10 brilliant locations for photographing autumn colour

The leaves are now yellowing and there are reds and oranges appearing too - autumn is here and it's time to capture this wonderful burst of colour before its gone.

The local park or even your back garden will provide some good opportunities for close-ups, but if you can, make the effort to visit somewhere where you can really experience and photograph the spectacle of autumn in all of its glory. Here are my top ten locations:

Westonbirt, Gloucestershire  
Westonbirt Arboretumn is home to over 3000 different kinds of trees and shrubs, making it one of the biggest and most diverse collections in the world. It’s a stone’s throw away from PhotoRadar HQ in Bath and a favourite location of the team.
See www.forestry.gov.uk

Stourhead, Wiltshire  
A breathtaking location for landscapes all year round, Stourhead photographs particularly well in autumn, with the rich colours reflecting in the large tranquil lake. Temples and monuments scattered around the national trust site provide interesting focal points for pictures too.
See www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Cannock Chase, Staffordshire
An area of outstanding natural beauty, Cannock Chase is the largest surviving area of lowland heath in the Midlands. It’s home to an abundance of wildlife and wild deer roam freely – what better to bring your autumnal landscapes to life?
See www.cannock-chase.co.uk

Rannoch Moor, Scotland
If you’re looking for truly wild scenery, Rannoch Moor, near Glenco, provides some of Scotland’s best. Amazingly, you can take stunning landscapes literally from the roadside throughout the year but autumn is arguably the most beautiful. It’s worth getting up early to catch the golden light at sunrise along with the autumn colour.
See www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Snowdonia National Park, Wales
Britain’s oldest National Park, Snowdonia offers a wealth of autumnal colour, from the bracken and reeds through the contrasting mountains, which often have snowy tops during autumn.
See www.snowdonia-npa.gov.uk

Dartmoor, Devon 
A must visit for most photographers, Dartmoor National Park is the largest and wildest area of open country in southern England. The rugged landscape glows in autumn and you’ll find strong focal points wherever you go – from free-flowing rocky rivers to deep wooded gorges.
See www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk and take a virtual tour at www.virtuallydartmoor.org.uk

Yorkshire Dales
Totally unspoilt, the Yorkshire Dales really are something special. The karstic landscape gives a host of photographic opportunities with its dry valleys, sink holes and abundance of waterfalls.
www.yorkshiredales.org.uk

Forest of Dean, Goucestershire
The Forest of Dean is a hugely photogenic and unspoilt area. Symonds Yat in particular is simply stunning. The valley of the River Wye lies 120m below and the nearby cliffs provide a home for the peregine falcons that you’ll see. Other particularly good viewpoints include May Hill and Soudley Ponds.
See www.visitforestofdean.co.uk

Lake District
England’s largest National Park, the Lake Distict has lots to offer photographers, from the breathtaking Lake Windermere through to Scafell Pike – the highest mountain in England. Autumn is a great time to visit, the expanse of natural beauty combined with the rich reds and burnt oranges of the colour change is stunning.
See www.lakedistrict.gov.uk

New Forest
The rare lowland heath landscape of the New Forest is particularly magical with the autumnal colours accentuating the ancient woodland, heaths covered in heather and the many rivers and mires than run through. If you visit make time to photograph the coastline, with its mudflats and saltmarshes, too.
See www.thenewforest.co.uk

Got a favourite autumnal photography location you'd like to share with others? Do so on our forum.

Image by Rachael D'Cruze