Picture perfect beauty spots
Superb prizewinning photography
These photos showcasing the spring beauty of Lanarkshire’s landscapes have been honoured in a top competition for amateur snappers.
The images were picked by Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership (CAVLP) – as the hunt for summer winners begins.
Scenic spots at Strathclyde Loch, New Lanark and Mauldslie Woods were among the winning snaps.
“The Clyde and Avon Valley bursts into colour and birdsong in spring,” said Sarah O’sullivan, communications officer for CAVLP.
“The 103 entries to the competition are a fantastic representation of the many different facets of the landscape in spring, from industrial heritage, to geology and wildlife. We can’t wait to see the results of the summer amateur, professional and under-16 entries.”
Stonehouse woman Alison Alder took two of the winning shots – a heron and its reflection in the River Clyde and the weir at Strathclyde Loch.
Other winners included evening sunlight streaming through trees at Mauldslie Woods by Bryan Frame (Douglas), the River Clyde at New Lanark by Charlotte Edgar (West Linton) and a Clyde Valley orchard blossom by Susan West (Nemphlar).
And 12-year-old Lucy West (Nemphlar) scooped the prize for the under-16 category with her image of duck and ducklings. This is her second win in a row, following her success in the winter competition.
The images were picked by the Heritage Lottery Fund-supported CAVLP team with the assistance of Crawford-based Archibald Photography Ltd, and framed copies of the winning entries were awarded to their owners at the CAVLP Offices in New Lanark last Thursday.
Summer entries to the competition can now be submitted under the themes of agriculture and horticulture, built heritage, play and wildlife and woodlands, until Wednesday, August 31.
Photographs should be taken in or around the ‘Area of Great Landscape Value’ which follows the Clyde and Avon valleys from just south of Hamilton to New Lanark and Strathaven respectively. A map outlining the boundary is available in the competition guidelines, available on the CAVLP website at www. clydeandavonvalley.org.
The area is well known for attractions such as Chatelherault Country Park and New Lanark World Heritage Site but there are many, more hidden features of the landscape that tell an equally important part of the area’s story.
Open to all ages and photographic abilities, entries are judged on creativity and individuality as much as technical skill.
“We’re pleased that so many people have entered the photo competition so far,” said Donna Marshall, manager of CAVLP.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing what summer vistas will be included in this latest round, which completes a whole year of the seasonal competition.”
Photographs can be entered in a digital format to info@ clydeandavonvalley.com or in print format to: David Dale’s House, Rosedale Street, New Lanark, ML11 9DJ.
CAVLP aim to conserve, enhance and celebrate the unique landscape and cultural heritage of the Clyde and Avon valleys.