Hope Woodland is a fantastic little getaway from reality right on the doorstep of Manchester and Sheffield. There are so many photo opportunities here and not just landscapes, its a great spot for portraits and macro too. Heck, even if you're not into photography its a nice place to go for a walk!
As you drive down Snake Pass (A57) sooner or later you will come across a stretch of road line with huge Norway Spruce trees. It seems like you have drove into the middle of Finland and are no longer in the UK. This woodland goes on for miles and its all accessible for you to explore! Theres even a car park right next to it. I've marked it out for you on the map below.
There are many different routes you can take from the car park. I usually go down this way (see photo below).
Adjacent to the car park you will see a gate as indicated by the large red arrow above. You can follow the footpath down into the forest. From here you will start to see many photo opportunities.
If you have a drone there is a really nice clearing to take off from here.
From this marked point even if you don't have a drone you can head up the path to your right or go straight ahead and walk next to the stream. The footpath is very useful to use as a leading line and will take you uphill all around the forest.
The footpath is pictured above and as mentioned before its very photogenic. Try getting some shots as you walk down the path. The other route directly next to the stream- you will see this straight ahead when you get to the clearing. This path is not as obvious but it will take you right into the forest. This is a better place to go for macro!
The river is an awesome spot for shots both on ground level and aerial. There are so many opportunities for photos in this area like i literally go all the time and shoot something different every time.
I've personally never had a good sunset here as it is very low in the peaks and the light gets blocked out early on. Thats not to say it's not possible. Just in my experience the sunrise is miles better here. Everytime I have gone for sunrise I get either a huge cloud of mist, frost or at least some great light to play with.
The best times to visit the forest when it looks its best are in autumn (October to early November) or when its snowing (this can happen anytime around winter). The worst are in winter when it's not snowing. Large parts go to this brown colour which I'm personally not fond of.
Either way I would highly recommend going to this spot. Theres some really amazing photo opportunities in this beautiful forest. Thank you for reading and be sure to get in contact if you have any further questions.