Over six full days of photography I will take you to many of my favourite locations along the fabulous coastline and inland to the rugged moorland of the North York Moors. We will be staying in the heart of Whitby in an area known as West Cliff. This is one of Britain's most photogenic towns. It isn't elegant, like Bath, Edinburgh or Cambridge, nor is it chocolate-box pretty like Polperro or Clovelly. But it has character and history in abundance. Its most famous recent son, Victorian photographer Frank Meadow Sutcliffe, was never at a loss for subject matter.

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There are a huge range of photographic possibilities in Whitby for the modern day photographer. The harbour's sea walls are sheltered by two great curving breakwaters, wonderful locations for dawn and dusk photography. Our accommodation is only a couple of hundred metres from the sea and perfectly situated for walking on to the piers and the beach. We will be staying in a beautifully appointed period property. Saskia, our resident cook, will look after our culinary needs at times that best suit our photographic forays. Think of it as a house party for photographers.

There are several picturesque seaside villages nearby but we are just as likely to be studying the fascinating rock details and patterns on the golden sand beaches.

 

A long strand, fringed by colourful beach huts, extends west of the town, eventually reaching the charming village of Sandsend. At the Whitby end, cliffs at the back of the beach contain layers of golden sandstone, with complex, intriguingly patterned strata. The broad stretch of sand offers more possibilities with swirling patterns left by the falling tide.

Further up the coast are the villages of Staithes and Runswick. At low tide, the former has an extensive area of wave-cut platform with numerous opportunities for detail photography. The latter has some amazing cliffs shot through with fossils. Of course, any photographer visiting this area would want to explore Saltwick Bay, just east of Whitby. The colourful geology, remnants of long abandoned alum mines and its iconic shipwreck provide plenty of material to occupy us.

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Inland there are vast views across the rolling moorland, deeply incised by dales patterned by old farms. Many of the valleys have large areas of native woodland with tumbling streams and waterfalls such as Falling Foss. Farndale's wild daffodils will hopefully be in bloom during our visit. We can also step back in time by visiting the NYMR steam railway at Goathland or Grosmont.

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This tour is aimed at beginner and intermediate photographers. I will help you to make the most of the photographic opportunities, tutoring you not only in the technical aspects, such as exposure and filtration, but also - and more importantly - helping you to see with a keener eye and guiding you to make more personal and more compelling compositions. Time will also be spent indoors on image reviews, critiques and post-processing techniques.

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