Driving along the A548 up the edge of the Dee estuary from Flint to Talacre in North Wales you can't help but notice a most unusual sight.
Just before you get to Mostyn Docks you pass a large ship, seemingly parked by the side of the road.
This is the Duke of Lancaster, otherwise known as the Mostyn Funship (although where the 'fun' part comes from I don't know!), which as been classed as a wreck and berthed in its own special dock on the banks of the estuary since 1979.
I've driven past this monument numerous times on my way to photograph at Talacre, but on this occasion on a stormy day in January 2020 I decided to stop and have a closer look.
The North Wales coastal path runs past the funship, so it wasn't much of a problem to reach this vantage point overlooking the Llanerch-y-Mor dock where the ship is beached.
What was a problem however, was the strong gusty wind that was threatening to blow my tripod over, and the fine rain that was slowly soaking me and my camera as I took the hundreds of still images needed to make this time lapse video.
Never mind though, as that fine rain, added to some weak winter sunlight, resulted in a pale rainbow over the Duke of Lancaster as I shot this sequence, which you can just make out in the video if you look carefully.
But after twenty five minutes I'd had enough as the light wasn't going to get any better, but then I was faced with another problem as during the time spent filming the tide has risen significantly, covering the path along which I'd walked to get to my vantage point.
So I put my new hiking boots through a waterproofing test as I paddled through the ankle deep water to get back to my car.
It's a good job I'd finished filming when I did, as the tide still had another hour to come in, and if I'd stayed any longer I would have been cut off for a couple of hours more at least!
Filename - mostyn funship timelapse 01
Camera - Canon EOS 6D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 35mm
Exposure (start of sequence) - 1/30 sec @ f4, ISO100
Exposure (end of sequence) - 1/30 sec @ f4, ISO100
Filters - Polarising filter used to enhance colours. 2 stop neutral density graduated filter used to reduce the brightness of the sky.
Shooting interval - 2 seconds
Location - Mostyn, North Wales
This clip - HD 720p, 30fps (4K+, and 1080p HD formats also available)
Clip duration - 22 seconds
All content copyright © Howard Litherland 2009-2024 unless otherwise stated.