets can be fussy when drinking ‘outdoor’ water and although there are usually plenty of streams to choose from, mine very rarely drink from them unless they are really desperate!

One thing to remember about the Cumbrian weather is that it can change in an instant! Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because you are setting off on a mild spring morning that it will be like that if you head up a fell. You could experience all seasons during  your walk so particularly with whippets, take something that covers most basis – my go to is the Redhound for Dogs Chester as it’s not too warm, shower proof & packs away easily.

For humans, a good pair of broken in hiking shoes, and lightweight waterproof in spring/summer and layers the rest of the year.

Are there good paths/tracks? You advise for planning a route

This really depends on what you want to do. Catbells is considered one of the ‘easiest’ fells but it’s not because it isn’t steep going, it’s a good 40-50 minute up hill hike but easy in the respect that there’s only a couple of very small scrambles which most people with a good level of fitness can do.

If you don’t fancy that, a lot of the Waters you are able to walk round quite easily and can take 3+ hours depending on which one you do. Bear in mind that some don’t have a ‘path’ so to speak but more of a track. One of the more popular Waters is Buttermere which is a lovely fairly flat stroll.

How long would you be out

However long you want to be! There what feels like an infinite network of routes which link all the Waters. With some good planning (something I lack), you do an all day loop if you wanted, or a short there and back stroll.

Are there places to stop/rest get refreshments on your favourite fell walks

Generally there aren’t any on the actual walks but a few of my favourite routes are:

Parking at the left side of Loweswater and walking to the amazing Kirkstyle Inn – this is a bit of a hidden gem nestled in between Loweswater and Crummock Water. Super dog friendly with a beer garden with the most majestic of views!

If you fancy attempting Cat Bells then The Lingholm Kitchen is very close and has the most amazing gardens and a fabulous café.

If you fancy something all day but not too challenging then you can park at the west of Crummock Water and take a hike to the Lakes largest waterfall, Scale Force, then pop into The Buttermere Court where I’ve always been made to feel super welcome before doing a loop of Buttermere, and then stopping in again on the way back! You can actually go round the other side of Crummock on the way back but it requires a little bit of road walking along the incredibly beautiful Honister Pass but it’s well used by walkers and has gorgeous views.

There are also some lovely walks direct from Keswick, which I have to say is probably one of the most dog friendly towns I have come across in the Lake District so far, you’d be hard pressed to find somewhere that isn’t dog friendly! You can check out my ongoing blog Dog Friendly Lake District for more!

Tips for grabbing a great selfie when you reach the top

Self timer & treats are your friend! You will more than likely to find stacked stone ‘cairns’ which are used as way points on a hike, I usually prop my phone or camera up against one of these and set a self timer. It can get windy so you may need another stone to pop in front, but they you can add your contribution to the pile!

Be aware of the Woolly Magicians

One thing I really didn’t consider, or know about much, was sheep. Lots and lots of sheep. Everywhere. When you least expect them.  I’ve walked one way, have seen no sheep – and on the way back, they have magically appeared from nowhere (or so it seems). I’ve had a couple of close calls where there’s been nothing in eyesight, but Shadow has air scented and gone off, so now, unless I really know the area, or I’m at the highest point and can have a 360 view, I keep mine on lead. During the warmer months it’s even harder to spot them as they nestle down in the ferns and long undergrowth. It’s just not worth the risk as dogs can be shot for harassing livestock.

Please don’t let this put you off, the hikes absolutely incredible regardless, and there are plenty of places to let your whippets off lead if they need a run around first.

One last thing

This may sound strange, but get your whippet used to different surfaces and also clambering or jumping up before you visit. There’s a lot of scree in the Lake District, which is stones/slate which line some of the fells – it moves around quite a lot when you walk on it, which can be quite disconcerting for a whippet – Bertie flat out refused to walk on some of our first scree hikes. If you have a pebbly beach nearby, or even somewhere with a lot of gravel, it might be worth just walking with them over it. There might be instances where you need to scramble up rock – getting your whippet used to jumping up eg logs or benches will help them with their confidence so you don’t have to try and lift them on everything.

Most of all – ENJOY! The Lake District is vast, dramatic, ever changing and I know you will absolutely love it. If you have any questions, please just drop me an email and if I don’t know the answer, I’m sure I’ll know someone who will!

Questions supplied by Redhound for Dogs – is there anything else you would like to see included on this blog post? Pop them in the comments and I’d love to know if you found this post useful.

A Magical Hike in Coniston

If you have ever been to the Lake District, you know that you can never rely on the weather – it can be very different at the bottom of the fell to the top!

I recently stayed in Coniston with my good friends Rachel & Patch (Rachel helps pet businesses get their own PR so if you are a pet brand, check her out!! Patch is chief supervising officer). We hiked up Holmes Fell on a unseasonably warm day – the chance of rain being small (which means it’ll likely still happen at some point!). Holmes Fell is a lovely but steep little hike, and not as touristy as some of the other fells so we didn’t see very many people at all!

Magic in Nature

Now I’m not afraid to admit, I still have a childlike curiosity about nature, from mushroom spotting to insect hunting – so when we were greeted by the most incredible rainbow display, I was beside myself! They were closer than I had ever seen them, and we saw the full arc, although because I had lugged my camera with my 70-200 lens on, I couldn’t get the full arc in most of the shots, but my Samsung phone picked up some great ones.

The Love of Nature

I know the science behind how rainbows happen, to me, that doesn’t make it any less magical – seeing this amazing display of colours in the sky, especially with the backdrop of the fells, was a pretty special moment.

I think that’s why I’m drawn to nature when I come to photographing dogs. Both of them are a constant surprise and bring me so much joy!

The only real purpose of this blog post was to showcase this magical moment, so I hope you have enjoyed it!! I have a feeling that a lot of you feel the same about being outdoors that I do. 

And if you ever fancy a hiking photoshoot with your dogs in the Lake District, you know where I am.

Kerry x

Lake District & Cumbria Dog Photographer

 

 

 

Big Changes

Back in February, I talked about some fairly huge changes in my life in the blog post Dogs, Depression & Me. I was honestly overwhelmed with the amount of people reaching out to share their own stories, words of support, and just general bloody lovely messages.

Unfortunately, it didn’t get easier immediately. I had to go through the ordeal of seeing my eldest dog, Jasper, pass away peacefully. It was a decision my ex had to make, and I can’t imagine how hard that must of been, but being able to be there to say goodbye is something I’ll always be grateful for.

My house sold shortly afterwards, and with a small part of the equity I decided to take a leap of faith and do something that felt scary but that I also felt was something I needed to do. I was walking with a friend who I used to photograph for, and chatting about her partners business, Lovely Little Campervans. Pre covid, I had wanted to take a month out to do some travelling abroad, but why not do it in the UK?? The campervan was self contained so I needed limited facilities (and things were just about to open up again anyway), the UK has some incredibly beautiful places – okay, that’s it, I was doing it!

Ambitious? Or just a bit naive??

Now, to anyone who follows me on social media, I have frequently mentioned my lack of navigational skills (more about this on the journey later), it transpires that this extends to lack of knowledge on scale. I set myself the ambitious (a word used by other people), task of travelling around the UK in a month. I’m so bloody glad that I have friends around me who are there to cheer me on and who don’t dismiss my dreams, because good grief, what was I thinking!! Spoiler alert, I travelled over 3,000 miles in just under a month.

So that’s how it started, with a conversation. To put things into perspective, I have a little Kia Picanto, the van I was due to hire was, well, lets say very big!  So to say I was apprehensive is an understatement, but what I kept in my mind is that people do this sort of thing all.the.time. It was all going to be okay.

I didn’t really have a specific plan of where I wanted to go, or the dates I wanted to be anywhere and I think that’s the best thing I could have done – with such limited expectations, what could possibly go wrong!

Getting ready

I decided to pick up the van a day earlier than I was due to set off, a good thing really as it took forever to make sure everything had it’s rightful, and easy to remember place. I’d stocked up with gin in a tin, wine, pasta, packets of lentils, crisps, all the essentials basically, as well as some little touches to make it more personal like a few crystals, throws, more books than I read in a year and some gorgeous cushions very kindly gifted from my friends at The Lounging Hound.

One thing I was very proud of is how light I packed clothes wise. It was the start of May, so I optimistically packed shorts, tshirts and a few light layers. It turns out I only got to wear shorts once, and that was out of shear defiance (I wore a big jumper too but that’s not the point).

I kept both a written diary, and a blog on a separate instagram page (Kerry Travels if you want to check it out) so this is how I’ll tell you how I got on, as well as a ‘what I learned’ at the end. It wasn’t all fun and games I’ll tell you that now though. I wanted this to be an honest version of how I found van life, a written Instagram versus reality if you will. I’ve also realised that my timelines are a bit skewhiffy, so take the dates with a pinch of salt!

4th May

06.45 – A friends field in Cornwall: Well it’s been a learning curve. The drive down was okay, and I spent time yesterday navigating some of Cornwalls narrower lanes, even getting over Helland Bridge (google it!) – not that I had much choice, reversing and turning round wasn’t an option on a one car width steep lane.

A storm was setting in yesterday so when the van started being a bit fussy with the heating I was a little nervous, changed a setting and it started working again. Then, in high driving winds & rain, I opened the back of the van to get the dog beds out from where I had stored them, only for the door to be flung back, cracking a rear light. I was mortified! I had only had the van 2 days and I’d managed to damage it, and not even by my driving, but by force of nature!

It didn’t get any better, the heating just wasn’t starting, I tried the hob to make sure it was a gas problem after googling the error code, seemed fine so I settled into the fact that it was going to be a cold night. It goes without saying that the hounds didn’t stay in their beds last night,

This morning I turned on the hob – no gas! So hopefully that was the issue!

07.15 After changing the gas canister, I’m now sat drinking a coffee and waiting for the designated 15 minutes for the error code to clear (thank goodness for camper van forums!) I was going to set off early today, but as I have a coaching call at 10am, I’m going to stick around and borrow my friends wifi signal. I had a quick dip in the river, have you ever heard of Wim Hoff? I’ve been doing bursts of cold showers for over a year now, and I’m pretty sure that that helped with being able to get in the river for a dip!

20.10 I’m now at a very cute caravan parked called Holly Bush in Somerset. I did a detour and met the lovely Hattie from Paws  & Tors at the stunning Wistmans Wood in Devon. The drive through Dartmoor was pretty special, definitely something I’d do again.

I’m happy to say I now have water* and am hooked up to the electrics so can charge everything up. Also managed to find a replacement gas canister (there was another one in the van already but you have to change out the empty ones) so all in all a successful day!

I even managed to do a little work this evening, although now two GnT’s down and I can feel the day catching up with me. The plan was to move on tomorrow, but I may stay another night, not only to explore more, but to do some work!

*Oh yes, forgot to mention that because the temperature had hit below 6oC the night before I left, the fail safe to stop the water freezing had dumped a full tank of water for the sinks, shower and loo. So the first night, not only did I not have heating or a stove, I had no water either!

Days got mixed up, not sure when this was!

Well, today has been a bit of a write off!

My intention was, early local walk, couple of hours of work, bit of exploring and hiking for the rest of the day….

….the reality is that I did my early local walk and then spent 3 hours doing 30 minutes of work because of a terrible WiFi connection. I decided to move campsite, so am now in Cheddar in Somerset. Walked the dogs, sat down to work, you guessed it, the WiFi is being fixed!

I give up, Im taking this as a universal sign. I can at least do some editing and watch a downloaded line of duty.

Tomorrow I’m going to head off early, possibly to Wales, do a big hike and then have fingers and toes crossed that I can find somewhere to work!!

Friday 5th May
Cheddar, Somerset
No early walk today, sat with a coffee listening to the torrential rain and realising for the first time the benefit of gravel pitches on a camp site.

I didn’t take my camera out yesterday and feel a bit silly – I was kicking myself for not bringing a charger, but then realised that the mirrorless camera is a bit of a step up from my bulky, and quite frankly, old, DSLR so I can actually charge it via USB. All charged up and ready to go for when the rain stops.

It’s been a week since I picked up the van and six days since I set off so I thought I’d do a quick round up of what have learned so far:

• After having 2 days without water, you get used to not showering every day very quickly, especially when you are on your own. And you become very aware of how much water you are using – shower is turned on to wet down, off again, and then on again to rinse down** – I was already pretty aware of this at home some I think that helped.
• Gross alert – skip this one if you are eating! One of the pieces of advice I was given was *ahem* not to do a number 2 in your own toilet. I have become stealth at popping in and out of shops and service stations – for someone with prudish tendencies, this was a big step! However – sometimes you just have to do it! In those times, I empty the loo cassette quickly. In a van loo, you have to push a lever to ‘open’ the toilet – let me tell you, you will only forget to do that once when you need to do a number two, that was not fun!
• You get used to the tiny space. The first few days are spent cursing, knocking things over, bashing elbows and knees and then things become more fluid. I have to say though, that’s me on my own with the the dogs – I’m not sure how I would feel about sharing that space!
• Because the van is a hire, bringing things like pretty bedding (which probably wont be pretty at the end) and scatter cushions has made it feel more personal.
• The amount of caravan camp sites is overwhelming! I signed up for pitcup.com which is more independent places, usually smaller and quite pretty with character, but the facilities are sometimes a bit basic, and the Caravan Club which is well organised, they have the same sign in processes at each one, good facilities when you need to do the ‘van admin’ stuff but so far, feels very like a caravan park. Note – when it says wifi at pitch on these sites, take it with a pinch of salt, or a whole box if you are rural!
• I haven’t been brave enough to use the app Park4Night yet which gives you loads of parking spots where you can just park for the night. Sounds dodgy I know, but it’s been mentioned by multiple seasoned campervan people!
• Stretch
• Allow for write off days. There are days when everything goes wrong and you will feel like crying. Just cry! Then have a glass of wine.
• Buy garden clogs. Sexy? No. Practical? Yes. Brilliant for popping to take the dogs for toilet break, and quick drying. Just don’t leave them next to the heating vents like I did, they will warp and be unwearable.
• Clear up after yourself – put things away not matter how tired you are after a couple of glasses of wine. It’s better than dealing with it in the morning when you just want to get on the road.
• Invest in hands free leads for the dogs.
• Other caravan drivers will wave to you on the road. Took me a few days to realise so I probably looked really rude for a while!

**This didn’t last with the shower – the tank was huge and never even got close to being empty.

Thursday 6th May
Shropshire Hills

Today finally felt like a van life day.

I had an early night, woke up at 5 and made the decision not to go to Wales, I was getting overwhelmed with options!

I had a look at my Marvellous Maps and decided that as I wanted to do the Peak and Lake Districts, then the Shropshire Hills were on route.

Wooooow, this is what I was hoping for on the tour. Shropshire Hills had never been on my radar, but they made want to stay! I’ve booked in for an extra night and I’ll be getting up early to go back for a hike. I got quite emotional at the beauty of the area if I’m honest. Being in such a magnificent landscape lit my soul.

The hounds are doing so well, lots of travel and change and they seem to be taking it in their stride. They are now fully sparko, and I’m not far behind them!

Saturday 8th May

[Not sure where I was! Good diary keeping Kerry!]

I’m not going to lie – today has been a shite one.

It started with a nice relaxing lie in, listening to the torrential rain, drinking coffee and journalling.

It ended in me sat working, a few glasses of wine in at 6pm, not in a good place.

The main 2 issues were my absolute lack of directional skills, and the dreaded wifi in rural areas.

Lets start with my directional skills. Even something as simple as turning into a motorway service station ended up with me in some kind of sci-fi loop round an industrial estate for 20 minutes until a kindly couple flagged me down after seeing me pass by a few times, to give me directions out.

I then did a mini tour of Walsall for, well an indeterminate amount of time, not exactly a scenic route. For some reason the GPS stopped and kept randomly plonking me somewhere else! Same happened close to the camp site which is probably why a 1.5 hour journey turned into 3.5 hours.

Oh and it doesn’t end there! I chose the caravan club membership for the main reason that it had wifi access, something that I have yet to actually get! I was getting stressed, I actually had to do some client work at some point while I was away! Finally got it sorted (there is a problem with the payment site so I have free access now), which is why, here I am, a little tipsy, working on a Saturday evening.

Also, note to self – camp sites at the weekend are not for me!

Monday 10th May
Peak District

Morning: Okay, I have got over the woe is me from Saturday. Yesterday morning I did an hours stroll along some of Carsington Waters. It was pretty empty at that time but it just didn’t light me up the same as the grand hiills of Shropshire. I decided to have a bit of an admin day as everywhere was going to be pretty busy, so laundry, topping up water etc. For some reason I can’t empty the ‘grey’ water*** (from the dishwasher, shower etc) but I’m not entirely sure if I have left it open at some point – I have tried running water and turning the key to open/close the valve – nadda! I’ll have to see if I can find someone to have a look at it at the next camp site. It’s little things like this you have to learn. Van life takes a lot of getting used to!

I decided to be be brave and do an off-grid camping night using the app. And it was certainly off grid! Zero phone signal.  A friend who was travelling down south popped in for a coffee so I didn’t feel too bad, it’s a lovely location and actually it was quite nice not to have phone signal. I’m not going to lie though, I had downloaded more episodes of Line of Duty so I wasn’t completely wild!

I’d like to say though – don’t ever let people’s travel photo’s fool you. They are more than likely carefully choreographed. When I went to Dovedales yesterday (which is stunning) it was heaving with people, I just waited for a break to take my photos. And yes it’s high up and the views are spectacular, the van did most of the hard work though and it only took about 30 minutes to walk up (I kid you not, there were girls in pleather pants doing the walk!)

So it’s now over a week, where has the time gone? I’m trying not to think about the fact that this will have to end soon and just appreciate each moment.

***Turns out I just had it open all the time, so glad I didn’t book an engineer to check it!

Afternoon (Instagram Post)
Another few up and down days!

Ups: more beautiful scenery in the Peak District.

First off grid camping, no mobile, peace and quiet.

Getting to a place up north where they have chip butties and curry sauce on the menu 🙌

Downs: getting frustrated with yet again accidentally detouring several hours out.

The driving (both intentional and unintentional!) can be pretty knackering so I’ve decided to stay put in the chocolate box location of Castleton where I can hike without driving.

Next stop is the Yorkshire Dale’s and hopefully another off grid night or two so I’ll get some work done while I’m here! But guaranteed, chips and curry sauce will be on the menu!

I think the hounds are grateful for an afternoon off today too apart from a wonder round town and a late pub lunch.

Tuesday 11th May

Peak District

(Instagram Post) Stunning 9 mile circuit from Castleton via Mam Tor and Winnats Pass, set off at 6.30 and hardly saw anyone.

Note to self, pack everything up the night before, how did it take minutes to get the dogs ready a put a few things in a bag??

The @ruffwear harnesses have been indispensable in the Peak District, I must have added 15 minutes to the walking time just lifting the dogs over stiles 😂

Wednesday 12th May
(Instagram Post) I’m not sure why, but I’ve been waking up at around 5am most mornings, not that it matters much as I’m usually up at 6am anyway! It does mean I can be up and hiking before the rest of the world decends though, although not to self, pack walking bag etc the night before, how did it take half an hour to get dressed and get the dogs out!?

The first place was the stunning Bamford Edge, another place which looks like I’ve hiked for hours but you can get pretty close in the van and it probably took 40 minutes to get to! The light in the morning was divine after thunder, lightning and hail the night before!

I then did (planned) detour to Janet’s Foss, again, just over a mile from the main parking, and absolutely magical. The walk through the woods filled with wild garlic was something else.

It made me realise how much we can miss when we are caught up in our own thoughts though, on the way back I noticed a couple of tree stumps with hundreds of coins pushed in, some ionised with age, kind of like a wishing tree maybe?

Things I learned today: the difference between an exhaust pipe and a great water pipe 🤦🏼‍♀️ more on that later.

I think I have tried to do too much this last week and a half, and I’m writing this with a view to chilling and doing some van admin today (Thursday morning because the text wouldn’t upload last night), and taking a leisurely drive up to the edge of the lakes. I really want to try a couple of nights off grid again this weekend. Campsites are great for charging up, filling up, van admin etc, but I’m craving just opening my door and walking, and some real solitude.

I’ll let you know how I get on!

Friday 14th May
Lake District

(Instagram Post) Van admin in the morning, little detour to a lovely little complex with artesian coffee makers (@rinscoffee ) who came out and fawned over the whippets!

I was super proud of the boys today, we scrambled up some hard sections of Red Scree, not something they are used to but they gained confidence and took it in their stride!

At the top we met a lovely chap with a drone and a camera, turns out he’s a bit good at photography! Check out @black.crag

I’ve now just finished cooking and having a glass of wine in a rural lay-by, watching the sheep wander round the hills. Finally starting to enjoy Van life. Think I’ll give the hounds a day off tomorrow and explore some of the pretty towns.

Saturday 15th May

Lake District

(Instagram Post) Having a bit more of a chilled day today. Ambled round Ambleside Town and the local waterfall.

I’ve parked up in a spot I can spend the night, which I probably will. Everywhere will be busy today so think I’ll read and do a bit of art!

I cant believe that tomorrow it will be 2 weeks since I set off, where has the time gone! I’m still optimistic that I’ll actually get to wear shorts on this trip, the weather has been a bit chilly!!

Sunday 16th May

Instagram Post: I’ve tried to be pretty honest about this trip and the ups and downs! Yesterday I had a couple of moments where I let myself cry.

It may seem like an odd thing to say to ‘let’ myself cry, but I have only realised recently that I find it hard (unless it’s a film with a dog, or the Lloyd’s bank adverts, then there’s no stopping me!)

These last 5 months haven’t been easy, but I’ve been through a fair bit in my life so know how to keep going.

Yesterday’s cries were a complete mixture of sadness about the way some things have unexpectedly turned out, grief, but also extreme gratitude for where I am in my life right now, and what the future holds.

I’m sure the universe will throw more challenges my way, but as long as it teaches me something each time, then it’s never a bad thing. And of course I’ll learn from the good times too!

Monday 17th May
Lake District

Instagram Post : Was it warm enough for shorts today? No, I could barely feel my fingers but I will not be beaten by this May weather! It’s taken 2 weeks but I finally feel like I’m finally getting into the swing of this van life malarkey 😆

I’m just on the edge of Derwent Water today it feels like I’m in Jurassic Park! Clouds hugging the mountains, twisted ancient looking trees, moss covered floors, just beautiful! A trip to the local waterfall, a couple of hours work, a run round part of the lake, then another walk with the hounds was today’s agenda.

I had to hand wash the dogs jumpers because, dear god, Shadow is the laziest dog when it comes to peeing! All up his stomach and legs, particularly on thr first morning toilet, and of course I kept forgetting to take his jumper off first so I had to stand by in disbelief as he missed all the surrounding woodland and just aimed at himself 🤦🏼‍♀️

Tomorrow though, a little luxury!! I have a voucher from a cancellation with a booking site from over a year ago so I’ve decided to treat myself to a hotel stay and shower that I can move in 😆 the hotel is perfectly positioned for some epic hikes and the weather looks good!

Wednesday 19th May
Lake District

Instagram Post: I left the beautiful Barrowdale (first image) on Monday to come ton stay in an actual hotel in Coniston. I could have quite happily stayed a few more days in Barrowdale, the walks around that part of the lake are pretty special. And I really liked the Keswick area from my last visit.

Coniston is lovely, yesterday we had a little walk round the local town and today the boys hiked up Old Man Coniston. Again, another steep walk with lots of Scree but the boys were amazing.

One thing they have learned on this trip is how to settle! Any short stops and they have started to immediately take the opportunity to rest.

Being in a hotel has been strange, I have got so used to having everything at my finger tips in the van! It had reinforced my dream for a tiny house, its definitely still on the cards.

Tomorrow, off to Northumberland way!

Monday 24th May
North York Moors

I can’t believe its been 2 weeks since I last sat down to write and only four more days till I’m home.

One of the many things I have learned to do on the road is go with the flow. I fully intended to be up and driving to Norfolk at 6am this morning, but after a night of driving rain and high winds, I decided to take it easy this morning so its just before 9am and I’ve had a shower, done a bit of a tidy, let the dogs out for a mooch and sat with a coffee.

This is my second night off grid in the North York Moors and I definitely enjoy being out in the wilds.

I woke up in a bit of a funk, maybe because of not a great nights sleep, maybe because I know I’m near the end of this journey, but the sun is coming out and sitting here in solitude for a while helps clear the head. Or maybe it’s the coffee.

Instagram post: Yesterday morning was spent browsing the quaint Robin Hood Bay, having a fabulous hours interview with @annalouisepresents and then hunkered down off grid when the high winds and rain set in.

I woke up in a bit of a funk, maybe because the pitch up site was quite exposed, and despite the remoteness, there were still cars passing, maybe because I need to give the van up soon; regardless, after a coffee and sitting admiring the view, the funk lifted and I was ready to rock and roll to Norfolk.

It was a long drive, and on the way, I realised just how much I have been enjoying this nomadic life.

I forgot to me mention the serendipitous meeting I had on Thursday! I have been looking at @tinyecohomes for quite a while now, and on Wednesday morning I happened to look again, only to realise that they would be 10 minutes from where I was going to be staying! (Well it was 20 minutes in the end because of my amazing directional skills). So I went to see an actually tiny home and I was smitten. This is something that I would love to be my part time residence, with the rest being on the road.

For now, I’m drinking fizz and watching a film, and contemplating how different my life will look in the next year.

Wednesday 26th May
Norfolk

Instagram Post: I’m sat here in Norfolk after another rainy day, not wanting this journey to end.
I can’t believe the month is up already. I drive back home tomorrow, I’ll unpack the van, give it a clean, then drive it back to Lovely Campervans and pick up my car (which will seem tiny in comparison).

If I’m being honest, it’s only the last maybe week and a half that I’ve really started to relax into this lifestyle. The first couple of weeks was getting into a rhythm, getting to know my new small space, learning the ropes and making a multitude of mistakes.

In the last month I’ve visited Cornwall, Devon, Shropshire Hills, Peak District, Yorkshire Moors, Lake District, Northumberland, North York Moors and Norfolk. Some places only a day or two, some a bit longer. I probably tried to fit too much in, I seemed to be driving more than I was staying anywhere, but I also wouldn’t change how I did it.

Most of the time, each location was planned only a couple of days before. I learned to be flexible in my approach to travelling, not to set any expectations on plans.

I wore shorts only once, and that was out of shear defiance and I had a fleece jumper on. It’s typical that summer weather seems to be arriving when I get back home.

What can I say, it’s not been easy, but it’s been amazing. It’s a lifestyle that I want to pursue more of, I’ve already started looking at vans for sale.

Thanks so much for coming along for the ride – keep your eyes peeled, there will be updates on the Tiny House project, and if I manage to get a van I love, the open road will be calling again!

Present day!

Well, if there’s anything I have learned in the last 6 months, its how to be fluid with my plans, and I wish I could say that everything magically sorted itself out. The Tiny house is still something I plan to do, but my circumstances meant that I needed to look for a more immediate option. I can’t remember how it happened, but I saw a house for sale on the edge of the Lake District for a price which I could buy outright so started to do some research, I went back up there looking at properties and checking out locations. It’s a fair way from a lot of my friends, however the drive doesn’t seem that long after the tour, and I could be within 20 minutes of the Lakes, one of the places I fell in love with, and mortgage free!

My tour obviously hit a cord, so many people said that I was living the dream, obviously the reason that I was able to do it wasn’t an ideal reason, but little steps got me there, not a massive leap. I’m a firm believer that if you consciously want something, subconsciously you work your way towards it. So if there’s something you want to do, put it out there. Tell yourself what it is you want to do, and see how things start to fall into place. I’m not saying it would be easy, it certainly wasn’t for me, but ultimately I’m starting to do the things I really want to do, and regardless of any external influences, that isn’t something that anyone can take away from me.

If you have been inspired to do a van holiday after my adventures, I’d bloody love to hear about it!

But for now, thanks for reading, I’ll keep you up to date.

Kerry x

Some links for you:
Lovely Campervans: www.lovelycampervans.co.uk
The Lounging Hound (my amazing scatter cushions): www.thelounginghound.com
Pitchup Campsites: www.pitchup.com
Caravan Club: caravanclub.co.uk
Tiny Eco Homes : www.tinyecohomesuk.com

App: Park4Night for off grid camping.

Hi there, thanks for visiting! Are you constantly frustrated with the images you take of your dogs? I can help!

In case you didn’t know, I’m Kerry & I have been a been photographing professionally for 11 years and started specialising in dogs 7 years ago.

The the idea behind this course was to help you understand what makes a good image and give you the knowledge to implement it; there’s no technical jargon and you don’t need a fancy camera.

It will take place in a private Facebook group & the cost is 135.00 GBP. This will include the weekly practical challenges for you to work on, I’ll be there to answer any questions, help with any frustrations and give feedback on images.

Course Content

 

 

What do you get?

• An exclusive, closed FB group, or an Instagram messenger group.
• Weekly tasks to help improve your skills.
• Trouble shooting.
• Weekly round up & image assessments.
• Regular Q&A Sessions.
• Money back guarantee. If you have completed each element and don’t feel like your dog portraits have improved, you will be refunded.

What do you need?

• Any kind of digital camera, whether phone or DSLR.
• Enthusiasm!

Booking

If reading this you are getting excited about the prospect of improving your skills & knowledge, then I can’t wait to have you on board! Drop me a message in the comments and I’ll add you to the pre-register list.

 

If you are looking for something a bit more advanced – check out Furdography F2.0 here: https://www.furandfables.com/furdography-f2-0 

 

Beautiful Bluebells

During lockdown, I had a really big burst of inspiration – I rediscovered the stunning bluebell woods within walking distance of our home. I went there as often as I could to document the lifecycle, which is really short, and get some shots of my hounds posing. It made me realise that it’s been a long time since I’ve felt that drive to photograph just for myself. I absolutely love my job – I think maybe when I’m photographing for clients that fulfils my creative need to a certain extent, but it means I forget to go out and photograph just for the fun of it! You can see my project here: https://www.furandfables.com/the-bluebell-diaries/

For this post though, I wanted to put together a little gallery of my favourite action shots, both from my project and from client shoots too, because who doesn’t love to see dogs having fun in such a stunning location. I hope you enjoy! (You can click on the images to view them bigger)

Do you have a favourite? I’d love to hear which one it is in the comments.

Kerry x

 

Firstly, I hope you and your family are all well. It’s a hard and difficult time right now, for small businesses, for people who are high risk, for everyone.

My personal view is that I will remain positive at all times – I don’t know how this is going to affect my business or my homelife, all I can do is have a good mental attitude and use this time to think outside box, and take the time to read, meditate, garden, spend time outdoors (at least the rain has stopped!)

I won’t be watching the news (if they stopped reporting on panic stockpiling, I’m pretty sure people wouldn’t think it’s a big deal and would stop panic stockpiling), and I have somehow managed to keep away from most of the social media panic.

My shoots will still be going ahead as I don’t actually need to be near anyone when we shoot, and I can’t think of a better way to spend time than outdoor with dogs. I do respect anyone who wants to reschedule though – I’ll have something to look forward to later in the year!

This page will be, as usual, filled with all things dog, so I hope you’ll come and like comment & share the positivity!

Keep safe & keep smiling all!

Kerry x

I love working with brilliant dog brands, and I’m lucky enough to be able to be quite choosy on who I work with. So when I was asked by Nash me to do their launch photography and sent me the details of their dog drying coats, I was sold! Responsible packaging, using natural bamboo & twin layered they sounded fantastic. There was one thing though, it was a week before Christmas and they were hoping to launch in the new year, could I do it they asked? Well I was certainly going to give it a try!

After chatting with them to find out how the look and feel of the shoot should portray their product (luxury, practical, stylish, active) I enlisted the help of my water loving top dog models Eko, Boris and Twiggy the spaniels, and Laula the Nova Scotia Duck Toller.

Because the courier managed to not deliver on time (of course, just before Christmas, did anything get delivered on time!?) we went ahead with the lifestyle section of the shoot anyway, which of course, for a dog drying coat, involved lots of wet dogs! I think this is the first time I’ve been thankful for the grey miserable weather we have been having.

When the coats arrived I was so impressed with the feel of them, and I’m happy to report, that the dog models humans were massively impressed with their drying quality!

Boris the Spaniel’s mum couldn’t believe how quickly his ears dried (as well as everything else obviously) in just a short car journey, she said they usually take hours! Laula’s mum is a convert too – considering they are a new brand, to have such amazing feedback is so great to see.

As well as doing a few shoots in the car, we decided the other place a dog drying coat would come in handy was probably at the pub! Any excuse 🙈😉

The Nash brand also now includes drying mitts and covers for dog beds/car boots too so you can have a full selection. I also know they have been very kind to my dog models so they really are a lovely brand. It’s been a pleasure working with you Nash!

You can find Nash at www.nashdog.co | Instagram | Facebook 

If you have a dog brand who could benefit from a professional photoshoot to not only help you stand out from your competitors, but also help you stand out to your clients, drop me an email to kerry@furandfables.com and I can send you my price list. You can also check out what I can offer you here: https://www.furandfables.com/shoot-overview/brands/

 

 

Meet Monty. Monty is a coated Xolo – a breed I hadn’t come across before! Monty is smart, funny, has a plethora of gorgeous expressions. Monty is also anxious and a little skittish. He is pretty wary of new people and definitely doesn’t want to be touched if he doesn’t know you. He’s also very food motivated.

I learned all this on my initial call with Monty’s mum, so I knew to go into our shoot with some yummy roast chicken and a calm attitude (very difficult for me when all I wanted to do was cuddle this gorgeous boy). Before long, Monty was clambering on me to get to the chicken, and I knew we were going to be okay!

During the shoot, I kept my distance and kept calm, eventually though he was readily running up to ‘the roast chicken lady’ and even let me scratch his chin. The best feeling in the world though was when we moved location to a few minutes down the road to capture Monty in the red ivy in one of the gorgeous streets of Midhurst. When he saw me walking down the street, he almost pulled his human off her feet to come and say hello (I’m under no illusion that the chicken was the main event for him! 😉

Isn’t it amazing that dogs can make us feel so loved just by wanting to say hello!?

So if you are worried about how your dog would respond to a photoshoot, it will honestly be fine! I have had owners who think their dogs are too ‘naughty’, too nervous, are anxious of other dogs. By talking to you, we figure out the best way for the shoot to happen to make sure you are both completely relaxed.

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or drop me an email! You can find full details of the packages I offer here: www.furandfables.com/shoot-overview/dog-photography

I’m based just near Haslemere, Surrey, which borders West Sussex & Hampshire.

Kerry x

It’s taken me a while to put this post up, over a year in fact. Mainly because I wasn’t quite ready, which seems ridiculous as this didn’t happen to me, but what did happen to me was that I broke a little bit, and even now, sat here writing this, I can feel that tingling in the nose which means I could tear up at any moment. So I’ll hand you over to Amy, who wrote this post, and you will understand my emotional response. –

Professional photography, and why a mobile camera is never enough.

By Amy Wilton
August 2019.

So I have been thinking about writing this for a long while. We are so fortunate that in this day and age we have so many ways and devices that can capture moments. From top of the range DSLRs, simple compact cameras, tablets, and mobile phones. The list goes on!

We’re so lucky to be able to capture snapshots of life so readily. My phone is absolutely full of photos! However I also do photography myself, so whenever I can, I always ensure I take good quality photographs of my beautiful hounds (and family, when they’ll cooperate) on my camera. I used to be better at ensuring I made time to take photos for me, but the last year or so life has got in the way in one way or another.

That said, I did have thousands (and I mean thousands) of photos of my beautiful dogs. Especially of my special oldie dog Holly. We rescued Holly when she was 7 years old; she’d spent all those as the victim of unscrupulous breeding. She’d been pushed from pillar to post, each one breeding another litter from her. By the time we had her, she was a poorly skinny scrap of a dog. Her teeth were rotten and you could see most bones in her frail little body, and yet, she was the sweetest little thing with a heart of gold.

So there began her rehabilitation, and our bond. Immediately, I was the one out of the whole of my family she bonded to. Anywhere I’d go, Holly would follow. Another room, the bathroom, my sweet shadow would follow. A few months in, she then started to be able to detect when my blood glucose levels were going out of range (I am a type 1 diabetic) and would warn me before I got symptoms.  Her story was then shared and she won the Daily Mirror’s Animal Hero Awards for ‘Caring Animal of the Year’ in 2015, and then appeared on ITVs ‘The Secret Life of Dogs’ in February 2017.

I always made sure I took many photos of this special girl on my camera, but equally I wanted photos of Holly and I together. Sometimes handing your camera over to someone else, no matter how hard you both try, just does not quite work. Not quite the angle, the focusing being a little off, despite the amount of times you try to explain ‘Put the square in the view finder on the eye…back button focusing.” Etc.

So you then resort to phone photographs, which are great. They’re instant, easy to set up and you can just hand it to someone to point and shoot. You can share them straight to social media, even better. However, if you do photography, you’ll know the quality in the photo just never quite compares.

So I knew at some point I wanted to commission a professional photographer to take photos of Holly and I. Someone I could put complete trust in, and I knew would take the photos that I was truly after. Along came Kerry. I had long admired Kerry’s work and after winning a family photoshoot a few years ago, and her becoming a friend. I just knew I wanted her to take some of Holly and myself together. To help capture and put into a photo, that bond that we had.

The shoot was booked in for the Sunday and had been for a while. I then got a hospital app through for the Wednesday prior to have my troublesome wisdom teeth removed, and I thought, “Yeah I’ll be fine!” Actually, I was released the same day then readmitted to hospital on the on Thursday with a huge infection.

I managed to leave hospital late on the Saturday, but of course didn’t tell Kerry, or reschedule. I still looked like a hamster with very puffy cheeks but I thought, time is not on our side. If I rearrange, I don’t know when the opportunity to do this will be. Driving over, we had road closures that made us over half an hour late, so arrived rather frazzled. But we still went ahead, despite everything.

I am SO glad we did. Just over a month later, my poor girl had to be let go at age 15 ½ years. Those photos became invaluable. So many memories and emotions tied to them. My heart broke in two; this sweet little girl who had been there for me throughout my teen and adult years was gone.

It meant choosing photos was hard. Really hard. I couldn’t actually choose until nearly a year later. The photos were so beautiful; but it was so painful to look at that them when it was so raw. But when the time came Kerry was there, understanding and supportive. I am over the moon with my photos.

So all I can say to anyone thinking of doing a photoshoot is don’t hesitate, book one. Phone photos just don’t compare. You never know when you’re going to lose a loved one. Once they’re gone, they are the things you truly cherish.

October 2019

 So I finished the above post, not long ago and had been meaning to send it to Kerry. But I hadn’t, for one reason or another. Again, life gets in the way. So, as I hadn’t, it wouldn’t be right to send it without adding the following. It has the made the above even more poignant, and tinged with ever more sadness. But some things need to said. 

 A week or so ago, I messaged Kerry in floods of tears. My Grandad was right at the end of his life. He was young really as far as Grandad ages go, at only 72. But the chemo that was supposed to help knock the cancer back had done the opposite and caused his kidneys and liver to fail in less than 2 days. I knew when I saw him in hospital; it would be for the last time.

 I had to go back home, and through tears I started going through photos of the happier memories, and the way I wanted to remember my Grandad. Not the very poorly, weaker version of him I had seen the previous day. When photos are important to you, you seek solace in times similar to those. So that is what I did.

 Then I came across some of the first photos Kerry had taken for my family. I won one of Kerry’s competitions back in 2014 for a family photoshoot. So we packed up the family, including my Grandad as he was visiting with the hounds, and had this shoot on the beach with Kerry. To this day they are still my favourite of all five of us (plus the hounds!) together. The ones especially of my brother, my Dad and my Grandad are truly special.

 So I guess this is a thank you to Kerry. Three loved ones she’s taken photos of for me have now been cruelly taken away from me. But I have some beautiful photos to remember them by. Thank you doesn’t really quite cut it does it?

 So if you’re reading this and are thinking “Maybe I should book that photoshoot…” please don’t delay and remember time is precious. The memories captured are priceless.

---

I’ve been photographing dogs for about 6 years now, and I’ve lost count of how many clients have contacted me to say their dog has passed, not all old either, some in the prime of their life. Every single time, it breaks a little part of me. Firstly because I bond with the dogs I photograph, but secondly it reminds me that my own dogs wont be around forever. If you’d like to know more, or want to book a shoot, drop me an email to kerry@furandfables.com and lets create memories. 

Kerry x

A few weeks ago, I asked my lovely Facebook community a question; ‘If you were to book a dog photoshoot, how would you like to view your images?’. The options were either at home and I call to talk you through your gallery, or in my She Shed where you can relax with a cup of tea or a Gin & Tonic and view products too. 

Welcome to the She Shed

The overwhelming response was to have the viewing in the She Shed! I love the fact that people wanted a place where they can physically see the products because, more than anything I want for my lovely clients to have all the information they need before ordering products.

Dog Friendly!

The great thing is, the garden is completely secure so you can bring your dog to the viewing too! There’s plenty for your hound to sniff or just chill out in one of the chairs while you sit, relax with your drink and see your images for the first time.

 
Making viewing easier

At the moment the viewing takes place on an iPad – I’m thinking a medium wall mounted screen may make viewing easier. A couple of clients have been brilliant and agreed to write up any improvements I can make. But overall, I’m super pleased with the setup and being  with you as you view your images for the first time is pretty special! 

Want to book a shoot? You can order vouchers direct from the website or drop me an email to Kerry@furandfables.com if you have any questions! I’m based on the Sussex, Surrey & Hampshire borders. If you are further away, don’t worry! I have people booking from all over the UK, if you have your shoot local to me, we can pop into the She Shed and you can view the products on the day. 

Kerry 

I failed my sales targets but it’s still a win!

Dogstival was my first big event so I expected to learn a lot, and figure out what I could do better next time. The week before I sat down with a good friend, put on my business head and tried to think of strategies; my theory was I needed to at least break even and cover the pitch fee & hotel. I didn’t even come close, but I’m not upset at all! Here’s why:

The Event

It was an brilliant event, one that I would definitely attend myself. Everything was well spaced out unlike some of the dog events I’ve been to where there’s a narrow strip in between stall holders. There was a good variety of stalls and what was brilliant to see was that a lot of them were smaller, independent brands. The footfall was huge! Particularly on the Saturday – I can’t remember a time I enjoyed talking so much.

Dog cuddles

Oh, and then were the dog cuddles. Oh.my.days – I was honestly in heaven! So many dogs, so little time. So with all these people who obviously all adored their dogs, why am I not upset that I didn’t meet my targets? Because you cannot put a price on meeting & bonding with people and their dogs. I heard amazing stories, met & chatted some of my followers from facebook & instagram and got to say hello to some of my biggest dog crushes. As one of the other stallholders said – you can pay a fair few hundred pounds for a print advertisement and have no idea who’s seeing it. 

Did you go? Did you enjoy it? I’ve already asked to be included in next year!

Check out the gallery of some of the hounds who visited here.

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