Twenty-one years ago I took my first plunge into international travel. A two-week trip exploring England and the rest of the UK helped galvanize my love of exploring the wide world we live in. That trip also marked the first time I ever used a digital camera. It boasted a three-megapixel sensor and could store a whopping 256 MB of photos! Little did I know at the time how much that small device would change how I approached photography.
As for visiting England I always knew I would come back again sometime, I just didn’t think it would take two decades to return. Last year when Kim and I started to plan a family trip, we started to dream of the many places we could explore. She was so excited to show us the North Yorkshire region she had grown to love while visiting her dad when he lived in the Yorkshire Dales. It was an incredible two weeks with Kim’s dad as our personal tour guide. In the first week, we discovered the tranquil beauty of Northern England, and in the second we wandered London.
Rainy Morning in the Dales
I truly loved exploring the Yorkshire Dales. The rolling hills are sectioned off with dry limestone walls. The lush green terrain is such a contrast to what I am used to seeing in Southern California. It was fascinating seeing the public footpaths that spanned the region. I feel like I could have spent a month exploring the area and still wouldn’t have seen it all.
For most of our time in the Dales, it was unusually warm and sunny. I was getting concerned as our time was winding down, worried we wouldn’t get any interesting weather. Thankfully our fortune changed our second to last day, a nice misty morning to make the landscape look more interesting.


Stock Ghyll Force Waterfall
One of the highlights of my previous trip to the UK was discovering the Lake District. My interest was piqued when I heard it was a National Park, but it was nothing like my expectations. The term National Park made me think of uncut wilderness not touched by human development. Instead, I found a quaint countryside of picturesque farms and towns sprinkled amongst this group of lakes with distinct pockets of ruggedness. It opened my eyes to what a National Park could be, and I loved its charm.
Returning to England I instantly wanted to revisit this region, even if all we could do was a day trip. For our one day, we chose to visit Lake Windermere and had a magnificent time. That day was filled with wandering the little towns of Windermere and Ambleside. In the latter, we found a beautiful trail through a lush ravine to Stock Ghyll Force, a beautiful 70-foot waterfall pictured above. This was a wonderful highlight of our brief time in the Lake District.
If I get the opportunity, I will make a concerted effort to spend more time in the region.
Winskill Stones
To be perfectly honest the Yorkshire Dales was not my radar of places to visit until just recently. My interest grew after learning about the limestone pavement prominent in the region. These natural formations resemble large archaic cobblestones of limestone strewn all over the region. Our quest to find said pavement made for some memorable stories. The first attempt to photograph was thwarted by what looked like a fresh barbed-wire fence. On our trip home that evening, I had my first experience driving on the left side of the road! And wouldn’t you know I was instantly tested when I had to squeeze by a huge motorhome on a narrow one-lane road lined with limestone walls on each side.
The next night we were more successful, finding the scene above. Little did we know we were going to be entertained as we waited for sunset. Shortly after arriving, we found ourselves surrounded by a herd of sheep as a local farmer was training his border collie how to herd his flock. Thankfully Kim filmed the whole experience while I was setting up my camera for sunset, see below.
As gratifying as it was to capture the beautiful images on our trip, I will always cherish the wonderful memories we made as a family exploring England this past summer.

If you enjoyed these photos you’ll be happy to know they’re also in my brand-new 2025 Photo Calendar. You can also see more photos from our trip to England in this gallery here. In addition, like all the other photos featured in this year’s calendar, I am offering 20% off all prints, click here to visit my Etsy shop and get the deal.