Cad West
Above a 31 sqn Tornado gr4, taken at 400mm
Starting point is the little chef services east of Dolgellau. From here head east on the A470 until you meet the A487 which is on your right side. Once on the A487 you will pass the Cross foxes Pub, keep going for a couple of miles and you will see before you the narrow entrance to the valley, this is the best location for photography, keep driving until you reach a big lay-by on your right hand side. Park in here, as of March 2009 it is still free parking. If you look down the road to the south you will see the Tal y llyn( lake ).
To reach the western viewing positions you need to be back along the road you have just driven, be warned it is extremely dangerous. The safest route to take is by going over the fence at the back of the car park and following the footpath north-westwards until you reach a fence line which goes from the road right up to the top of the hill. Head straight up the footpath until you come to a right-hand bend where you can see the a step over the fence, This is a good position to be at. The aircraft will appear from the direction of the cross foxes either from the hillside near Dolgellau or by turning left as they head out of the Bwlch/Dinas valley or the may come straight over the hill from Bala. You will often get a little warning which will give you time to prepare yourself. An advantage in seeing hawks is the light on the aircraft's nose, be aware not to look in the sky as the aircraft are often hidden in the background clutter. A 300mm lens is more than ample at this location with a Tornado filling the frame at around 150mm as it passes you.
Above, C130 Hercules at 400mm
For stunning almost head on shots of an aircraft, this location is the best vantage point for this type of image. You will need to have fast reactions as the aircraft enter through the notch and are gone in a split second. This location is best avoided during the mornings, even in summer time it does not help by giving you back lit shots, the problem is that aircraft can be in the shadow of Cad East until 1300 hrs until the sun lights the inside of the valley up. One other reminder is to just keep glancing down the valley occasionally towards the lake, as helicopters have bee known to travel low up the valley, which they are allowed to do as long as they remain ultra low level to avoid oncoming aircraft.
A museum relic now, A Jaguar taken at 265mm
And below against the rock face
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