Snowy beeches - extraordinary light

The western end of my favourite beech stand in the Limb Valley, south-west Sheffield, looking back eastwards and up, to the highest point of the wooded northern valley flank.

The lighting here was extraordinary, with the intense blue sky contrasting with the snowy ground and tracery of branches, and the luminous silvery-green of the tree trunks.

It was also very cold - well below freezing. The snow was sparkling, glittery, dry and powdery.